Systems

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27 pages, 1300 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Organizational Work System as the Predictor of Creative Performance: A New Approach to the Learning Method System of Comprehensive Systems and Expansion of Research Field

by Zhiliang Lyu, Chengao Zhang and Xiu Jin

Systems 2025, 13(4), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13040298 - 18 Apr 2025

Viewed by 150

Abstract

Previous researchers have questioned and attempted to verify whether the association between organizational work system and individual and organizational performance indicates causality. A work system is a comprehensive concept; it may be of various types, and gaps exist between the type of organizational [...] Read more.

Previous researchers have questioned and attempted to verify whether the association between organizational work system and individual and organizational performance indicates causality. A work system is a comprehensive concept; it may be of various types, and gaps exist between the type of organizational work system and performance. To fill these gaps, we investigated the causal relationship between how a high-performance work system improves creative performance via work involvement through social exchange theory, expectancy theory, and the ability–motivation and opportunity framework. Therefore, we established an amalgamated research framework that uses the moderated mediation model of learning method system of comprehensive systems to facilitate creative performance. To verify the above, this study conducted an empirical study targeting 315 organizational members working in Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For empirical analysis, we utilized SPSS Macro Process, AMOS, and SmartPLS 4 Program. We found that high-performance work systems significantly improve work involvement and creative performance. Additionally, work involvement acts as a mediator between high-performance work systems and creative performance. However, the moderating effect of the learning method system of comprehensive systems was not significant. Overall, this research was conducted in consideration of the fact that there is a considerable lack of empirical research verifying the relationship between high-performance work systems and creative performance that promotes survival and competitiveness for SMEs. In addition, the learning method system of comprehensive system has not been studied actively and it was utilized with the expectation that it would be a variable that would receive new attention through this study. Finally, this research is expected to contribute to the research fields of SMEs and organizational work systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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24 pages, 646 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Transformation and Corporate Carbon Emissions: The Moderating Role of Corporate Governance

by Qin Yang, Can Kong and Shanyue Jin

Systems 2025, 13(4), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13040217 - 22 Mar 2025

Viewed by 439

Abstract

In the era of the digital modern economy, digital transformation has grown into the primary battlefield for conventional industrial competitiveness. For businesses, digital transformation is not just a future trend and requirement but also an intrinsic motivation to achieve sustainable development. The purpose [...] Read more.

In the era of the digital modern economy, digital transformation has grown into the primary battlefield for conventional industrial competitiveness. For businesses, digital transformation is not just a future trend and requirement but also an intrinsic motivation to achieve sustainable development. The purpose of this research was to investigate the connection between digital transformation and carbon emission reduction using empirical analyses, as well as to elucidate whether the qualities of internal control, environmental disclosure, and auditing affect the connection between digital transformation and carbon emission reduction in businesses. This research used fixed-effects regression to evaluate data from China’s A-share-listed businesses from 2014 to 2023. These data suggest that corporate digital transformation may successfully reduce carbon emissions. Meanwhile, internal control quality, environmental information disclosure quality, and audit quality all have a beneficial moderating influence on corporate digital transformation and carbon emission reduction. By incorporating pertinent theories, such as digital economy theory and ecological theory, this research indicates the immediate impact of digital transformation on reducing business carbon emissions, enhances and broadens the body of knowledge on the subject, and offers methodological recommendations for reducing corporate carbon emissions and attaining rapid development. Furthermore, it provides useful recommendations on how the government, businesses, and executive teams can contribute more to digital transformation and the carbon emission reduction process. This will assist Chinese corporations in raising their own level of digital transformation and achieving ongoing improvements in the management of carbon emission reduction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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17 pages, 1807 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Incentive Mechanism of Environmental Responsibility of Polluting Enterprises Considering Fairness Preference

by Gedi Ji, Qisheng Wang and Qing Chang

Systems 2025, 13(2), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13020103 - 8 Feb 2025

Viewed by 616

Abstract

More and more attention has been paid to the environmental problems brought about by the development of the global economy. Based on the principal–agent theory, this paper constructs an incentive model for the government and polluting enterprises and explores the incentive problem of [...] Read more.

