Review Reports - The Influence of Urbanization and Environmental Factors on the Financial Performance of Retail and Automotive Industries in China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study aims to explore the relationship between urbanisation, environmental degradation, and car retailing performance. The perspective is unique and bears some research significance. The paper presents a clear analytical framework, and the logic of the argument is sound. However, the authors' conclusions do not seem to be strong enough. For instance, the paper concludes that the growth of urban infrastructure negatively affects online retail sales. However, it fails to explain the possible reasons for this result, making some of the conclusions confusing. Moreover, the paper does not compare its findings with the existing literature, which is not sufficient to fully justify the innovative findings of the paper. Therefore, it is recommended that the discussion and conclusion sections be further developed to elaborate on the important findings of this paper, so that the conclusions of this paper can be more informative for policy makers and practitioners.

Author Response

Thank you so much for these suggestions. Please find the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study is interesting, although to my taste it does not consider relevant factors in the modelling of the temporal factors, the effects of the period 2020-2022, for example.

In that sense, while the relationships are mathematically correct, the comparisons are relevant to the conclusions you are drawing.

A review of the hypotheses and the ways of testing them with the data and periods that are available is necessary.

Although some of the conclusions are stated as non-revealed aspects, in other latitudes there are already several authors explaining polycentrism models and their effect on the automobile and retail industry.

in that sense, in order to improve the manuscript, it can be recommended:

1.- to better review the state of the art.

2.- To clearly establish the form of validation or testing of the hypothesis.

3.- Improve the wording of the conclusions.

Author Response

Thank you so much for these suggestions. Please find the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I am very grateful to the journal and the author for giving me this opportunity to learn.However, I have read the paper several times and think that this paper has not met the requirements for publication. On the whole, the academic significance of this paper is not very obvious, and the research questions are not scientific. The research hypothesis lacks theoretical support. Research conclusions and recommendations have no practical value. To be specific, the paper also has some areas that need to be improved. For example, what does Figure 1 mean? What are the reasons for the study area selection? All in all, this paper has a lot to improve before it can be published.

Author Response

Thank you so much for these suggestions. Please find the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript studies in detail the correlation between urbanization, environmental pollution and the retail industry and corporate performance. This is a very interesting research topic, which is of great scientific significance for understanding the relationship between humans and nature. It also has Contribute to the formulation and implementation of policies for national economic development. However, the structure of the manuscript is messy and the content is piled up. It has not been carefully summarized and summarized, and it cannot meet the requirements of a research paper. It is recommended that the manuscript must undergo structural revision before review.

Introduction: Figure 1 should be placed after L76.

L41: The introduction introduces too much the content of the manuscript itself, but cites too little the research results of domestic and foreign scholars on this topic.

L100: The research methods should not be placed in Introduction but should be a separate chapter.

L110: The study results should be presented in Discussion or Conclusion.

L134: The literature review should be placed in the introduction. Authors are asked to carefully read the manuscript template provided by the editorial department to avoid confusion in the structure of the paper.

Literature Review: There is so much content that it feels less like a manuscript and more like a doctoral thesis. It is recommended that the author compress and summarize, and select more classic documents and viewpoints for introduction and elaboration. There are too many chapters in this part, causing the manuscript to become fragmented and not conducive to readers' reading.

L316: “Methodology” should be changed to “Data and Methodology”. Because this chapter contains section 3.3.

L430: The author's presentation of the research data is vague and readers cannot understand the author's intention. It is recommended that the author develop a table detailing the data used in the study, the institution that provided the data, how the data was collected and organized, and how to download the data.

Figure 5 and 6: What do these two pictures mainly want to express? please explain. Figures should be mentioned first in the text and then appear. Instead of showing pictures first and then explaining and analyzing.

Section 4: There are so many chapters that it’s overwhelming. Compression and organization are recommended. The results and discussion sections are divided into several simple and clear parts to facilitate readers' reading and understanding.

Conclusion: The limitations of the manuscript should be briefly introduced rather than covered in one sentence.

Author Response

Thank you so much for these suggestions. Please find the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 5 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

- The subject addressed is within the scope of the journal.

- Abstract section should refer to the study findings, methodologies, discussion as well as conclusion. It is suggested to present the abstract in one 200-250 words paragraph.

- The way of referencing is inappropriate "e.g. “another study by [47] revealed”".

- However, the manuscript, in its present form, contains several weaknesses. Appropriate revisions to the following points should be undertaken in order to justify recommendation for publication.

