Search Results (3,142)

This study examines how green credit policies, specifically the green credit guidelines (GCGs) implemented in 2012, influence corporate sustainable innovation. This study employs a quasi-natural experiment approach, utilizing data from Chinese listed companies between 2005 and 2023, to examine the differential impact of the GCGs on high-polluting enterprises versus energy-efficient enterprises. The study uses a Difference-in-Differences (DID) methodology to explore how policy-induced changes in financing conditions affect firms’ innovation behaviors, particularly in terms of green patent applications. This study uses a mechanism to understand the role of R&D investment and access to long-term financing in driving these changes. And this study considers heterogeneity across firm ownership types and industry competition to investigate the varying effects of the GCGs. By identifying the causal pathways through which green credit policies influence innovation, this study contributes to the understanding of how environmental policies shape corporate behavior and innovation outcomes. Full article

Cultivating a green innovation-oriented work climate exerts a positive effect on employees’ participation in green knowledge sharing and other co-creation behaviors. Previous studies analyzed the influential factors of green value co-creation from the perspective of green motivation and green dynamic capabilities, but there is a lack of research on the antecedents of green value co-creation from the perspective of green innovation climate. Therefore, based on the social information processing theory, this paper make an in-depth research on the impact mechanism of green innovation climate on employee green value co-creation, through perception of corporate social responsibility and employees’ sense of belonging. A questionnaire survey was conducted on Chinese enterprises implementing green innovation, and 337 valid questionnaires were collected. The effect mechanism of green innovation climate on employees’ green value co-creation was analyzed by the hierarchical regression analysis method. Process regression analysis was used to explore the moderating effect of inclusive leadership. The result of the research shows that green innovation climate has a significant relation to employees’ sense of belonging, perception of corporate social responsibility and employees’ sense of belonging. Perception of corporate social responsibility and employees’ sense of belonging have mediating effects on the relations between green innovation climate and employees’ green value co-creation. Inclusive leadership can moderate the relationship between perception of corporate social responsibility and employees’ green value co-creation. In theory, from the perspectives of green innovation climate and inclusive leadership, it further enriches the research on the driving factors of green value co-creation. In practice, It provides a theoretical reference for enterprises to utilize the strategy of green innovation climate and inclusive leadership to promote green value co-creation of enterprises effectively. Full article

With the rapid growth of the social economy and the increasing prevalence of e-commerce, urban distribution centers (UDCs) have become vital hubs for the efficient functioning of cities. The decision regarding the location of UDCs not only impacts the operational efficiency of logistics companies but also plays a crucial role in urban sustainable development planning. Traditional location models are limited in addressing these complexities, which is why this paper introduces an innovative multi-objective location decision-making model. This model accounts for both the construction and operational costs of enterprises, and it uniquely incorporates the industrial sustainable development potential (ISDP) as a core objective function. The goal is to balance enterprise costs with the needs of urban development in location decision-making. This research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, initially using ecological theories to quantify ISDP, then employing System Dynamics to simulate the future trajectories of key industry drivers, and finally applying genetic algorithms to find solutions. The results from the numerical example demonstrate that the model and algorithm are both effective and practical. This research presents a novel approach and method for UDC location decision-making based on the long-term sustainable development of cities for logistics enterprises and urban planners. It also contributes to the related research on urban sustainable development and logistics location. Full article

The global countryside constitutes a complex social–ecological system undergoing profound transformation. Understanding how such systems navigate transitions and achieve resilient, sustainable outcomes requires examining the interactions and adaptive behaviors of multiple actors. This study investigates the restructuring of rural China through a complex adaptive systems lens, focusing on the county of Lin’an in Zhejiang Province. We employ a middle-range theory and process-tracing approach to analyze the co-evolutionary pathways shaped by the interactions among three key agents: local governments, enterprises, and village communities. Our findings reveal distinct yet interdependent behavioral logics—local governments and enterprises primarily exhibit instrumental rationality, driven by political performance and profit maximization, respectively, while villages demonstrate value-rational behavior anchored in communal well-being and territorial identity. Crucially, this study identifies the emergence of a vital integrative mechanism, the “village operator” model, underpinned by the collective economy. This institutional innovation facilitates the synergistic linkage of interests and the integration of endogenous and exogenous resources, thereby mitigating conflicts and alienation. We argue that this multi-agent collaboration drives a synergistic restructuring of spatial, economic, and social subsystems. The case demonstrates that sustainable rural revitalization hinges not on the dominance of a single logic, but on the emergence of adaptive governance structures that effectively coordinate diverse actor logics. This process fosters systemic resilience, enabling the rural system to adapt to external pressures and internal changes. The Lin’an experience offers a transferable framework for understanding how coordinated multi-agent interactions can guide complex social–ecological systems toward sustainable transitions. Full article