More and more attention has been paid to the environmental problems brought about by the development of the global economy. Based on the principal–agent theory, this paper constructs an incentive model for the government and polluting enterprises and explores the incentive problem of the government and polluting enterprises in undertaking environmental responsibility. At present, the research on the incentive of polluting enterprises focuses on the hypothesis of ‘rational man’, and less on the fairness preference of polluting enterprises. However, in other research fields, it has been proved that fairness preference has a great influence on the incentive mechanism. Fairness preference is introduced into the incentive model, and the incentive effect of polluting enterprises before and after considering fairness preference is compared and analyzed. This study found that the reward and punishment mechanism considering fairness preference can increase the behavior of polluting enterprises to assume environmental responsibility and limit the behavior of not assuming environmental responsibility. The stronger the fairness preference of polluting enterprises, the stronger the role of incentive mechanism; after considering the fairness preference, the government’s subsidies and penalties for polluting enterprises will increase with the increase in the fairness preference of polluting enterprises, and the expected benefits of polluting enterprises and the government will also increase; under the same incentive mechanism, the income of polluting enterprises with strong fairness preference is higher, but the government’s income is lower. Adopting the same incentive mechanism for different polluting enterprises will cause the loss of social benefits. After considering the fairness preference, the incentive strategy set up to a certain extent promotes the polluting enterprises to assume environmental responsibility and realize the coordinated development of the economy and the environment. Therefore, the government should set reasonable subsidy and punishment policies according to the fairness preference of polluting enterprises to encourage enterprises to fulfill their environmental responsibilities, improve environmental quality and reduce pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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23 pages, 874 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring the Impact of 3Ps of Sustainability and Innovation Development of Circular Economy on Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: Evidence from Polluted Chinese Listed Companies

by Sehrish Atif, Chuhan Yin and Abeer Hassan

Systems 2024, 12(12), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12120552 - 11 Dec 2024

Viewed by 1121

Abstract

The businesses are becoming more committed towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation. Also, the Circular Economy (CE) approach has become more prevalent as a growth strategy. This article aims to investigate the impact of people, ecological productivity (planet), economic efficiency (profits), and research [...] Read more.

The businesses are becoming more committed towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation. Also, the Circular Economy (CE) approach has become more prevalent as a growth strategy. This article aims to investigate the impact of people, ecological productivity (planet), economic efficiency (profits), and research and development (R&D) of the CE model on CSR performance in China’s highly polluting sectors. Data are collected from two datasets, including Bloomberg and China Wind databases. This study selects panel data from 2906 listed polluted Chinese companies from 2015 to 2020. The study constructed a multiple-fixed effect model to meet the research aim. The empirical results show that listed companies’ economic efficiency (profits) has no significant impact on CSR performance. In addition, the social dimension (people), ecological productivity (planet), and innovation development (R&D) have significantly had a positive impact on the CE model and CSR performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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21 pages, 1050 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Climate Policy Uncertainty on the ESG Performance of Enterprises

by Zhi Zhang, Yanhong Feng, Hongwei Zhou, Liming Chen and Yi Liu

Systems 2024, 12(11), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12110495 - 16 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1962

Abstract

In the context of addressing climate change, the uncertainty of climate policies has intensified the environmental and regulatory risks faced by enterprises, forcing them to adjust their strategies for fulfilling ESG responsibilities in pursuit of sustainable development. This paper uses panel data from [...] Read more.

In the context of addressing climate change, the uncertainty of climate policies has intensified the environmental and regulatory risks faced by enterprises, forcing them to adjust their strategies for fulfilling ESG responsibilities in pursuit of sustainable development. This paper uses panel data from listed non-financial enterprises on China’s Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets from 2011 to 2022, employing a fixed-effects panel model to examine the impact of climate policy uncertainty on corporate ESG performance. The findings indicate that climate policy uncertainty significantly hampers the ESG performance of enterprises. The mechanism analysis reveals that climate policy uncertainty negatively affects ESG performance by deepening corporate financing constraints and increasing short-term financial performance. The heterogeneity analysis shows that in terms of ownership structure, the negative impact of climate policy uncertainty on the ESG performance of state-owned enterprises is relatively weaker. In terms of industry heterogeneity, climate policy uncertainty suppresses the ESG performance of enterprises in technology-intensive industries. From a regional perspective, climate policy uncertainty has a stronger inhibitory effect on the ESG performance of enterprises in eastern China. This study provides valuable insights for both national climate policy formulation and corporate efforts to enhance ESG performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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21 pages, 601 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Functional Mechanisms through Which Artificial Intelligence Influences the Innovation of Green Processes of Enterprises

by Jue Wang, Xiao Wang, Feng Sun and Xinyu Li

Systems 2024, 12(9), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12090378 - 19 Sep 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1815

