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This study aims to investigate the impact of auditor industry specialization (AIS) on clients’ tax planning at the audit firm level and individual auditor level, respectively.

The study’s sample consists of 44,637 firm-year observations of Chinese firms listed on the Shenzhen and Shanghai Stock Exchanges during the period from 2002–2020. The data are collected from the Taiwan Economic Journal. Panel regression is used to test hypotheses. Additionally, a two-stage least squares model is used to address concerns about possible endogeneity.

The relationship between tax planning and AIS is significantly positive at the audit firm level, while it is significantly negative at the individual auditor level.

The authors use manually collected data to investigate the distinct impacts of two AIS metrics on tax planning: the number of clients and the scale of clients.

Increased global competition originating from both within the multinational corporation (MNC) and from global adversaries dictates that subsidiaries must be responsive to change, adaptable, and capable of sensing and seizing new opportunities for capability development and growth. For many subsidiaries adhering to, or being seen to adhere to, the wider organizational goals dictated by their parent represents an additional complexity. While it may be necessary to divert slack resources towards capability development, subsidiaries which do so, on their own initiative, may well run the risk of being categorized as an unruly node in the MNC’s network. Further, by failing to show compliance with organizational strategy future subsidiary-driven efforts may be curbed or prohibited.

The need to demonstrate value to the MNC through developing new and novel capabilities while complying with parent-driven strategy thus represents a key subsidiary dilemma, yet remains an underexplored phenomenon in international business research. Framing this dilemma via an ambidexterity lens, our chapter explores how five subsidiary units balance and negotiate allegiances within a modern MNC context. We find that in the subsidiary context aligning and adapting may not be competing or exclusive strategies, but in effect two sides of the same coin. The structural context can shape relative levels of alignment via controlling mechanisms and monitoring of operations while the subsidiary’s behavioral context, idiosyncratic to the subsidiary, can dictate its capacity to generate initiatives and to create new and novel capabilities for diffusion across the MNC network.

Political factors play a crucial role in China's initial public offering (IPO) market due to its distinctive institutional context (i.e. “economic decentralization” and “political centralization”). Given the significant level of IPO underpricing in China, we examine the impact of local political uncertainty (measured by prefecture-level city official turnover rate) on IPO underpricing.

Using 2,259 IPOs of A-share listed companies from 2001 to 2019, we employ a structural equation model (SEM) to examine the channel (voluntarily lower the issuance price vs aftermarket trading) through which political uncertainty affects IPO underpricing. We check the robustness of the results using bootstrap tests, adopting alternative proxies for political uncertainty and IPO underpricing and employing subsample analysis.

Local official turnover-induced political uncertainty increases IPO underpricing by IPO firms voluntarily reducing the issuance price rather than by affecting investor sentiment in aftermarket trading. These relations are stronger in firms with pre-IPO political connections. The effect of political uncertainty on IPO underpricing is also contingent upon the industry and the growth phase of an IPO firm, more pronounced in politically sensitive industries and firms listed on the growth enterprise market board.

Local government officials in China usually have a short tenure and Chinese firms witness significantly severe IPO underpricing. By introducing the SEM model in studying China IPO underpricing, this study identifies the channel through which local government official turnover to political uncertainty on IPO underpricing.

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, public health is associated with the acceptance of vaccination unless it reaches herd immunity level, which is 67%. Nevertheless, citizens have shown hesitancy toward acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination globally. Therefore, this study aims to investigate factors which influence citizen’s intention to get COVID-19 vaccination with two well-known theories, namely, protection motivation theory and theory of planned behavior. Aside of direct relationship, the moderating effect of perceived awareness is also tested between attitude and citizens’ intention to get COVID-19 vaccine.

The research framework is statistically tested with data set of 215 responses. Data were collected from Pakistani citizens residing in Islamabad, Lahore, Narowal and Burban. For data collection, convenience sampling approach is used. The positivism research paradigm is adopted to design the research framework. Data were estimated with structural equation modeling approach.

