Xianming Wu, Nathaniel C. Lupton and Yuping Du
The purpose of this paper is to investigates how organizational learning, absorptive capacity, cultural integration, specialization of the acquired firm and characteristics of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigates how organizational learning, absorptive capacity, cultural integration, specialization of the acquired firm and characteristics of transferred knowledge impact innovation performance subsequent to overseas acquisitions.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey responses from 222 Chinese multinational enterprises engaged in overseas acquisitions.
Findings
Differences between acquiring and acquired firms’ capabilities, while having a positive direct influence, suppress the positive impact of organizational learning and absorptive capacity, suggesting that multinationals require some basic level of capabilities to appropriate value from overseas acquisitions.
Research limitations/implications
This paper investigates the impact of knowledge-seeking overseas acquisition of Chinese multinationals on innovation performance, as this appears to be the primary motive for making such acquisitions.
Practical implications
Knowledge-seeking overseas acquisition should be based upon the absorptive capacity of the acquiring firm and complementarity between both firms. In knowledge-seeking overseas acquisitions, establishing an effective organizational learning mechanism is necessary for improving innovation performance.
Originality/value
This paper reports on the behaviour and innovation performance of Chinese multinationals through analysis of primary data.
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Yongbin Lv, Ying Jia, Chenying Sang and Xianming Sun
This study investigates the causal relationship and mechanisms between the development of digital finance and household carbon emissions. Its objective is to explore how digital…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the causal relationship and mechanisms between the development of digital finance and household carbon emissions. Its objective is to explore how digital finance can influence the carbon footprint at the household level, aiming to contribute to the broader understanding of financial innovations' environmental impacts.
Design/methodology/approach
The research combines macro and micro data, employing input-output analysis to utilize data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) for the years 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019, national input-output tables, and Energy Statistical Yearbooks. This approach calculated CO2 emissions at the household level, including the growth rate of household carbon emissions and per capita emissions. It further integrates the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index of China (PKU-DFIIC) for 2012–2018 and corresponding urban economic data, resulting in panel data for 7,191 households across 151 cities over four years. A fixed effects model was employed to examine the impact of digital finance development on household carbon emissions.
Findings
The findings reveal that digital finance significantly lowers household carbon emissions. Further investigation shows that digital transformation, consumption structure upgrades, and improved household financial literacy enhance the restraining effect of digital finance on carbon emissions. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that this mitigating effect is more pronounced in households during the nurturing phase, those using convenient payment methods, small-scale, and urban households. Sub-index tests suggest that the broadening coverage and deepening usage of digital finance primarily drive its impact on reducing household carbon emissions.
Practical implications
The paper recommends that China should continue to strengthen the layout of digital infrastructure, leverage the advantages of digital finance, promote digital financial education, and facilitate household-level carbon emission management to support the achievement of China's dual carbon goals.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper lies in its detailed examination of the carbon reduction effects of digital finance at the micro (household) level. Unlike previous studies on carbon emissions that focused on absolute emissions, this research investigates the marginal impact of digital finance on relative increases in emissions. This method provides a robust assessment of the net effects of digital finance and offers a novel perspective for examining household carbon reduction measures. The study underscores the importance of considering heterogeneity when formulating targeted policies for households with different characteristics.
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Kung-Cheng Ho, Qian Wang, Xianming Sun and Leonard F.S. Wang
A commitment to social responsibility is indispensable to the sustainable development of a firm, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a key corporate evaluation…
Abstract
Purpose
A commitment to social responsibility is indispensable to the sustainable development of a firm, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a key corporate evaluation indicator. CSR's economic consequences have long been a hot topic in academic research. The authors analyze the relationship between CSR and corporate capital structure and also investigate channels through which such links are transmitted.
Design/methodology/approach
Using CSR score (CSRS) data published by China's Hexun (hexun.com) from 2010 to 2018, the authors control some influencing variables of the nature and characteristics of enterprises and discover that CSR can effectively improve firm leverage using ordinary least square regression. In addition, the research results remain robust for other CSR proxies, different dimensions of CSR, alternative measures of leverage and endogenous testing.
Findings
The authors discover that CSR can significantly reduce firm leverage. In addition, the research results confirm that investor attention and liquidity are the main channels by which CSR effectively reduces leverage, and other influence channels are worthy of further exploration. After examining the substitution variables and endogenous characteristics of CSR, the results remain robust.
Originality/value
Regarding decision-making and governance within companies, the authors conclude that CSR reports not only announce the status of CSR activities to corporate stakeholders but also reveal information on corporate financial decisions. Considering the widespread agency problems in companies, management may take advantage of investor understanding of CSR reports and conceal real information or disclose false information. They distort investors' understanding of the financial policies of financial reports to achieve their self-interests. Hence, companies must reinforce their governance and construct comprehensive monitoring mechanisms for CSR disclosure to protect their investors, establish a strong corporate reputation and facilitate long-term development.