Abstract

Green process innovation is an important strategy in the high-quality development of enterprises. Digital technology is becoming a key factor in helping businesses address environmental issues and contributes to their green process innovation and sustainable growth. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies [...] Read more.

Green process innovation is an important strategy in the high-quality development of enterprises. Digital technology is becoming a key factor in helping businesses address environmental issues and contributes to their green process innovation and sustainable growth. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies on how particular digital technology categories affect corporate green process innovation. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an important part of digitalization as it can provide new technical means and guidance for enterprise’s innovation of green processes. This study aims to fills this research gap by revealing the logical relationship between digital technology and the green development of enterprises. Using China’s A-share-listed companies as the research object from 2013 to 2022, this study employed a two-way fixed-effects model and investigated the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on corporate green process innovation and the moderating effect of multidimensional intellectual capital. The results revealed that AI positively impacts corporate green process innovation. Human capital, structural capital, employed capital, and relational capital strengthen this positive effect. Robustness tests validated these conclusions. This study expands the literature on digital technology and corporate green innovation and provides a reference for enterprises to implement green practices using digital technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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24 pages, 770 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Digitalization and Sustainability Promote Digital Green Innovation for Industry 5.0 through Capability Reconfiguration: Strategically Oriented Insights

by Guangping Xu, Jinshan Zhang and Shiqiang Wang

Systems 2024, 12(9), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12090341 - 1 Sep 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2889

Abstract

As environmental pressures intensify and digital technology advances rapidly, many countries, including China, are looking to more effectively heed social and environmental responsibilities by effectively integrating digital technology with traditional industries. Digital green innovation is gradually becoming a necessary direction for enterprises in [...] Read more.

As environmental pressures intensify and digital technology advances rapidly, many countries, including China, are looking to more effectively heed social and environmental responsibilities by effectively integrating digital technology with traditional industries. Digital green innovation is gradually becoming a necessary direction for enterprises in various countries as they strive for high-quality development. How enterprises can achieve digital green innovation through the duality of digitalization and sustainability has become a crucial research question. However, existing research rarely addresses the mechanisms that lead to the formation of digital green innovation within enterprises. This study uses a sample of 305 manufacturing enterprises in China. Based on strategic orientation theory, this study introduces the concept of digital sustainability orientation, integrating both digital and sustainability orientations. A model is constructed to examine the impact of digital sustainability orientation on digital green innovation in enterprises, analyzing the mechanism of action through the mediation of capability reconfiguration and the moderation of environmental scanning. The study finds that digital sustainability orientation significantly positively impacts digital green innovation, highlighting the integrated effect of digital and sustainability orientations. The findings indicate that digital sustainability orientation significantly positively impacts digital green innovation, whereas a single strategic orientation does not effectively promote digital green innovation; capability reconfiguration partially mediates the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and digital green innovation in enterprises; and environmental scanning positively moderates the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and capability reconfiguration and further influences the mediating role of capability reconfiguration. This study contributes to the advancement of digital sustainability theory in the field of digital green innovation; moreover, the results of this study offer significant practical insights for enterprises aiming to successfully implement digital green innovation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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20 pages, 644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Impact of Digital Transformation on Corporate Violations in China’s A-Share Market

by Qindong Chang, Can Kong and Shanyue Jin

Systems 2024, 12(9), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12090322 - 25 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1919

Abstract

Illegal and irregular behavior restricts the development of listed companies. Digital technology provides new opportunities for corporate governance, including the management of corporate violations, and companies are utilizing the “digital express” to achieve organizational restructuring and innovations in governance. In this study, the [...] Read more.