Results of the statistical analysis unveiled that collectively perceived severity, vulnerability, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have explained substantial variance R² 52.9% in measuring citizens’ attitude toward acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Likewise, attitude and awareness have explained substantial variance R² 54.6% in measuring citizens’ intention to accept COVID-19 vaccine. Moreover, results have shown substantial Stone–Geisser Q² value to predict citizens’ attitude and intention to accept COVID-19 vaccine.

In term of theoretical contributions, this study has combined two well-known theories, namely, protection motivation theory and theory of planned behavior, to investigate citizens’ attitude and intention to get COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, practically this study directs that government officials and health-care practitioners should create awareness among citizens about pandemic by highlighting severity and vulnerability of the COVID-19 virus toward health which, in turn, motivate citizens to get COVID-19 vaccine on time.

The ongoing health crisis could be reduced if citizens achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 virus, resulting in long-term welfare of the society. This research has significant social impact on citizen’s lives, as it revealed that citizens could be motivated to get COVID-19 vaccination if they get adequate awareness about pandemic, enhance behavioral control and understand severity and vulnerability of the COVID-19 virus.

The current research is valuable, as it unveils factors which encourage citizens to get COVID-19 vaccine. In terms of originality, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first that integrates protection motivation theory and theory of planned behavior toward citizens’ intention to get COVID-19 vaccine during pandemic.

Through the subject of business network dynamics, this study aims to examine how business network relationships impact company entry market and development within fast growing economies as China. The paper looks at business network relationships in a fast-growing economy and provides an understanding of the relational perspectives in internationalisation of three luxury fashion companies and their entry models affected by the China context-related variables.

The methodology is following a qualitative approach, based on multiple case-studies research, proposing three cases of companies entering the Chinese market in the luxury and fashion industry.

The research analyses the local business network paths and how they affect the entry strategy through the socio-cultural and political players. The paper adds knowledge to studies in market entry and business networks, in the fast-growing economies area, with its new norms and values.

This study tries to analyse how business networks and related relationships “with Chinese characteristics” affect the market entry strategy in the internationalisation path from the perspective of the luxury fashion industry sector. In so doing it tries to provide an original further development of business network models within the new Chinese context.

This paper examines in detail how the use of storytelling with parallax technology can influence the user experience (UX) in online shops as well as brand- and behavior-relevant variables. Furthermore, this study analyzes the causal relationships between UX, brand attitudes and brand-related behavioral intentions in terms of purchase intention and price premiums. Explicit and implicit paths of human information processing are considered.

A sample of 266 respondents completed a web-based experiment under two conditions (text-based vs parallax storytelling online shop). An existing and operational online shop was used. The causal relationships were assessed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). To measure implicit information processing, a single category implicit association test was applied.

By applying the storytelling technique with parallax scrolling, the online shop increased visitors' UX on explicit and implicit information processing levels and increased the online shop's overall perceived attractiveness. Storytelling with parallax motion enables an efficient transmission of brand-related associations to consumers' minds, enhances their explicit and implicit brand attitudes and increases their willingness to pay a higher price. Moreover, this study provides empirical evidence on the effects of UX on brand-related measures by applying PLS-SEM and thus reveals a causal chain of effects from UX on online shop attractiveness, brand attitude and behavioral intentions. Again, explicit and implicit perceptions were considered.

Science and practice are increasingly emphasizing that storytelling emotionalizes content, which facilitates effective communication and builds strong relationships with customers. Little evidence exists about its efficient implementation in an online shopping context and in fulfilling hedonic and pragmatic needs throughout the online journey. This study provides novel insights into managing online shoppers' UX, brand-related perceptions and behavioral intentions with the optimal use of techniques to implement storytelling. Furthermore, this is one of the first studies to holistically consider the human perception of online shops by drawing on theories and methods of psychology, marketing, consumer behavior, brand research and consumer neuroscience and considering explicit and implicit information processing in terms of hedonic and pragmatic UX and brand-related measures.