The global shift toward decarbonization and the rise of the digital economy are compelling manufacturing firms to undergo a complex twin transformation across their structures, operations, and value chains. Business model innovation (BMI), especially in digital servitization (DSBMI), emerges as a crucial catalyst in facilitating this change. However, there is a lack of systematic exploration of how DSBMI influences corporate decarbonization (CD). To fill this knowledge gap, a comprehensive qualitative meta-analysis of 27 case studies was conducted, identifying multiple DSBMI practices for CD employed by industrial firms. These practices can be summarized into three main types: efficiency DSBMI, novelty DSBMI, and convergent DSBMI. A system has at least two of these, while all three may coexist. Based on dynamic capabilities theory, this study also introduces six roles for the three types of DSBMI practices, which interact to help firms sense opportunities, seize them through BMI, and transform their operations and ecosystems—collectively enabling decarbonization through internal optimization (efficiency DSBMI), downstream innovation (novelty DSBMI), and value chain-wide cooperation (convergent DSBMI). The findings offer a comprehensive theoretical framework that guides companies to achieve economic benefits while advancing their CD goals through multi-level BMI strategies. Finally, the study discusses its limitations and proposes directions for future research. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s economic transformation and the transition towards sustainable industrial systems, optimizing ownership structures to enhance the resilience and bargaining power of manufacturing suppliers has become crucial for building sustainable supply chains. This study empirically examines the impact of ownership concentration on supplier bargaining power using data from manufacturing companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets from 2008 to 2022, integrating insights from principal-agent theory and industrial dynamics within a sustainability-oriented framework. The findings reveal: (1) Ownership concentration significantly strengthens the bargaining power of supplier enterprises, contributing to more stable and equitable supply chain relationships. (2) R&D investment plays a partial mediating role between ownership concentration and supplier bargaining power, suggesting that innovation efforts—often aligned with green and sustainable technologies—can reshape dependency dynamics. (3) Industry competitiveness negatively moderates the relationship between ownership concentration and supplier bargaining power, indicating that intense competition may undermine the governance advantages of concentrated ownership in sustainable value creation. (4) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive effect of ownership concentration is more pronounced in central and western regions, state-owned enterprises, and large firms, highlighting contextual factors in achieving sustainable supply chain governance. Full article

Whether the New Energy Vehicle Promotion Policy (NEVPP) enhances supply chain resilience is pivotal to China’s green transition and global industrial security. Using data on A-share listed automobile manufacturers from 2012 to 2024, this study employs a multi-period difference-in-differences approach to identify the policy’s impact. Results show that NEVPP significantly strengthens supply chain resilience, and the findings remain robust across alternative specifications. Mechanism analysis reveals that the policy raises managerial attention, eases financing constraints, and stimulates technological innovation, thereby enhancing resilience through managerial, financial, and technological channels. Heterogeneity analysis by ownership, geography, R&D intensity, analyst coverage, and institutional ownership shows that the effect is stronger for state-owned enterprises, firms in central and western regions, low-R&D firms, those without analyst coverage, those with high analyst attention, and firms with low institutional ownership. This study provides firm-level evidence on the economic consequences of NEVPP, advances understanding of industrial policy and corporate resilience, and offers policy implications for supporting the global energy transition and safeguarding supply chain stability. Full article

Technological innovation in energy enterprises constitutes a pivotal component in realizing the transition to a green economy. In recent years, the complexity and volatility of the international economic landscape have significantly amplified economic policy uncertainty (EPU) across nations, which is poised to exert a profound influence on the technological innovation activities of energy enterprises. This study employs the Tobit regression method to investigate the relationship between EPU and corporate technological innovation (CTI), based on data from Chinese listed energy companies spanning the period of 2007 to 2018. Empirical results indicate that EPU exerts a significant positive influence on technological innovation for energy enterprises. Furthermore, we employed a Fisher permutation test to further elucidate the heterogeneity of this impact across various sub-industries, enterprise ownership types, and governance mechanisms. Specifically, EPU has a more pronounced promoting effect on technological innovation for traditional energy enterprises, non-state-owned enterprises, and enterprises with high failure tolerance. Against the backdrop of increasing global EPU, the findings of this study offer certain implications for governmental industrial policies and corporate governance mechanisms. Full article

