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This study aims to investigate whether firms purchase directors' and officers' liability (D&O) insurance when the country-level economic policy uncertainty (EPU) is high.

This study uses D&O insurance data from Chinese listed firms between 2003 and 2019 to conduct regression analyses to examine the association between D&O insurance and EPU.

The results show that government EPU, despite being an exogenous factor, increases the likelihood of firms' purchasing D&O insurance, and this effect is more pronounced when firms are exposed to great share price crash risk and high litigation risk, suggesting that firms intend to purchase D&O insurance possibly due to the accentuated stock price crash risk and litigation risk associated with EPU. In addition, the results indicate that the effect of EPU on the D&O insurance purchase decision is moderated by the provincial capital market development and internal control quality.

The study highlights the role of uncertain economic policies in shareholder approval of D&O insurance purchases.

The study enriches the literature on the determinants of D&O insurance purchases by documenting novel evidence that country-level EPU is a key institutional factor shaping firms' decisions to purchase D&O insurance.

The purpose of this study is to explore green innovation and its role in driving competitiveness in Ecuadorian manufacturing firms, focusing on structural equation modelings, which account for more than 90% of the productive units and aggregate national income. The manufacturing sector in Ecuador reports variable growth since the start of the COVID pandemic, drawing more attention from practitioners, regulators and scholars alike, due to its distinctive footprint on people, profit and planet, particularly in the context of developing economies.

A model with two second-order constructs is developed and tested in a sample of 325 managers from manufacturing firms in Ecuador, using quantitative and cross-section methods.

After obtaining adjusted and validated metrics, a structural equation model is presented, where the main hypothesis is confirmed, supporting the positive impact of green innovation on competitiveness.

The research provides evidence on how manufacturing firms favoring green innovation in their long-term planning can unlock and sustain competitiveness. Policymakers could then offer incentives for firms to embed sustainable practices, with potential ripple effects along the supply chain, aggregating up competitiveness to industry and national levels.

The study aims to bridge the existing knowledge gap on the interplay of green innovation and competitiveness, claiming that the former significantly influences the latter, in an emerging market context, with incremental gains for all stakeholders, as posited by stakeholder theory.

El propósito de esta investigación es explorar la innovación verde y su rol en la generación de competitividad en las empresas manufactureras ecuatorianas, centrándose en las PYMES, que representan más del 90 por ciento de las unidades productivas y del ingreso nacional agregado. El sector manufacturero en Ecuador reporta un crecimiento variable desde el inicio de la pandemia de COVID, lo cual atrae la atención de profesionales, reguladores y académicos por igual, debido a su huella distintiva en la sociedad, la rentabilidad y el planeta, particularmente en el contexto de las economías en desarrollo.

Se desarrolla y estima un modelo con dos constructos de segundo orden, en una muestra de 325 gerentes de empresas manufactureras del Ecuador, utilizando métodos cuantitativos y transversales.

Tras obtener métricas ajustadas y validadas, se presenta un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, donde se confirma la hipótesis principal, sustentando el impacto positivo de la innovación verde en la competitividad.

Aportamos evidencia empírica sobre cómo las empresas manufactureras que favorecen iniciativas ecológicamente innovadoras en su planificación a largo plazo, pueden generar y sostener competitividad. Los reguladores podrían eventualmente diseñar incentivos para que las empresas incorporen prácticas sustentables, acumulando beneficios en la cadena de suministro, e incrementando así la competitividad a nivel de la industria y de la economía en su conjunto.

Nuestro estudio aspira contribuir a cerrar la brecha en la literatura en la convergencia entre la innovación verde y la competitividad, argumentando que la primera influye significativamente en la segunda, en un contexto de mercado emergente, con beneficios incrementales para todas las partes interesadas, como lo postula la teoría de stakeholders.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é explorar a inovação verde e seu papel na promoção da competitividade nas empresas manufatureiras equatorianas, com foco nas PMEs, que representam mais de 90% das unidades produtivas e da renda nacional. O sector manufatureiro no Equador regista um crescimento variável desde o início da pandemia da COVID, atraindo mais atenção tanto de profissionais, reguladores como académicos, devido à sua pegada distinta nas pessoas, nos lucros e no planeta, particularmente no contexto das economias em desenvolvimento.

Um modelo com dois construtos de segunda ordem é desenvolvido e testado em uma amostra de 325 gestores de empresas industriais no Equador, utilizando métodos quantitativos e transversais.

