*4.3. Sample Selection*

We chose automobile manufacturers in Mainland China as the main research objects. Before the formal issuance of the questionnaire, we sent the questionnaire to the three senior managers of the company. After filling in the questionnaire, we communicated with them, inquired about the rationality of the questionnaire, and modified the questionnaire according to the opinions. We selected 150 manufacturing companies to conduct anonymous surveys on senior executives in the form of electronic questionnaires. Each question was required to be answered to ensure the authenticity of the information obtained. Each respondent was divided into four groups and it took one month to collect the questionnaire. After each group had been completed, it sent a filling request for the next group. If the previous group failed to fill in the questionnaire on time, it sent a reminder again. Finally, we received a total of 115 available questionnaires with a response rate of 76.7%. The profile of the interviewees and their companies can be seen in Table 1.

Among the surveyed enterprises, 54% of them sent their Chief Officer (CEO) or middle manager to participate in the interviews, 24% had been established for more than 20 years, one third of them had an annual income of more than 2 billion yuan, and 90% were local private enterprises and foreign-funded enterprises. Over 50% of the enterprises had environmental management system certification, social responsibility management system certification, and quality management system certification. A total of 84% of the enterprises provided staff training, and three quarters of enterprises carried out total quality management.

