Search Results (2,539)

This study examines whether stricter enforcement of mandatory social insurance contributions affects corporate income tax behavior in China. In the Chinese institutional context, mandatory social insurance refers to payroll-based employer and employee contributions to five statutory programs: basic pension insurance, basic medical insurance, work-injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance. These programs are directly related to social sustainability because they finance old-age income security, medical protection, workplace injury compensation, unemployment support, maternity protection, and labor-market stability. Using China’s 2018 social insurance collection reform as a quasi-natural experiment, we analyze A-share listed companies from 2014 to 2024 through a difference-in-differences design based on differential exposure between private firms and state-owned enterprises. To assess the reliability of the identification strategy, we employ firm and year fixed effects, event-study analysis, placebo tests, alternative measures of tax avoidance, and propensity score matching difference-in-differences robustness checks. The findings show a tax-fee seesaw effect: private firms subject to extensive regulatory scrutiny respond to more rigorous enforcement of social insurance contributions by increasing corporate income tax avoidance. Analysis of the mechanisms shows that the Whited-Wu index of financial constraints partially explains this phenomenon. The effect is more pronounced in firms with higher labor costs and greater administrative expense intensity, indicating that the increased response is driven by labor cost exposure and organizational discretion. By contrast, the effect is weaker among firms audited by the Big Four accounting networks—Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG—indicating that high-quality external audits constrain aggressive tax planning. Regionally, the effect is most pronounced in eastern China, where markets, labor costs, and tax-planning services are more developed. The findings contribute to the sustainable development literature by demonstrating that reforms designed to strengthen social insurance sustainability can unintentionally weaken tax compliance if payroll contributions, tax administration, and corporate financial pressures are not coordinated. The study highlights the importance of integrated fiscal governance for achieving socially sustainable and fiscally balanced development. Full article

This study examines the relationship between individuals’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and their job-seeking intentions, with a particular focus on the mediating role of personal values and attitudes toward social responsibility. The research was conducted in Romania’s south-west region between June and September 2025, using a stratified sample of 453 respondents. Data were analyzed using SMART-PLS 3.0 through structural equation modeling. The results indicate a positive association between perceived CSR and job-seeking intention, with personal values and attitudes toward CSR significantly mediating this relationship. The findings suggest that participants in this study who perceive organizations as socially responsible also report higher levels of organizational attractiveness, particularly when there is alignment between personal and organizational values. At the same time, the results highlight that consistent CSR practices are associated with stronger perceptions of employer attractiveness. Overall, the study suggests that CSR is closely linked to employment-related attitudes and intentions, supporting the view that alignment between individual values and organizational ethical principles represents an important dimension of contemporary human resource strategies. Full article

In the context of the dual-carbon goals and the broader United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, stimulating innovation motivation within environmental protection enterprises holds significant strategic importance for achieving long-term sustainability. Drawing on institutional theory and signaling theory, this study examines how government subsidies influence the sustainable innovation performance in China’s environmental protection industry and investigates the boundary conditions and mechanisms of this relationship from a socio-economic and integrated policy perspective. Using a sample of 121 listed environmental protection enterprises in China from 2016 to 2025, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of government subsidies on both the quantity and quality of innovation output. It innovatively incorporates the market-driven factor of public environmental attention into the analytical framework to test its moderating effect and examines the mediating role of corporate social responsibility. The findings indicate that government subsidies significantly enhance both the quantity and quality of innovation output from environmental protection enterprises, thereby contributing to their sustainability transition. Public environmental attention positively moderates the innovation-incentivizing effect of government subsidies, with a stronger moderating effect on innovation quality than on quantity. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the incentive effect of government subsidies on innovation quantity is significant only in the eastern and western regions of China, while the effect on innovation quality is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and the western region, offering insights for region-specific and ownership-specific sustainable policy designs. Mechanism analysis indicates that government subsidies promote innovation performance by encouraging firms to fulfill corporate social responsibilities, with CSR serving as a partial mediator. These findings extend institutional and signaling theories to the context of environmental protection enterprises and provide a framework for quantifying and monitoring the effectiveness of sustainability policies. Based on the conclusions, relevant policy optimization suggestions are proposed to align industrial innovation with the principles of sustainable development. Full article

