Zhaocheng Xu

1. Global economic integration has enhanced international trade and the mobility of skilled personnel, while rapid progress in digital technologies has transformed international business practices,...

Intelligent manufacturing is a research focus in the academic circle, but its driving mechanism needs to be improved. This study aims to explore the impact of innovation input on intelligent manufacturing and its internal mechanism based on the theory of absorptive capacity. The study adopts the data of listed manufacturing companies in China from 2008 to 2022 to empirically examine the relationship between innovation input and intelligent manufacturing, and analyzes the moderating mechanisms of digital transformation, property rights nature, and organizational redundancy on the above relationship, as well as the mediating role of dynamic capabilities. The results show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between innovation input and intelligent manufacturing. Digital transformation and organizational redundancy can enhance this relationship. Non-state-owned enterprises have a more significant effect in promoting the application of intelligent manufacturing than state-owned enterprises. After robustness tests and endogeneity treatment, the above results remain robust. Furthermore, the internal mechanism test reveals that dynamic capabilities play a strong mediating role between innovation input and intelligent manufacturing. This study supplements the research on the driving mechanism of intelligent manufacturing, providing theoretical references and practical guidance for manufacturing enterprises to enhance their intelligent manufacturing level. However, the sample size of this study was limited, and the heterogeneous impact of policy intervention was not fully captured. In view of this, future research can further conduct more refined group analysis and discussion on industries, or pay more attention to a comprehensive examination and analysis of policy interventions, thereby enhancing the universality of research conclusions.

Based on the perspective of green technology innovation, this paper takes listed companies in China’s manufacturing industry from 2012 to 2022 as the research sample, and adopts the Driscoll-Kraay standard error method to explore the relationship between intelligent manufacturing and the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. The results show that intelligent manufacturing can promote high-quality development of manufacturing industry Green technology innovation plays an mediating role in the above relationship. The above findings still hold after considering robustness tests and endogeneity treatments. Heterogeneity analysis indicates the application of intelligent manufacturing in state-owned enterprises, CEO separately enterprises and heavily polluting industries has a stronger role in promoting the development of manufacturing industry. This paper complements the existing research results on intelligent manufacturing and also establishes a realistic path for the high-quality development of China’s manufacturing industry.

The drivers of corporate digital transformation have been the focus of industry and academic attention. To deeply explore the driving factors and influencing mechanisms of corporate digital transformation (CDT), this paper takes Chinese listed manufacturing companies from 2007–2021 as the research object, based on imprinting theory, adopts the Driscoll-Kraay standard error method, examines the impact of CEO overseas experience on CDT, analyzes the moderating mechanisms of market competition and organizational resources, as well as the mediating effect of dynamic capabilities. The study shows that CEO overseas experience significantly promotes CDT, while market competition intensity and organizational slack resources strengthen the above relationship. Dynamic capabilities play a mediating role in the relationship between CEO overseas experience and CDT. The above findings still hold after considering robustness tests and endogeneity treatments. Further research finds that the overseas working experience of a CEO outweighs the learning experience when it comes to CDT; a CEO with overseas experience has a more significant influence on CDT in the company with a low growth rate; when the CEO is also the chair of the board in the executive team of a company, the overseas experience matters more to CDT; the overseas experience of CEOs with deep academic backgrounds has a more significant impact on CDT. This paper states the driving mechanism of corporate digital transformation from the imprinting theory perspective, and the findings are proven to be substantial and offer practical value for the in-depth development of corporate digital transformation.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reflects entrepreneurs’ early life experiences in reality. Based on imprinting theory and upper echelons theory, this paper examines the impact of a CEO’s early famine experience on CSR, analyzes the moderating effects of environmental discretion (market abundance), organizational discretion (slack resources), and CEO discretion (CEO concurrently) on the above relationship, using Chinese manufacturing listed companies from 2010 to 2019 as research samples. Research shows that when CEOs have early famine experiences, their companies have better social responsibility performance. This effect is positively moderated by the environment and organizational discretion and negatively moderated by CEO discretion. Further research finds that when CEOs are in state-owned firms, the positive effect of their early famine experience on CSR will be reinforced. The early famine experience of a turnover CEO has a weakening effect on CSR. The positive performance of CSR is more pronounced for male CEOs’ early famine experience. The early famine experience of CEOs with lower education has a more significant effect on CSR. This study reveals a practical path to improve CSR motivation from CEOs’ early famine experience and provides new evidence for the research about the CEOs’ personal experience and corporate strategic decision-making.

This study explores the connection between corporate governance and sustainability performance through the mediating role of corporate governance and the moderating role of top management environmental concern, taking into account the perspectives of agency theory and stakeholder theory. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 314 employees working in SMEs operating in China, and the data analysis was carried out using Smart PLS 4 and SPSS. The results indicate that green corporate governance and green finance have a significant impact on corporate social responsibility, which in turn positively affects sustainable performance. Corporate social responsibility significantly mediates the link between green corporate governance and sustainable performance. Meanwhile, corporate social responsibility also mediates the relationship between green finance and sustainable performance. Additionally, top management environmental concern moderates the relationship between corporate governance and sustainable performance significantly, strengthening the impact of corporate social responsibility on sustainable performance. The study contributes to the literature by exploring the relationship between corporate governance, green finance, and sustainable performance in the context of Chinese SMEs. The study’s findings have significant implications for policymakers and managers interested in promoting sustainable development.

With increasing economic globalization, CEOs with overseas study or work experience play a crucial role in corporate strategic decision making, especially in emerging economies. Using Chinese manufacturing companies publicly listed on the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, we explore the influence of CEO overseas experience on corporate social responsibility (CSR), based on the upper echelons theory and behavioral theory of the firm. We find that CEOs with overseas experience have a stronger CSR thinking concept and are more inclined to fulfill CSR than CEOs without overseas experience. We also analyze the effects of the organization’s external environment (market competition intensity) and internal resources (organizational slack resources) on this relationship, and find that all of these factors can strengthen the relationship. We find that the effect of CEO overseas study experience is stronger than that of overseas work experience; CEOs with overseas experience from developed countries such as Europe and the United States have a stronger effect on CSR; CEO overseas experience leads to better performance in state-owned enterprises; but when the CEO is also the chairman of the board, the effect of CEO overseas experience on CSR is weaker; female CEOs’ overseas experience has a stronger positive effect on CSR than male CEOs’; and the effect of CEO overseas experience on CSR is greater when the CEO is highly educated.