Despite the rapid development of the digital economy, its impact on corporate environmental responsibility remains unclear. Drawing on stakeholder theory, we suggest that city digitalization enhances regulatory and social stakeholder governance and, in turn, facilitates local firms’ corporate environmental investment (CEI). Utilizing data from 2,358 Chinese listed firms operating in environmentally sensitive industries from 2014 through 2019, our findings indicate that city digitalization positively affects CEI. Moreover, such positive impact is more pronounced in regions where environmental regulatory or social salience is high, and for firms with high levels of state share or top management team ownership. Our study sheds light on the governance function of digital development and provides valuable insights into how city digitalization helps address environmental challenges in emerging markets.

Digital technologies are often seen as a powerful means for poverty reduction. Yet, much of the existing research focuses on macro-level outcomes, leaving gaps in understanding individual-level mechanisms and the processes behind successful digital interventions. This study addresses these gaps by examining how online platforms, developed as social innovation efforts, enable smallholder farmers in Japan to escape poverty. Using a qualitative, case-based approach, we analyze six social enterprises and explore how stakeholder mobilization drives the success or failure of these platforms. We developed a schematic model that captures the nonlinear, collaborative nature of the social innovation process. Our findings reveal a systemic account of why and how only two of the six platforms achieved meaningful impact, offering insights into the factors that shape the effectiveness of digital technologies in reducing poverty. In the end, our model offers practical implications for future digital poverty reduction initiatives.

Evaluators, tasked with making funding decisions under conditions of incomplete information and uncertainty, are particularly susceptible to the influence of temporality and gender expectations. Drawing on the literature on signaling theory and gender expectations, this research examines the importance of past temporal focus in determining innovation funding decisions. Our empirical evidence suggests that innovation projects that focus on past events are more likely to receive favorable evaluations as past temporal focus signals better learning capacity among innovators. Moreover, we build on the signal credibility and visibility literature to support the notion that female-dominated presenting teams that emphasize past actions receive higher evaluations because the learning capacity signal is deemed more credible for women and female evaluators are more reactive to past-related signals, leading to higher evaluations for innovations with a past-focused narrative. Our study contributes to the literature on temporal focus and signal effectiveness and provides implications for mitigating the gender gap in accessing funding through temporal rhetoric.

We develop and test a theoretical model to investigate the effects of faultlines within the top management team (TMT) on corporate financial fraud. We propose that TMT faultlines can generate mutual monitoring among factional subgroups in the executive suite, which reduces fraudulent behavior. We also examine the contingent roles of subgroup configuration and the TMT members’ tenure overlap in shaping the relationship between TMT faultlines and financial fraud. The mutual monitoring effect is likely to be stronger when the TMT has a balanced subgroup configuration and shorter TMT members’ tenure overlap. We test our argument in the context of publicly listed firms in China. This article extends the mutual monitoring perspective of corporate governance and has important research implications for the corporate financial fraud literature.

The behavior of parent-incumbents depends not only on their own intention to hand over the family firm but also on their child-successors’ willingness to take over. Drawing on socioemotional wealth (SEW) theory, we develop a model of the impact of perceived child-successors’ willingness on parent-incumbents’ corporate philanthropy prior to succession. We argue that perceived child-successors’ willingness increases parent-incumbents’ transgenerational succession anticipation and the resulting desire to preserve SEW, which in turn motivates them to engage more in corporate philanthropy. However, parent-incumbents facing a greater threat of state expropriation engage less in philanthropy, as they anticipate a lower likelihood of successful transgenerational succession. Using data from a national survey of Chinese family firms, we find support for our hypotheses. Our findings highlight the significance of internal succession anticipation and its interplay with the external institutional environment in shaping family firm philanthropy.