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance has become an important component of corporate sustainability and responsible governance, yet its economic implications remain contested, especially in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that are expected to balance commercial goals with broader social responsibilities. This study examines the relationship between ESG performance and firm performance in Chinese listed SOEs, with particular attention to the mediating role of corporate reputation. The results show that ESG performance is positively associated with firm performance. Corporate reputation, risk-taking, and financial constraints are identified as important transmission channels through which ESG performance affects firm outcomes. Further analysis reveals a threshold effect in the ESG–performance relationship: when corporate reputation is relatively low, ESG investment may weaken firm performance; however, once reputation exceeds a critical threshold, ESG performance significantly improves firm performance. These findings enrich the literature on corporate sustainability and ESG value creation by showing that the performance effect of ESG is conditional on reputational capital. The study also provides practical implications for managers and policymakers seeking to promote sustainable corporate transformation in state-owned enterprises. Full article

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices have become increasingly central to business sustainability strategies. Yet, the empirical literature remains fragmented regarding how ESG is translated into firm-level outcomes and sustainable value creation. This study conducts a scoping review to map the relationships among ESG practices, innovation, and organizational value creation, with particular attention to business sustainability. Reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020, with additional consideration of guidance specific to scoping reviews, searches in Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect identified 87 empirical studies. The review examines ESG conceptualization and measurement, the structural roles of innovation, and value-related outcomes. The findings reveal three dominant patterns: ESG is most often operationalized through rating-based indicators; innovation, especially green innovation and digital transformation, frequently acts as the mechanism through which ESG is translated into organizational change and performance outcomes; and value creation is increasingly assessed through both financial and sustainability-oriented indicators. Based on these findings, the study synthesizes recurring empirical patterns into an integrative sustainability framework in which ESG is interpreted as a strategic orientation, innovation as a capability conversion layer, and sustainable organizational value as the resulting outcome. Full article

Technology is increasingly central to sustainability, yet frameworks built around the environmental–social–economic (E–S–Ec) triad and ESG disclosure regimes do not fully capture the governance problems created by interconnected digital and cyber–physical infrastructures. In this conceptual paper, Tech4.0 is used in a deliberately narrow working sense, focusing on AI-mediated decision systems, data/platform/cloud infrastructures, software dependency chains, and cyber–physical control environments in which opacity, infrastructural dependence, interdependence, and cascading failures create distinctive problems of governability and resilience. Against this background, the paper examines whether making the technological dimension explicit adds analytical value within sustainability architecture. It examines the case for treating Technological Sustainability (T) as a distinct analytical dimension/pillar insofar as it foregrounds system properties of the Technosphere that tend to be diluted when distributed across environmental, social, and economic categories. The paper then discusses the hierarchy T → Corporate Technological Responsibility (CTR) → Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) as a possible corporate-level operational pathway and outlines an exploratory measurement agenda structured around exposures, capabilities, and outcomes. Rather than offering empirical proof or a validated reporting architecture, the article provides a conceptual research program for later empirical inquiry into technological accountability under Tech4.0 conditions. Full article

In the context of growing global concerns about food safety, sustainability, and corporate responsibility, voluntary food safety certifications (VFSC) such as ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, HACCP, and Halal play a critical role in shaping the performance of food processing companies. This study analyzes the impact of VFSC on the triple bottom line (TBL) performance, encompassing environmental, economic, and social aspects, of food processing companies in Pakistan. To accomplish this objective, the study utilizes panel data from 19 listed companies involved in food processing while fixed-effect regressions are employed for empirical estimations. The results indicate that the resource efficiency of ISO 22000-certified food processing companies is, on average, 0.17 points greater than that of non-certified companies. Likewise, the sales of the companies that implement ISO 22000 are, on average, 0.13 percentage points higher than those of companies with no ISO 22000. This suggests that implementing ISO 22000 has a significant impact on enhancing the environmental and economic performance of food processing companies. Furthermore, the sales of companies implementing FSSC 22000 are, on average, 0.17 percentage points higher, whereas the sales of companies implementing HACCP are, on average, 0.23 percentage points higher than those of non-certified companies. Finally, the social performance of companies implementing FSSC 22000 is, on average, 0.06 points higher, whereas the social performance of companies implementing HACCP is, on average, 0.05 points higher than that of non-certified companies. This implies that the implementation of FSSC 22000 and HACCP contributes positively to economic and social performance. These findings offer profound insights for managers, decision-makers, and relevant actors in the food sector, highlighting the importance of strategically implementing VFSC to achieve long-term sustainability and competitiveness. Full article