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Xiaohang Ren, Shuiling Hu, Xianming Sun and Dan Zhou
This paper investigates the impact of AI penetration rate on the degree of corporate greenwashing and aims to assess the potential of AI in enhancing firms' environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the impact of AI penetration rate on the degree of corporate greenwashing and aims to assess the potential of AI in enhancing firms' environmental performance and reducing false disclosures.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a year and firm fixed-effects model to analyze data from Chinese listed firms from 2012 to 2022. We use the low-carbon city pilot as a quasi-natural experiment to address endogeneity concerns and conduct a series of robustness tests, including adding control variables and transforming the model.
Findings
The results of this paper show that the application of AI can inhibit firms' greenwashing behavior, with green innovation activities further enhancing this inhibitory effect. In state-owned firms and those with Party Organizations, the inhibitory effect of AI on corporate greenwashing is more significant. This reduction in greenwashing is more likely to be observed in firms that are heavily influenced by Confucian culture, receive higher public attention regarding their environmental impact, face less market competition, suffer from more serious pollution and face less financial constraints.
Originality/value
We propose a new research perspective that offers novel insights into promoting the green development of firms by revealing the potential of AI in reducing their greenwashing behavior. Corporate boards can explore specific strategies for applying AI to monitor, prevent and correct greenwashing, thereby enhancing corporate environmental performance and social responsibility.
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In recent years, a great deal of work has emerged on eco-cities in China. Specifically, writers have discussed the role of the entrepreneurial state in the construction of…
Abstract
In recent years, a great deal of work has emerged on eco-cities in China. Specifically, writers have discussed the role of the entrepreneurial state in the construction of eco-cities and have noted the role of these cities in the production of high-end real estate and new forms of capital accumulation and land acquisition. Whilst this chapter supports these arguments, we argue that the emergence of eco-cities in China is tied up with broader socioeconomic and cultural discourses and discourses of governance. We explore these ideas through a qualitative investigation of an eco-city known as the North Lake (Beihu) Ecological New Town (NLENT) located in the city of Jining, Shandong province. Specifically, this project, which involved the collection of documents, photographs and 20 semi-structured interviews, aims to understand the role that discourses of class, taste and consumption play in the fashioning of Chinese eco-cities. In exploring discourses of ‘green conduct’, this chapter also seeks to understand the role of eco-cities in the governmental fashioning of Chinese subjects and bodies. In this regard, this chapter suggests that whilst new forms of green development have played a part in urban expansion, new green real estate zones such as the NLENT have a powerful role to play in the construction and shaping of Chinese identity and behaviour.
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Esther Ngan‐ling Chow and S. Michael Zhao
Facing a high birth rate, a falling mortality rate, and inconsistent policies on family planning from the 1950s to the early 1970s, the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched…
Abstract
Facing a high birth rate, a falling mortality rate, and inconsistent policies on family planning from the 1950s to the early 1970s, the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched its widely known one‐child policy in 1979. The intention was to restrict population growth by reducing fertility through family planning and thereby to conserve the nation's resources to advance economic development. The effectiveness of the one‐child policy has varied greatly because policy regulations are differentially carried out by officials of provinces, municipalities, counties, communes, and minority regions. Generally speaking, the state policy has had greater acceptance in urban areas but is far less rigidly enforced by local officials in rural areas and for certain national minorities, which can have a second child under certain circumstances (Chow and Chen, 1994).
Xianming Shi, Tuan Anh Nguyen, Prathish Kumar and Yajun Liu
This work seeks to present a systematic study that aimed to provide quantitative understanding of the fundamental factors that influence the chloride threshold of pitting…
Abstract
Purpose
This work seeks to present a systematic study that aimed to provide quantitative understanding of the fundamental factors that influence the chloride threshold of pitting corrosion of steel in concrete, by conducting a set of laboratory tests to assess the corrosion potential (Ecorr) and pitting potential (Epit) of steel coupons in simulated concrete pore solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
With the aid of artificial neural network, the laboratory data were used to establish a phenomenological model correlating the influential factors (total chloride concentration, chloride binding, solution pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration) with the pitting risk (characterized by Ecorr−Epit). Three‐dimensional response surfaces were then constructed to illustrate such predicted correlations and to shed light on the complex interactions between various influential factors.
Findings
The results indicate that the threshold [Cl−]/[OH−] of steel rebar in simulated concrete pore solutions is a function of DO concentration, pH and chloride binding, instead of a unique value.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations and implications of the research findings were also discussed.
Practical implications
This research could have significant practical implications in predicting the service life of new or existing reinforced concrete in chloride‐laden environments.
Originality/value
This study further advances the knowledge base relevant to the chloride‐induced corrosion of steel rebar in concrete.