This study examines how top managers engage in sensemaking to navigate dynamic and complex industrial policy environments and respond strategically. Based on a longitudinal narrative case study of a privately owned firm in China, we explore how managers interpret evolving policy signals and drive corporate strategic change. We extend sensemaking theory by incorporating an institutional logics perspective to investigate how top managers draw on multiple logics to make sense of policy shifts and craft organizational responses. The study develops a holistic process model that links industrial policy, sensemaking, and strategic change, highlighting the embedded agency of top managers in responding to evolving and diverse institutional pressures. By unpacking the temporal dynamics of sensemaking, we identify how the temporality of sensemaking contributes to heterogeneity in corporate strategic behavior. This research advances understanding of sensemaking as a key process linking shifting policies with firm strategic actions and contributes to the literature on sensemaking, institutional logics, and strategic change.

Previous research mainly emphasizes relational factors that drive employees to engage in unethical behaviors to benefit their group, overlooking the role of ability-related mechanisms. However, understanding the ability-related mechanisms not only deepens our insight into unethical pro-group behaviors but also informs effective strategies for reducing such behaviors. Drawing upon social cognitive theory, we propose that employees who perceive low group potency are more likely to engage in unethical pro-group behaviors. In this regard, transformational leadership can reduce these unethical behaviors by increasing employees’ perception of group potency. Furthermore, we suggest that this effect is particularly salient when employees perceive a high leader–organization fit. We conducted an experiment and a multi-source, multi-wave field study to empirically test this theoretical model. Our research contributes to the literature on behavioral ethics and transformational leadership and provides practical implications for reducing unethical pro-group behaviors in the workplace.

Digital financial inclusion (DFI) has been widely recognized for its potential role in reducing poverty by fostering entrepreneurship. However, whether DFI benefits all social classes equally remains an open question. Integrating technology adoption and income stratification research, this study investigates the impact of DFI on income stratification – specifically lower-, middle-, and upper-income classes – across key entrepreneurial stages, including venture creation, investment, and performance. Using data from 36,557 household-wave observations in the China Household Financial Survey (CHFS), we find that (1) lower-class households are less likely to establish entrepreneurial ventures compared to upper-class households but are more likely to do so than middle-class households, and (2) they make lower investments in entrepreneurial ventures compared to their upper-class counterparts, and experience lower entrepreneurial performance than middle- and upper-class households. The results also show that, whereas DFI positively influences entrepreneurial venture creation, investment, and performance for lower-class households, these effects are less pronounced compared to those observed in middle- and upper-class households. The study advances an integrated view of DFI by examining its differential impacts across income classes and entrepreneurial stages and contributes to the ongoing debate about its effectiveness as a universal poverty reduction solution.

Entrepreneurial reentry after business failure is an important area of research in the field of entrepreneurship. However, previous studies have largely overlooked the crucial role of time factors – both objective and subjective – in the context of failure and subsequent entrepreneurial endeavors. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the impact of firm lifespan on entrepreneurial reentry and the moderating effect of entrepreneurs’ temporal focus. Through manual matching across multiple databases, we obtain a sample of 368 entrepreneurs. The results show that a longer firm lifespan negatively influences entrepreneurial reentry and that a past focus further amplifies this negative relationship. This study contributes to research on the determinants of entrepreneurial reentry and provides theoretical insights into the role of time in entrepreneurial reentry.

Existing literature posits that corporate financial performance has a positive relationship with philanthropic donation intensity. However, the relationship between financial performance and philanthropic donation intensity may be more complex than what has been depicted. In addition to the legitimacy pressure for philanthropic acts, we suggest that well-performing firms also face strong competitive pressure to sustain high financial performance, which reduces the motivation to increase philanthropic donation intensity. Considering the joint influence of legitimacy and competitive pressures, we propose a log-linear relationship between financial performance above aspiration and philanthropic donation intensity, that is, philanthropic donation intensity increases at a decreasing rate with firm performance above aspiration. We further introduce state ownership (which amplifies legitimacy pressure) and market competition (which intensifies competitive pressure) as two moderators of the main relationship.