The integration of digitalization and sustainability has become a prevailing trend in China’s current economic and social development. However, existing research rarely focuses on how emerging technology enterprises achieve responsible innovation through digital sustainability orientation. Based on resource orchestration theory, this study investigates the impact of digital sustainability orientation on responsible innovation, and explores the mediating role of resource orchestration and the moderating role of scientific ties, using a sample of 287 emerging technology enterprises. The empirical results show that: digital sustainability orientation positively influences responsible innovation; resource orchestration mediates the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and responsible innovation; scientific ties positively moderates the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and resource orchestration, and also positively moderates the mediating effect of resource orchestration on the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and responsible innovation. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the leading role of the sustainability orientation is greater than the enabling role of the digital orientation. This research clarifies the theoretical relationship and mechanism between digital sustainability orientation and responsible innovation, and offers practical guidance for emerging technology enterprises to promote responsible innovation. Full article

Between 2018 and 2025, alternative finance expanded while micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises in emerging economies continued to face a substantial funding gap. This study examines how entrepreneurial frugality articulates frugal ecosystems, access to alternative finance, resilience and SME performance within a single explanatory framework. Following PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-S, we conduct a systematic review of Scopus, Web of Science and Cairn; out of 1483 records, 106 peer-reviewed studies are retained and assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and a narrative synthesis approach. The findings show that frugal ecosystems characterized by pooled assets, norms of repair and modularity, and lightweight digital tools reduce experimentation costs and develop frugal innovation as an organizational capability. This capability enhances access to alternative finance by generating readable quality signals, while non-bank channels provide a financial buffer that aligns liquidity with operating cycles and strengthens entrepreneurial resilience. The article proposes an operationalized conceptual model, measurement guidelines for future quantitative surveys, and public policy and managerial implications to support frugal and inclusive innovation trajectories in emerging contexts. Full article

Based on survey data from 320 Azerbaijani enterprises operating across the organic product value chain—including producers, sellers, and key supporting firms such as logistics, financial, and ICT service providers—this study investigates how digital platform capability influences firms’ innovation and performance outcomes and their perceived high-quality economic development within an emerging digital economy context. Four constructs—Digital Platform Capability, Enterprise Digital Transformation, Innovation and Performance Outcomes, and Perceived High-Quality Economic Development—are measured using multi-item Likert scales. Confirmatory factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) are employed to test the proposed relationships. The results show that Digital Platform Capability exerts a strong positive effect on Innovation and Performance Outcomes (β = 0.574) and on Perceived High-Quality Economic Development (β = 0.512). In addition, Innovation and Performance Outcomes have a direct positive impact on Perceived High-Quality Economic Development (β = 0.313). Mediation analysis further indicates that Enterprise Digital Transformation partially mediates this relationship, transmitting approximately 52% of the total effect of Innovation and Performance Outcomes on Perceived High-Quality Economic Development. These findings underscore digital transformation as a key structural mechanism through which firm-level innovation and performance contribute to broader perceptions of high-quality economic development. The study provides novel empirical evidence from Azerbaijan and offers practical implications for digital policy design and enterprise strategies aimed at promoting innovation-driven, inclusive, and sustainable growth. Full article

Green innovation is important for environmental sustainability and long-term ecological balance. Using 1129 observations of Chinese listed firms spanning 2014–2024, combined with text mining method to quantify data assets, this paper empirically examines the impact of customer data assets on suppliers’ green innovation. Our model is integrated with fixed effects for both industry and year. We find that there is a significant improvement in suppliers’ green innovation when customers have more data assets, with a one-notch improvement in the customer data assets of a customer firm. This results in an overall 0.06 increase in supplier green innovation output. Specifically, the spillover effect is more pronounced when there is a shorter geographic distance between suppliers and customers, as well as higher customer concentration. After conducting a variety of endogeneity tests, our results are robust. The mechanism analysis shows that customer data assets facilitate supplier digital transformation and improve supplier operational capacity. The heterogeneity analysis also reveals stronger effects when (1) customers are located in eastern regions, (2) customers belong to technology-intensive industries, (3) suppliers are state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and (4) suppliers face lower financial constraints. Further analysis suggests that customers with more data assets also increase suppliers’ R&D investment and improve green innovation quality. Our research contributes to understanding the spillover effect of customer data assets along the supply chain. Full article