- The following text on page 22 needs to be rewritten:

“The model results show a significant negative correlation between PM2.5 pollution and sales of passenger cars (coefficient = -0.064, p<0.01). This suggests that as pollution levels rise, sales of passenger cars tend to decrease. This could be due to environmental regulations curtailing car usage in highly polluted areas or changing consumer preferences towards environmentally friendly transportation alternatives.”

- The introduction section is detailed, but needs a significant amount of reorganization. It could be strengthened by adding more recent references.

- All symbols and parameters should be defined, please check.

- Draw a flowchart from your workflow that briefly shows the process of the methodology.

- The title "Table 2. Correlation Matrix" is very general.

- The authors should probe the intersection of urbanisation, environmental degradation, and corporate performance in China's retail and automotive sectors in comparison to other countries.

- The conclusion is not technically presented.

- It is suggested to present the structure of the article at the end of the introduction.

-It is suggested to add articles entitled “Iqbal Khan et al. Impediments of Green Finance Adoption System: Linking Economy and Environment”, “Hasibuan et al. The Use of Regression Method on Simple E for Estimating Electrical Energy Consumption” and “Nga Phan Thi Hang. Policy Implications for the Green Bank Development in the Context of Global Climate Change” to the literature review.

- Some key parameters are not mentioned. The rationale on the choice of the particular set of parameters should be explained with more details. Have the authors experimented with other sets of values? What are the sensitivities of these parameters on the results?

- Some assumptions are stated in various sections. Justifications should be provided on these assumptions. Evaluation on how they will affect the results should be made.

- I would ask you discuss more about the present research theoretical approach.

Author Response

Thank you so much for these suggestions. Please find the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Congratulations on revising the paper. However, it still requires further revision before it can be published.

Firstly, it is important to note that research findings and discussion should be separate sections. The discussion section should focus on the most important findings and not be exhaustive. The results and discussion sections are currently mixed up, making it lengthy, confusing, and less readable. Therefore, it is necessary to restructure the article.

Secondly, the author mentioned that the period from 2000 to 2022 is a period of rapid urbanization in China. The relationship between the economy, environment, and the automotive industry has been changing rapidly during this time. However, the article's conclusions may cause some confusion among readers, and it is recommended to add relevant content in the discussion section to elaborate on the relationship between different stages.

Sincerely

Author Response

Kindly find attached

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

First of all, thank you for taking the suggestions, I think the work has gained a lot in the process and is now ready to be a contribution.

Author Response

Subject: Appreciation for Your Valuable Feedback on our Paper

Dear Reviewer,

I hope this message finds you well. I am sincerely grateful for your invaluable feedback on my paper, The Influence of Urbanization and Environmental Factors on the Financial Performance of Retail and Automotive Industries in China, submitted to Sustainability. Your constructive comments and suggestions have significantly enhanced the quality and rigour of the work.

I appreciate the time and effort you dedicated to reviewing my manuscript thoroughly. Your insightful remarks not only helped address specific concerns but also contributed to an overall improvement in the clarity and coherence of the paper. I am pleased to inform you that I have carefully incorporated your suggestions, and I would like to thank you for accepting the changes I have made and recommending the paper for publication.

I am grateful for your support and guidance throughout this process. Your expertise has been instrumental in refining the content, and I believe the paper is now better positioned to make a meaningful contribution to the field of sustainability.

Once again, thank you for your time, commitment, and valuable input. I look forward to the opportunity for this work to contribute to the ongoing dialogue in the field.

Best regards,

Wasim Shattarat

Associate Professor of Accounting

Gulf University for Science and Technology

Shattarat.w@gust.edu.kw

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

It is a pity that the author did not give a reasonable explanation and reply to my previous questions and suggestions. So I suggest that the author carefully modify the problem I raised earlier.

Author Response

Kindly find attached.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thanks to the author for spending valuable time and energy to make major revisions to the manuscript. However, there are still structural problems, that is, the current situation at home and abroad is described in a separate chapter. This content should be included in Section Introduction. The author is advised to make minor revisions to the manuscript before publication..

Section 2: This part is an introduction to previous research and should be merged with A. Because the introduction should include the current research status at home and abroad.

Author Response

Kindly find attached

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 5 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The Revisions are satisfactory in my opinion, and I would certainly recommend the Editors to Publish the Paper in their esteemed Journal.

Author Response

Subject: Appreciation for Your Valuable Feedback on our Paper

Dear Reviewer,

Once again, thank you for your time, commitment, and valuable input. I look forward to the opportunity for this work to contribute to the ongoing dialogue in the field.

Best regards,

Wasim Shattarat

Associate Professor of Accounting

Gulf University for Science and Technology

Shattarat.w@gust.edu.kw

Round 3

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Accept in present form