Illegal and irregular behavior restricts the development of listed companies. Digital technology provides new opportunities for corporate governance, including the management of corporate violations, and companies are utilizing the “digital express” to achieve organizational restructuring and innovations in governance. In this study, the aim was to clarify whether digital transformation can disincentivize corporate violations in an environment where legal constraints remain inadequate. Therefore, samples of China’s A-share-listed companies were used from 2013 to 2022, including a fixed-effects model to explore the impact of digital transformation on corporate violations. In this study, digital transformation is identified as significantly curbing the incidence of corporate violations. The moderating mechanism test shows that audit quality, analyst attention, and negative media reports all strengthen the inhibitory effect of digital transformation on corporate violations to varying degrees. Heterogeneity analysis identifies that the inhibitory effect of digital transformation on corporate violations is more pronounced in non-SOEs, large firms, and the manufacturing sector. In this study, the inhibitory effect of digital transformation on corporate violations is revealed, and the relevant literature on digital technology in the field of corporate governance is enriched, providing empirical references to promote the digital construction and healthy and compliant development of commercial enterprises. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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14 pages, 2058 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Path of Green Innovation and High-Quality Development of Influential Regional Enterprises Based on the Analysis of the Dynamic QCA Method and MATLAB Sustainability Prediction

by Qijia Liu and Yeong-Gil Kim

Systems 2024, 12(7), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12070232 - 27 Jun 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2192

Abstract

This study examines the multifactor linkage effects behind the differences in the sustainable development of green innovation of local enterprises in the spatio-temporal dimension so as to provide an important reference for the practice of sustainable development of green innovation of local enterprises. [...] Read more.

This study examines the multifactor linkage effects behind the differences in the sustainable development of green innovation of local enterprises in the spatio-temporal dimension so as to provide an important reference for the practice of sustainable development of green innovation of local enterprises. An analytical framework for the sustainable development of green innovation of local enterprises is established, and the dynamic QCA method is applied to analyse the provincial-level panel data of China from 2012 to 2021 to explore the linkage effect of each factor on the time axis, and to explore the differences of multifactors on the time axis. The study found that different factors may have different influence effects in different contexts. Firstly, while market demand is an important influencing factor, its role relative to economic drivers and social environment factors may be relatively limited in some contexts. Second, high levels of foreign investment and demand for innovation in the service sector have a significant impact on green innovation in local firms. At the same time, with the growing consumer preference for green products, green preferences in market demand have also begun to become an important factor influencing firms’ green innovation. Meanwhile, in the spatial dimension, the provincial coverage has obvious regional differences. This requires local governments to fully consider the actual situation of the region when formulating relevant policies, and promote green innovation according to local conditions. This experiment is the first attempt to use the joint application of dynamic QCA and MATLAB for the study of green innovation in local enterprises, exploring the consistency in the longitudinal time dimension. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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27 pages, 941 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Organizational System Approach to Internal Retaliation Behavior within Chinese SMEs: The Serial Multiple Mediation Model and Moderating Role of Workplace Incivility

by Jiaxing Du, Chenglin Qing and Sangwoo Hahm

Systems 2024, 12(7), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12070231 - 27 Jun 2024

Viewed by 2464

Abstract

With the global economic downturn, the impact on internal systems of Chinese SMEs has also received great attention. However, the provocative and destructive nature of retaliation behavior by SME employees shifts resources meant for organizational system development towards addressing internal balance issues. Employees’ [...] Read more.