Although communication quality is widely recognized as a catalyst for workplace innovation, existing research seldom integrates communication quality, trust in leadership, and organizational commitment within a single explanatory framework, particularly in team-based enterprises operating in emerging economies. This study examines how communication quality fosters employee innovation through the sequential mediating roles of trust in leadership and organizational commitment, emphasizing its contribution to sustainable enterprise performance. Rooted in Social Exchange Theory (SET), the study illustrates how transparent, reciprocal, and supportive communication enhances relational trust, strengthens employees’ emotional attachment to their organizations, and creates a climate conducive to creativity and collaborative problem-solving. A quantitative design was employed using data from employees engaged in innovation-driven projects within medium- and large-sized software firms in Turkey’s ICT sector. A total of 339 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings demonstrate that communication quality directly promotes employee innovation and indirectly strengthens innovation through trust in leadership and organizational commitment as sequential mediators. Additionally, organizational commitment amplifies the influence of communication quality on innovation, indicating that committed employees more effectively translate constructive communication into innovative behaviors. These results underscore the strategic importance of communicative clarity, relational leadership, and commitment-building practices in shaping resilient, innovation-oriented teams. The study advances SET by identifying trust and commitment as key relational mechanisms through which communication quality drives innovation, offering theoretical enrichment and practical guidance for sustainable human resource management and team-based organizational development. Full article

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) represent a fundamental pillar of economic development in Eastern Europe. Yet, they frequently encounter significant obstacles in accessing financing, stemming from informational asymmetries, elevated risks, the absence of collateral, and adverse regulatory environments. This research examines the primary determinants of adopting blockchain-based supply chain financing platforms, an alternative financing solution that streamlines processes, reduces costs, and enhances transparency and security. The study develops and validates an innovative conceptual model grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 200 respondents across seven Eastern European countries, and the model’s hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The research findings demonstrate that supply chain partner readiness constitutes the most influential factor affecting behavioral intention to use blockchain-based supply chain financing platforms. Additionally, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived trust were identified as significant positive determinants. Furthermore, the study highlights blockchain readiness as a crucial factor influencing actual usage behavior. These findings provide valuable insights and contribute to advancing knowledge through the utilization of an extended UTAUT framework and validation of obtained results through comparison with other relevant studies in the field. Full article

With the intensification of global environmental challenges and the growing demand for sustainable agricultural transformation, understanding how environmental regulation shapes enterprise innovation has become increasingly important. This study examines the impact of command-and-control environmental regulation on green innovation in agricultural enterprises using panel data from agriculture-related enterprises listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share exchanges. The analysis focuses on the period 2012–2021, which is characterised by relatively stable environmental regulation and reliable data, providing a consistent empirical context for assessing the effects of command-and-control environmental regulation. By analyzing the characteristics of command-and-control environmental regulation and green innovation in agricultural enterprises, this research constructs and estimates a two-way fixed effects model, a moderating effects model, a mediating effects model, and a spatial Durbin model to explore both direct and spillover effects. The empirical results show that the following findings: (1) Command-and-control environmental regulation significantly promotes green innovation in agricultural enterprises, and this effect remains robust across alternative measurements and model specifications. (2) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the direct effect of command-and-control environmental regulation is most pronounced in eastern regions, non-state-owned enterprises, and enterprises with weaker environmental, social, and governance performance. (3) Moderation analysis shows that agricultural industrial coordination and executive green cognition significantly strengthen the positive relationship between command-and-control environmental regulation and green innovation in agricultural enterprises. (4) Mediation analysis demonstrates that green management costs serve as a partial mediator in this relationship. (5) Spatial analysis reveals that spatial correlation patterns are evolving over time, with significant positive spillover effects observed among geographically and economically adjacent regions. The findings provide theoretical and empirical evidence to inform the design of coordinated environmental regulation frameworks that effectively stimulate green innovation and foster sustainable agricultural development. Full article