As sustainable development strategies keep advancing and the external environment remains unstable, green innovation resilience has become a critical capability for enterprises to cope with uncertainty and achieve low-carbon transformation. This study uses panel data of China’s A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2023 to explore how executive environmental attention drives firms’ green innovation resilience. Based on the attention-based view, this study explores the direct effect of executive environmental attention and the moderating role of environmental regulation and corporate social responsibility. The results show that executive environmental attention is significantly positively correlated with green innovation resilience. In addition, environmental regulation and corporate social responsibility both strengthen the positive effects of executives’ environmental attention and green innovation resilience, and this impact is mainly reflected in high-tech industries. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the promoting effect of executives’ environmental attention on green innovation resilience is more significant in large-scale, high industry competition and manufacturing enterprises. By adopting a micro-level perspective, this study deepens our understanding of the cognitive basis for firms’ green sustainable development in an uncertain environment. It also provides theoretical evidence and practical implications for enterprises to enhance green innovation resilience by strengthening executive environmental cognition and improving internal and external governance mechanisms. Full article

Enterprise green transformation is a strategic response to emerging development concepts and high-quality growth, as well as a key approach to achieving symbiotic integration between firms and their social environment. Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2008 to 2023, this paper examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and green transformation. It further explores the underlying mechanisms, focusing on the role of patient capital as an external governance mechanism within the green governance environment. Empirical results show that CSR disclosure significantly promotes corporate green transformation. Mechanism tests reveal that this effect operates through two channels: alleviating agency costs and easing financing constraints, with patient capital playing a positive moderating role. Additional analyses indicate that the promoting effect of CSR disclosure on green transformation is particularly pronounced in competitive and polluting industries. Full article

This study investigates the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in shaping employee perspectives towards green initiatives and its consequent impact on environmental sustainability within the Congolese cobalt sector. The research is based on cross-sectional data analysis, with survey questionnaires administered to 398 employees across various mining companies. The study reveals a positive relationship between an employee’s mindset towards CSR and green initiatives, which subsequently leads to improved environmental sustainability outcomes. Furthermore, the research demonstrates that CSR measures moderate this relationship: when CSR practices are strong and visible (clear environmental policies, training, incentives, and resource support), they provide direction and support that strengthen the effect of employee mindset on green initiatives while when CSR practices are weak, the same mindset is less likely to lead to green initiatives. The findings offer valuable theoretical and managerial implications, particularly for organizations in sectors with considerable environmental impacts. The study reveals the necessity of aligning CSR strategies with both corporate objectives and employee attitudes to optimize their effectiveness. The study provides a robust model for future research and practical implementation. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in how cities are governed, shaping decisions on mobility, land use, public services, and environmental management. Yet urban AI is predominantly governed through fragmented frameworks designed at national or corporate scales, offering limited guidance for municipal decision-making and overlooking place-specific social and ecological consequences. As the level of government closest to everyday urban life, cities are uniquely positioned to steer AI toward public value, but face persistent tensions between efficiency, equity, accountability, and sustainability. This paper argues that responsible urban AI cannot be governed through top-down or one-size-fits-all approaches. To address this, the study aims to conceptualise and advance a ground-up model of responsible urban AI governance that places cities and local governments at the centre of decision-making. It addresses the following research question: How can municipal authorities translate high-level ethical principles into practical, context-sensitive governance arrangements that respond to local capacities, risks, and public values? Drawing on global governance principles and illustrative city experiences, we propose a locally grounded, stage-based framework for municipal AI governance. The framework addresses institutional capacity gaps, fragmented responsibilities, and algorithmic externalities, advancing a participatory, place-sensitive, and adaptive model that aligns urban AI innovation with democratic legitimacy, social justice, and sustainable urban futures. Full article

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has increasingly become a strategic and governance-relevant domain that depends on internal capability development to translate stakeholder and sustainability expectations into credible action. In emerging economies, higher education institutions (HEIs) are key arenas where future managers and intrapreneurs acquire human-capital foundations relevant to CSR-related strategy implementation. This exploratory study examines whether students’ self-reported transformational leadership (TL) is associated with entrepreneurial competencies (EC) that are relevant for responsible value creation and stakeholder-oriented execution. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design, we surveyed 207 senior undergraduate students from business-related programs in a private HEI in Peru. TL was measured using the MLQ-5X (transformational subscale), and EC were assessed through a content-validated and reliability-tested eight-dimension scale (networking, problem solving, achievement orientation, risk taking, teamwork, creativity, autonomy, and initiative). Given distributional characteristics, Spearman’s rho was used for hypothesis testing. Because the design was intentionally limited to first-order associations, no control variables or multivariate models were incorporated. Results show a strong, positive association between TL and overall EC (ρ = 0.822, p < 0.001), with statistically significant positive relationships across all EC dimensions (ρ = 0.709–0.807). These findings are consistent with a microfoundational view of CSR, indicating that leadership-related developmental behaviors are systematically aligned with competence bundles that may support CSR-related strategy enactment under stakeholder complexity and sustainability constraints. The study does not measure CSR outcomes or CSR communication directly; rather, it provides capability-level evidence with implications for HEI curricula and leadership development aimed at preparing graduates for responsible innovation and stakeholder-sensitive decision-making in emerging-economy contexts. Full article