Many mergers and acquisitions (M&As) fail, and an emerging body of literature highlights the role of prejudice in derailing the M&A process. While prejudice is frequently observed in M&As, strategies to mitigate these biases remain underexplored. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, this study focuses on Chinese acquisitions in the UK and examines how managers from both the acquired and acquiring organizations navigate prejudice through emotional sensemaking. The findings demonstrate that emotional sensemaking plays a critical role in shaping the post-acquisition integration (PAI) process and its outcomes. Specifically, sensemaking supported by emotional intelligence facilitates the accommodation or reduction of prejudice, while emotionally unintelligent sensemaking tends to reinforce it. By focusing on the dynamic, interactive emotional exchanges between managers at the micro level, this study offers a fresh lens on the integration process beyond traditional strategic or structural explanations. The study contributes to the literature by advancing the understanding of micro-level emotional sensemaking in the PAI, emphasizing the dynamic, interactive nature of emotional sensemaking between acquirer and acquiree managers, and its impact on the integration process and outcomes.

Digital entrepreneurship has attracted growing scholarly attention for its potential to alleviate poverty. Drawing on imprinting theory, this study examines how digital entrepreneurs’ past poverty experience shapes their poverty reduction outcomes. Using two waves of survey data from over 200 digital entrepreneurial ventures in rural China, we find that entrepreneurs’ past poverty experience exerts a significant positive effect on poverty reduction outcomes, and this relationship is mediated by the development of firms’ digital capabilities. Furthermore, resource constraints strengthen the imprinting–capability pathway, thereby amplifying the indirect effect of poverty experience on poverty reduction outcomes. This study deepens our understanding of the micro-level mechanisms through which digital entrepreneurship contributes to poverty alleviation, and provides a more nuanced framework for exploring the intersection of personal history and entrepreneurial outcomes in poverty reduction. It also advances imprinting theory by introducing a process-oriented perspective that highlights capability formation as a critical pathway through which early-life adversity is transformed into entrepreneurial outcomes.

This study adopts a temporal lens to integrate opportunity logic with institutional theory, examining how varying and unpredictably evolving institutions across countries shape firm innovation. Focusing on nascent industries – where institutional environments are not only diverse but also characterized by irregular and rapid change over time – we theorize a U-shaped relationship between institutional uncertainty and digital product innovation. We further explore how design iteration, as a form of temporally distributed adaptive action, enables firms to navigate uncertainty and capture innovation opportunities in dynamic institutional contexts. Drawing on a sample of 4,619 firms from 50 countries in the global mobile app industry, our empirical findings support these propositions. This research advances a dynamic, time-sensitive perspective on institutions and innovation, offering key insights for emerging markets, like China, where firms operate amid rapid and unpredictable institutional transitions.

Drawing on attribution theory and impression management research, we investigate when and how abused employees engage in different coping strategies and what the interpersonal consequences of the coping strategies are for employees. Specifically, from an employee actor–based perspective, we develop and test a dual-path-mediated moderation model that represents the double-edged sword effect of abusive supervision. Using data from 444 front-line employees, we find that injury initiation motives attribution enhances the positive relationship between abusive supervision and revenge motivation, which in turn is positively related to intimidation, exemplification, and supplication. Conversely, performance promotion motives attribution strengthens the positive relationship between abusive supervision and motivation to reconcile, which in turn is positively associated with ingratiation, self-promotion, and exemplification. Intimidation and supplication are then related to increased interpersonal conflict with leaders, while ingratiation is related to reduced interpersonal conflict with leaders. Theoretical contributions, practical implications, and limitations are discussed.

The rapid advance of the digital era – characterized by big data, artificial intelligence, and platform-based ecosystems – has fundamentally reshaped the landscape for Chinese technology ventures, demanding new approaches to strategic leadership, decision-making processes, and governance. Our special issue on Chinese technology ventures addresses these three distinctive challenges in the digital era. This editorial essay of the special issue first investigates the evolution of the innovation of Chinese firms over the past five decades, highlighting the interplay between technological development and government policy in driving the emergence and growth of Chinese technology ventures. Second, by examining the organizational dynamics shaped by technology and state involvement, this paper identifies how key characteristics of the digital era affect Chinese technology ventures on strategic leadership, decision-making processes, and governance. Finally, this essay introduces the articles in this special issue and proposes avenues for future research that underscore the critical importance of understanding strategic leadership, decision-making, and governance as an integrated system within the evolving digital landscape.