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Shuang Huang, Haitao Zhang and Tengjiang Yu
This study aims to investigate the micro mechanism of macro rheological characteristics for composite modified asphalt.Grey relational analysis (GRA) was used to analyze the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the micro mechanism of macro rheological characteristics for composite modified asphalt.Grey relational analysis (GRA) was used to analyze the correlation between macro rheological indexes and micro infrared spectroscopy indexes.
Design/methodology/approach
First, a dynamic shear rheometer and a bending beam rheometer were used to obtain the evaluation indexes of high- and low-temperature rheological characteristics for asphalt (virgin, SBS/styrene butadiene rubber [SBR], SBS/rubber and SBR/rubber) respectively, and its variation rules were analyzed. Subsequently, the infrared spectroscopy test was used to obtain the micro rheological characteristics of asphalt, which were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed, and its variation rules were analyzed. Finally, with the help of GRA, the macro-micro evaluation indexes were correlated, and the improvement efficiency of composite modifiers on asphalt was explored from rheological characteristics.
Findings
It was found that the deformation resistance and aging resistance of SBS/rubber composite modified asphalt are relatively good, and the modification effect of composite modifier and virgin asphalt is realized through physical combination, and the rheological characteristics change with the accumulation of functional groups. The correlation between macro rutting factor and micro functional group index is high, and the relationship between macro Burgers model parameters and micro functional group index is also close.
Originality/value
Results reveal the basic principle of inherent-improved synergistic effect for composite modifiers on asphalt and provide a theoretical basis for improving the composite modified asphalt.
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Francesca Bartolacci, Andrea Caputo, Andrea Fradeani and Michela Soverchia
This paper aims to extend the knowledge of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) to synthesize what 20 years of accounting and business literature on XBRL suggests about…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to extend the knowledge of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) to synthesize what 20 years of accounting and business literature on XBRL suggests about the effective improvement from its implementation in financial reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of 142 articles resulted in the identification of 5 primary research streams: adoption issues; financial reporting; decision-making processes, market efficiency and corporate governance; audit and assurance issues; and non-financial reporting.
Findings
The results reveal a scarcity of studies devoted to explicating the consequences of XBRL implementation on financial reporting outside the SEC’s XBRL mandate and listed companies’ contexts. Also, some papers’ results question the usefulness of the language on the decision-making process. The overall lack of literature concerning the impact of XBRL on financial statement preparers, especially with reference to SMEs, is evident. Moreover, the consequences on corporate governance choices and the relevant internal decision-making processes are rarely debated.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are useful for users of companies’ financial disclosure policies, particularly for regulators who manage XBRL implementation in countries where XBRL has not yet been adopted as well as for others working in specific areas of financial disclosure, such as non-financial reporting and public sector financial reporting.
Originality/value
This study differs from previous literature on XBRL as it focuses on a wider period of analysis and offers a unique methodology – combination of bibliometric and systematic review – as well as a business perspective for deepening XBRL.
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The purpose of this study is to use polybenzoxazine (Pbz) functionalized ZrO2 nanoparticles to synthesize polyurethane (PU)-PbZ/ZrO2 nanocomposite. The results derived from the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to use polybenzoxazine (Pbz) functionalized ZrO2 nanoparticles to synthesize polyurethane (PU)-PbZ/ZrO2 nanocomposite. The results derived from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization studies indicated the superior anticorrosive activity of PU-Pbz/ZrO2 nanocomposite coatings compared to those of plain PU coatings. The decreased corrosion current was detected on the scratch of the PU-Pbz/ZrO2 nanocomposite-coated mild steel surface by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) compared to other studied coatings. The superior anticorrosive and mechanical properties of the proposed nanocomposite coatings provide a new horizon in the development of high-performance anticorrosive coatings for various industries.
Design/methodology/approach
The Pbz functionalized ZrO2 nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in terms of the structural, morphological and thermal properties of these coatings. A different formulation of coatings such as PU, PU-Pbz, PU-ZrO2 and PU-Pbz/ZrO2 were prepared and investigated for their corrosion protection performance on mild steel in natural seawater by electrochemical techniques. The surface morphological studies were done by SEM/EDX and XRD analysis.
Findings
The superior anticorrosive property of the proposed nanocomposite coatings provides a new horizon in the development of high-performance anticorrosive coatings for various industries. Addition of Pbz wrapped ZrO2 nanoparticles into the PU coating resulted in the blockage of charge transfer at the metal/electrolyte interface, which reduced the dissolution of mild steel. It was revealed from the SEM/EDX analysis that the formation of the corrosion products at the metal/electrolyte interface behaved as the passive layer which reduced the dissolution of steel.
Originality/value
The inclusion of polybenzoxazine functionalized ZrO2 nanoparticles to the polyurethane coating reinforces the barrier and mechanical properties of PU-Pbz/ZrO2 nanocomposite, which is due to the synergistic effect of ZrO2 and Pbz.