Freshwater scarcity is emerging as a critical constraint on industrial clusters, production networks, and urban service systems, where water functions simultaneously as an essential production input and a shared regional resource. This study investigates how post-allocation water-quota imbalances in large inter-basin diversion systems can be addressed through adaptive secondary water rights trading. Focusing on China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), the research aims to explain under what institutional and efficiency conditions water rights trading can enhance corporate social responsibility, environmental management, and sustainable supply chain resilience. The study’s main innovation lies in the development of a corporate-oriented evolutionary game model that links water governance with corporate production, urban–industrial demand, and responsible supply chain management. Unlike conventional models, it incorporates bounded rationality, heterogeneous water-use efficiency, information asymmetry, transaction costs, primary allocation water pricing, and the risk of unrecovered basic water fees. Using a case inspired by the Zhengzhou–Nanyang transaction along the Middle Route of the SNWDP, the model simulates the strategic interaction between a water-rich node with surplus quota and a water-scarce node facing deficit demand. The findings show that a socially desirable Trade–Trade equilibrium emerges only when efficiency expectations and institutional conditions are favorable. Lower transaction costs and basic water prices, higher sunk-fee risk, and clearer efficiency differentials significantly increase trading willingness. The study demonstrates the practical value of transparent secondary water markets in improving allocative flexibility, reducing governance rigidity, and promoting more responsible and environmentally efficient regional water management. Full article

As an evaluation framework that systematically assesses a company’s environmental performance, social responsibility, and corporate governance, as a critical measure for evaluating corporate sustainable development, ESG performance exhibits unique and distinctive features within agribusiness firms. This study develops and analyzes several hypotheses using mediation and moderation effect models to empirically investigate the processes and effects of ESG performance on accrual-based earnings management using a sample of Chinese A-share agriculture-related listed businesses from 2009 to 2024. The results show a strongly inverse relationship between accrual-based earnings management and ESG performance in companies involved in agriculture. Additionally, by easing financial limitations, ESG performance has inhibited efforts on earnings management. The inhibitory effect of ESG performance on earnings management is more pronounced among agribusinesses subject to intensive media coverage, but significantly weaker among those with strong internal control quality. In order to maximize ESG practices, control financial behavior, and develop pertinent regulatory laws, this research offers agriculture-related businesses both theoretical and practical insights. Full article

Inclusive growth has increasingly emerged as a central framework for understanding how firms can align economic performance with social inclusion and environmental responsibility, particularly in emerging markets characterized by institutional volatility. In the context of geopolitical shocks and economic sanctions, such as those faced by Russia during 2022–2023, the normative meaning of inclusive growth is redefined toward prioritizing employment stability, industrial continuity, and strategic resilience at the firm level. This study aims to develop a systematic and transparent firm-level measure of inclusive growth that integrates strategic resilience with long-term business model potential. It further seeks to empirically assess cross-firm heterogeneity in inclusive growth performance within the Russian metallurgical and mining sector under geopolitical disruption conditions. This study constructs a composite Inclusive Growth Index using publicly available financial and non-financial disclosures, combining indicator normalization, variance-based weighting, and geometric aggregation. The index is applied to a panel of major Russian metallurgical and mining companies for the period 2021–2024 to evaluate their strategic resilience, business model potential, and industry-level dynamics under sanctions. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in inclusive growth performance across firms, with higher index values being associated with stronger strategic resilience and more stable operational outcomes. The analysis further identifies a divergence between improving resilience and declining business model potential during 2022–2024, indicating a trade-off between short-term stabilization and long-term inclusive growth capabilities under the geopolitical stress. The findings suggest that inclusive growth at the firm level in a sanctioned emerging market context follows a distinct sovereignty-oriented logic in which employment stability and operational continuity take precedence over long-term innovation and governance enhancement. Overall, the proposed Inclusive Growth Index provides a robust analytical framework for assessing corporate adaptation to structural shocks and informing managerial and policy decisions in emerging market economies. Full article