Após a obtenção de métricas ajustadas e validadas, é apresentado um modelo de equações estruturais, onde é confirmada a hipótese principal, apoiando o impacto positivo da inovação verde na competitividade.

A nossa investigação fornece evidências sobre como as empresas industriais que favorecem iniciativas ecologicamente inovadoras no seu planeamento a longo prazo, podem aumentar e sustentar a competitividade. Os decisores políticos poderiam então oferecer incentivos às empresas para incorporar práticas sustentáveis, com potenciais efeitos em cascata ao longo da cadeia de abastecimento, agregando competitividade aos níveis industrial e nacional.

O nosso estudo visa colmatar a lacuna de conhecimento existente sobre a interação entre inovação verde e competitividade, alegando que a primeira influencia significativamente a última, num contexto de mercado emergente, com ganhos incrementais para todas as partes interessadas, conforme postulado pela teoria dos stakeholders.

Sustainability approaches across product supply chains are well-known, while similar knowledge on transport supply chains (TSC) is limited. The purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability approaches and managerial challenges in extending sustainability across a TSC.

This paper presents a case study of a TSC with a shipper, a third-party logistics firm and a hauler. Each actor’s views on sustainability-related communication and relations with other TSC actors are analyzed through the lens of agency theory.

Each dyad in the TSC reveals different, more or less collaboration-based approaches. Challenges are revealed, including the lack of shipper understanding for the TSC context and the use of immature contracts, which disincentivizes sustainability compliance. The multi-tier study object reveals the silencing of distant actors and the need for actors to take on mediating roles to bridge information asymmetries.

Combining literature perspectives (relations, communication and agency theory) provides a deeper understanding of the approaches applied and identifies different challenges. The inclusion of agency theory reveals principal problems such as information asymmetries between agents and less-informed principals and suggests complementary labels of supply chain actors.

Practical contributions include the highlighting of managerial challenges, which can aid managers in extending sustainability across TCSs.

The case study method offers insights into collaboratively improving sustainability in supply chains (such as using contracts), thus having social and environmental implications.

The paper narrows knowledge gaps about managing sustainability among logistics service providers and analyzes data from multi-tier actors.

Territory-wide system assessment (TSA) was launched and administered by Hong Kong (HK) Education Bureau (EDB) since 2004. Since then, parents and teachers have been questioning its need, value, uselessness, effectiveness, harm for schools, teachers and students. In 2015, the issue blew up with Kau Yan School’s principal boycotting the tests. A series of discussions in the public and media and different surveys were then carried out widely in HK. After review, EDB announced in 2017 that the revised version of TSA be extended to Primary 3 students in HK. The purpose of this paper is to propose that TSAs for Primary 3, Primary 6 and Secondary 3 need a further review to judge their need and uselessness.

This paper reviews the educational policy governing the administration of the TSA. Primary and secondary data from focus group meetings, press interviews (Bogdan and Biklen, 1982; Miles and Huberman, 1994; Ouiment et al., 2001) and public reports would be analyzed. Besides, participant observation (Nosich, 1982; Sou, 2000; Sou and Zhou, 2007) and theoretical reasoning (Nosich, 1982; Sou, 2000; Sou and Zhou, 2007) have been applied for the critical review of this controversial test. The contrast study on the conflicting views of stakeholders in the education industry would bring up some insights of this controversial educational policy in Assessment for Learning.

Conflicting and contrasting perceptions from TSA to basic competency assessment (BCA) among stakeholders of education and government include governmental stakeholder – EDB’s awareness; EDB stressed that TSA is a low-stakes assessment which does not need extra practice for students; non-governmental stakeholders including legislative councilors’ perception, school principals’ perception, teachers’ perception, parents’ perception and students’ perception. Facing the opposition and grievances of different stakeholders, EDB announced in January 2017 that the revised version of TSA: BCA, be extended to HK in May 2017. Parents and legislative councilors were angry and they ask for a review or even cancellation for Primary 3 TSA.

This original study will initiate more thorough revisions and discussions for the TSAs for Primary 3, Primary 6 and Secondary 3 in HK, as a quality educational management step. While TSA for Primary 3 has been reviewed and substantially “revised,” the community at large still asks for further revision for its needs, uselessness and harm for parents, teachers and students. Since the underlying causes of students’ suicides are not fully identified, the problem of over-drilling practices for TSAs for Primary 3, Primary 6 and Secondary 3 needs to be satisfactorily resolved. Thus, TSAs for Primary 6 and Secondary 3, like that for Primary 3, should be reviewed for probable revision.