Coordinated urban and rural development is crucial for reducing inequality and achieving common prosperity. Using panel data from 57 counties in Zhejiang Province from 2015 to 2019, this study examines the impact of digital economy development on the urban–rural income gap, with particular attention to its role in digital poverty alleviation and the underlying transmission mechanisms. The results show that while digital economy development contributes to poverty alleviation by significantly increasing household income in both urban and rural areas, it simultaneously widens the urban–rural income gap. The analysis of mechanisms reveals that nonagricultural employment (NAE), innovation, and entrepreneurship mediate this relationship, disproportionately benefiting urban areas. The heterogeneity analysis further indicates that human capital (HC) and business environment (BE) disparities amplify the widening effect of digital economy development on the urban–rural income gap, while improved infrastructure reduces barriers to resource flow, mitigating the gap. These findings highlight the dual effects of digital economy development, offering critical policy insights for promoting digital poverty reduction while addressing regional disparities to achieve common prosperity.

As CEOs play pivotal roles in shaping environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment strategies, existing studies have explored the influence of CEOs’ demographic and professional traits while acknowledging the impact of their cognitive characteristics. However, an overlooked aspect in these investigations is the role of CEOs’ time perspective. To address these gaps, this study investigates the relationship between CEOs’ temporal focus, a key executive perception in strategic contexts, and three dimensions across ESG investments. Utilizing data of Chinese listed firms between 2009 and 2021, we find that CEOs with past-oriented or present-oriented temporal focus exert suppressive effects on environmental and social investments, whereas CEOs with future-oriented temporal focus significantly enhance such sustainability initiatives. Present-focused CEOs are more likely to champion governance investments while both past-focused and future-focused tend to restrict them. Notably, these relationships are further moderated by CEO wealth sensitivity. Our findings illuminate the considerable influence of executive temporal perceptions on ESG investment heterogeneity, offering valuable implications for both research and practice.

To advance the understanding of how e-government resources drive e-participation, the current research conducts a meta-analysis on the relationship above from the perspective of citizen experience. This meta-analysis synthesizes 517 effect sizes from 126 empirical studies to examine how e-government resources influence citizens’ e-participation intention. The findings highlight several key variables that moderate this effect. Specifically: (1) From the perspective of the experience channel, e-government resources are more effective in facilitating citizen e-participation intention when delivered through social (vs. official) channels. (2) From the perspective of the experience affair, e-government resources exert a stronger impact on citizen e-participation intention when targeting specific (vs. general) public affairs and when focusing on regional (vs. national) government affairs. (3) From the perspective of the experience environment, the effect of e-government resources on e-participation intention is stronger in developing (vs. developed) countries. Based on these findings, this study offers implications for governments and researchers and suggests directions for future research.

Extant studies on cross-border venture capital (VC) investment predominantly focus on how country-level formal institutions impact the flow of VCs across borders, but the potential role of country-level sentiments in this process has received less attention. Drawing upon the trust literature, we explore how home country political sentiment affects cross-border VC investment. Using data on Chinese VCs’ cross-border investments from 2000 to 2021, we find that home country political sentiment positively affects the amount of cross-border VC investment. Government VC (GVC) and connected VC (through sentiment transmission) positively, while investor managerial team education and investor host country experience (through sentiment suppression) negatively, moderate the influence of home country political sentiment.

This study examines how internal CEO alliances, defined as social and structural ties between CEOs, subordinate executives, and board members, influence corporate carbon performance. Drawing on data from 36 countries over the period 2002–2023, we find that strong internal alliances are associated with weaker carbon performance, suggesting that concentrated internal power may hinder firms’ emission reduction efforts. However, this adverse effect is significantly moderated by various organizational and institutional factors. Specifically, it is attenuated in contexts characterized by stringent environmental regulation, robust media oversight, high regulatory quality, and greater board gender diversity. At the individual level, CEO characteristics such as hometown affiliation and older age also appear to reduce the negative influence of internal alliances. These findings advance our understanding of how CEO power dynamics interact with external and internal governance mechanisms to influence firms’ climate-related outcomes.