With the global economic downturn, the impact on internal systems of Chinese SMEs has also received great attention. However, the provocative and destructive nature of retaliation behavior by SME employees shifts resources meant for organizational system development towards addressing internal balance issues. Employees’ retaliation behavior poses significant harm to organizations systems, limiting their long-term sustainability and competitiveness in the long run. This study argues for a close relationship between employee behavior and leadership management style, particularly in the context of inadequate management systems in SMEs, which can easily subject employees to direct influence from their leaders. For example, abusive supervision or oppressive practices at the management level can trigger resistance and rebellious behavior among employees, leading them to choose retaliatory actions as a response to the organizational system. This study aims to explore the causal relationship between abusive supervision and retaliation behavior within the system. We aim to clarify the pathway through which abusive supervision triggers retaliation behavior among employees within the system and examine the serial multiple mediating effects of psychological distress and negative emotions as well as the moderating effect of workplace incivility. To validate the hypotheses proposed in this study, a survey was conducted among employees of Chinese SMEs. The data provided by 303 employees were analyzed using SPSS ver. 26.0, AMOS ver. 23.0, and SPSS PROCESS Macro 3.4.1 Model 6. The findings indicate that abusive supervision has an indirect effect on employee retaliation behavior through the serial multiple mediating effects of psychological distress and negative emotions. Workplace incivility moderated the influence of negative emotions on retaliation. This study explored the process by which abusive management triggers retaliative behavior through a serial multiple mediation model, providing theoretical evidence for related research. This study explicitly reveals the process leading to retaliation behavior within the system and presents the differences from previous research. Additionally, this study demonstrates the interactive effect between abusive supervision and incivility through the moderating role of incivility in determining the level of retaliation behavior. Ultimately, this study has pioneering significance in exploring the causes of retaliation behavior within the Chinese SME organizational system and how to prevent the occurrence of retaliation behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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23 pages, 864 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of a High-Performance Work System on Organizational Innovation Performance: The Mediating Effect of Employees’ Intrinsic Motivation and the Moderating Effect of Person–Organization Fit

by Yu Wang, Lingfeng Zhu and Xiu Jin

Systems 2024, 12(7), 230; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12070230 - 26 Jun 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2738

Abstract

The organizational system is directly associated with overall organizational management and sustainability. The reason is that the organizational system has a strong relationship with organizational performance. One of the most important functions of the organizational system is the high-performance work system, which is [...] Read more.

The organizational system is directly associated with overall organizational management and sustainability. The reason is that the organizational system has a strong relationship with organizational performance. One of the most important functions of the organizational system is the high-performance work system, which is the system that manages the employees so that they can maximize their functions, this study focuses on the importance of a high-performance work system in order to achieve organizational goals and increase performance. In particular, a high-performance work system is directly related to innovation performance that secures the competitive advantage of organizations. Based on such background, this study focused on how a high-performance system improves innovation performance. Unlike previous studies, rather than simply focusing on variables exploration or main effect verification, we provided and verified the research model related to the process by which innovation performance occurs. Specifically, this study aimed to investigate whether high-performance work systems in organizations enhance employees’ innovation performance and examined the mediating role of employees’ intrinsic motivation in enhancing innovation performance. In addition, we investigated the moderating role of employee person–organization fit in high-performance work systems and employee intrinsic ation directly. To validate this model, we collected data from 309 members of Chinese SMEs. We found that high-performance work systems positively affect employees’ innovation performance through a person–organization fit and that employees’ person–organization fit significantly moderates the relationship between high-performance work systems and employees’ intrinsic motivation directly. Overall, this study expands the scope of research on the enhancement of employee innovation performance and provides a theoretical basis for related research, which is also a contribution of this study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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18 pages, 1246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrating ESG into Corporate Strategy: Unveiling the Moderating Effect of Digital Transformation on Green Innovation through Employee Insights

by Qiang Sun, Yannan Li and Ahreum Hong

Systems 2024, 12(5), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12050148 - 26 Apr 2024

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4254

Abstract

With climate warming, the human living environment faces significant challenges, and global environmental protection and sustainable development are accelerating. As a result, ESG has become an essential area of research. This study explores the impact of employees’ perceptions of corporate ESG performance on [...] Read more.

With climate warming, the human living environment faces significant challenges, and global environmental protection and sustainable development are accelerating. As a result, ESG has become an essential area of research. This study explores the impact of employees’ perceptions of corporate ESG performance on green innovation, focusing on the moderating role of digital transformation. A survey was conducted among 316 employees from the wholesale, retail, IT, and computer services industries to validate this study. Research results show that employees’ cognitions of corporate ESG performance have a positive impact on green innovation. In addition, digital transformation plays a positive moderating role in the impact of the environmental (E) and social (S) dimensions of ESG performance on green innovation. These findings not only highlight the critical role of personal awareness and ESG management concepts in future corporate strategies but also indicate the importance of the extent of digital transformation in companies to improve innovation performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Analysis of Enterprise Sustainability)

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