This chapter aims to shed light on the role that a sustainable orientation plays in strengthening the relationships between global consumers and online brands. Despite many previous studies about the importance of sustainability considerations for national consumers’ brand commitments and purchase intentions, there is a lack of empirical studies focussing on this relationship from a global consumer perspective. A pre-study (consisting of focus group discussions) and a widely distributed international survey with responses from 74 countries show mixed results. Whereas the results from the focus groups imply that a sustainable orientation influences both global consumers’ purchase intentions and brand commitments towards online brands, the survey results imply that global consumers’ sustainable orientations do not affect purchase intentions directly, even though they influence brand commitments. An implication of these results is that an international online brand’s possibility to portray a sustainable orientation plays an important role in strengthening the relationship with global consumers, especially regarding brand commitment.

The rising global competition and uncertainty in business environment has led logistics firms to redesign supply chain strategies which boost disaster immunity. Therefore, the current study develops an integrated research framework that combines big data analytics capability, HR practices, resilience and resource reconfiguration to investigate logistic firm disaster immunity. In addition to that, the moderating effect of data-driven culture is tested between disaster immunity and supply chain performance.

The research design of this study is based on quantitative techniques and followed by positivist research paradigm. Data are collected through structured questionnaires. Overall, 219 managers have participated in this logistics research survey. Data are computed with structural equation modeling approach.

Statistical findings have revealed that collectively HR practices, innovation capability, proactive capability, reactive capability, resource configuration and supply chain resilience explained R² 71.5% variance in disaster immunity. Therefore, in the extended model, disaster immunity and data-driven culture have depicted R² 49.2% variance in manufacturing firm supply chain performance.

The integration of big data analytics capability factors with HR practices, supply chain resilience and resource configuration has enriched logistic literature in the disaster immunity setting. Practically, this study has concluded that factors such as data analytics capabilities, resource reconfiguration, supply chain resilience and HR practices need policymakers’ attention to boost disaster immunity and supply chain performance.

This research is original as it unveils three core factors of big data analytics capability, namely proactive, reactive and innovative capability, and examines firm disaster immunity. Similarly, research is unique as it combines capability factors with resilience, HR practices and resource reconfiguration and investigates logistic firm disaster immunity.

The purpose of this chapter is to develop a framework that can be used to study the impact of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on sustainable development and poverty alleviation in developing countries. In the 3-year project awarded by the EC-FP7 program, six universities from Europe and three partners from developing countries participated: Brazil, Ghana, and India. For this purpose, a thorough literature review is done and a framework is presented. To confirm the conceptual framework, we performed several case studies with three MNEs in two countries, Ghana and India. Data collection was done through qualitative in-depth interviews with managers in the headquarters of MNEs, the subsidiaries, and the “linked” local firms and host governments. Results confirm our conceptual model that the autonomy of the subsidiary, strategies of MNEs, and local government policies play a major role in achieving positive externalities from MNE operations in developing countries. The key contribution of this study is the development of a relevant conceptual framework that can be used in the overall project. Our study confirms that an interaction between the MNE subsidiary and the local government is essential for the linkages and spillovers to occur that may benefit local economic development and poverty reduction in developing countries.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the level of subsidiaries’ internal and external relational embeddedness and the degree of subsidiaries’ knowledge transfer. More specifically, the aim is to explore dual embeddedness of subsidiaries involved in the knowledge transfer process within multinational corporations’ (MNCs) network.

The authors empirically analyse 165 European subsidiaries to demonstrate the crucial role of dual relational embeddedness in the transfer of knowledge within MNCs. Data were collected via a close-ended questionnaire and processed through an ordinary least squares regression model.

Results show that internal embeddedness directly and positively influences the degree of subsidiaries’ knowledge transfer, whereas external embeddedness does not. Notwithstanding, a higher level of both types of embeddedness – known as dual embeddedness – generates multiplicative and positive effects on the degree of subsidiaries’ knowledge transfer.

Best practices and relevant knowledge follow a reverse transfer of knowledge from the subsidiaries to the internal MNC network that is facilitated by the relational embeddedness of subsidiaries. This has resulted in developing a dual embeddedness, which introduces new routines and scripts, as well as more relational links.

The research emphasises the relevance of the knowledge transfer process in multiple directions, evoking the central role of dual-embedded subsidiaries.