Media Attention Research Articles

Analysis of the Chinese Literature on the ESG and Financial Performance

Abstract: Based on 230 Chinese articles published on the CNKI platform from 2016 to 2024 on the research of ESG and corporate financial performance, this paper clarifies the research direction of ESG and financial performance and discusses the main points of the research with the help of CiteSpace, an information visualization software. The studies on the relationship between ESG and financial performance are all based on listed companies. The empirical analysis of listed companies shows that ESG performance has a significant positive impact on the financial performance of listed companies. The impact of ESG on financial performance varies in different industries, regions, and stages of economic development. The short-term and long-term effects are also different. In addition, media attention on ESG performance also affects financial performance. However, existing studies are analyzed from a micro perspective and lack macro background analysis and policy impact analysis.

The impact of economic policy uncertainty on corporate environmental information disclosure: the moderating role of media attention and financing constraints

Economic policy uncertainty (EPU) is a major source of risk that could affect corporate environmental behaviors. We investigated the impact of EPU on environmental information disclosure by using 15,308 firm-year observations from 2,316 Chinese manufacturing firms between 2010 and 2020. Our study shows that EPU can be an incentive for firms to disclose environmental information. This finding supports the voluntary disclosure theory that firms are prone to disclose more environmental efforts in times of high EPU. Furthermore, the results show that the positive relationship between EPU and corporate environmental information disclosure can be positively moderated by media attention and financing constraints. Firms in competitive industries and heavily polluting industries provided better environmental information disclosure when facing uncertainty. Our results provide implications that managers should emphasize the quality of disclosure and use environmental information disclosure as a key strategy to deal with EPU.

Objectives pursued by European football clubs: compete for income through victories and media exposure

PurposeThe paper aims to revisit the debate on the priorities of football clubs in talent hiring with respect to maximizing sporting performance or economic profitability. Based on the degree of media exposure of the clubs, we examine whether the clubs’ objectives include, in addition to the classic twofold choice, the aspiration of club managers to gain popularity through media exposure.Design/methodology/approachThis paper applies structural equation modelling (path analysis) techniques to re-examine what is the more realistic description of football club owners’ decisions when hiring talent. Our database comprises teams from the first division of four top European football leagues: 80 observations per season during the pre-COVID period spanning from 2009/10 to 2017/18.FindingsThe results suggest that, when recruiting players, in addition to considering the two classic objectives (wins and profits), club owners also seem to aim expanding the media exposure and popularity of their clubs. Our study reveals that, to explain talent-hiring decisions in football, the ability to attract media attention is as crucial as sporting performance could be. Furthermore, by examining the direct, indirect and total effects on annual revenue, we found that our media visibility index performs a mediation effect connecting sports performance and revenue.Originality/valueAn innovative feature of our analysis is the use of the MERIT media visibility index, which jointly captures the on-field and off-field players’ skills. The consistency and robustness of the results derive from the various specifications of the estimated models.

Xenophobia as the major plight of African immigrants in South Africa: the example of Epiphanie Mukasano's selected poems

ABSTRACT The attacks on African immigrants in South Africa have generated a lot of media attention both within and outside the country. This issue has not yet garnered enough critical attention in the field of literature, especially poetry. The purpose of this research is to analyse selected poems from Epiphanie Mukasano's collection Kilimanjaro on My Lap (2010) that discuss the hardships of African immigrants in South Africa. For the purposes of this study, this research uses migration theory. The research finds that racism and xenophobia are to blame for the country's immigration issues in the poems selected for the study. Asserting that the majority of immigrants are seeking protection due to upheaval in their home countries, Mukasano implores those who commit abhorrent acts of xenophobia and racism to have mercy on the immigrants. Consequently, Mukasano's answers to xenophobic assaults in the selected poems are addressed in this study. Mukasano makes an attempt to persuade the perpetrators of racism and xenophobia in South Africa that Pan-Africanism ought to be seen as a brotherhood rather than an enemy. Poems by Mukasano generally focus on the critical observation of people and their attitudes towards immigrants in general, regardless of their status, as well as the challenging consequences faced by black people. Protest poetry by Mukasano is vocal and engaged in challenging the status quo. Her tone, style, and use of poetic forms, which show how she gets her message across, show that she accomplished this successfully.

The (in)effectiveness of financial consumer protection: Quasi-experimental evidence from consumer finance in China

The booming consumer finance sector has grappled with internal and external challenges, which call forth strong regulatory responses to financial consumer protection (FCP). Existing studies, however, have explored the economic consequences of FCP from a macro or meso perspective and failed to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the FCP framework. To remedy this, we collected a novel dataset from an online complaint platform in China, which included over 12,000 real-world complaints from March 2019 to September 2022. Built on the dataset, we employ a regression discontinuity in time approach to examine the effect of a representative FCP policy (i.e., Implementation Measures of the People's Bank of China for Protecting Financial Consumers' Rights and Interests) on the average rating of the consumers' perception of dispute resolution. We confirm the effectiveness of the FCP policy in improving dispute resolution, and the results remain robust for a series of tests. Moreover, the effectiveness of the FCP policy varies in different aspects of perceptions and complaint topics. The heterogeneous analysis demonstrates that first-mover and foreign-shareholding consumer finance companies are more responsive to the Measure. Finally, regulatory punishment and media attention are two channels in which FCP policy benefits consumers' perception of dispute resolution. We further discuss some important policy and managerial implications.

The Enhanced Games: a timely injection for the International Olympic Committee.

The Enhanced Games, a privately funded sporting megaevent aspiring to rival the Olympic Games, have garnered significant media attention since its public inception in 2023. This attention has primarily been driven by the Enhanced Games' embrace of performance-enhancing drugs. Lost in the public fixation on the event's green-lit drug-use, however, is the fact that the Enhanced Games distance themselves from current Olympic standards in numerous ways beyond drug-policies alone. More precisely, the Enhanced Games promote themselves as a more economically and ecologically sustainable alternative to the Olympics, as well as a megaevent that aims to put athletes and their safety front-and-center. With an eye towards current Olympic standards, we suggest that closer examination of the Enhanced Games offers novel perspectives on the future of the Olympics and global sporting events more broadly.

Aktivisme, Budaya Populer, dan Media: Paradigma Protes terhadap Three Finger Salute dalam Berita Reuters

This study investigates the framing and presences of the protest paradigm in Reuters' coverage of activism events in Southeast Asia involving The Hunger Games' Three Finger Salute. In recent years, several protests in the region have adopted this salute as a means of expressing dissent against their respective governments. These diverse activisms not only attract media attention as political events but also signify interconnected political phenomena through a gesture inspired by popular narratives such The Hunger Games. Reuters, an international news agency, has shown a heightened interest in this phenomenon compared to other news agencies that focusing solely on political activities. While it is common for news reports to embody the protest paradigm when covering activism, Reuters' coverage specific focus on events involving the Three Finger Salute sets it apart. The protest paradigm highlights the media's tendency to depict social protests with a negative sentiment. Through text and framing analysis, this research delves into how Reuters selectively emphasizes certain aspects of these fan activisms. The findings reveal that Reuters framed the coverage of fan activisms around authoritarian government, youth and student, and royalist. Reuters also has negative sentiment and continues to perpetuate the protest paradigm.

Reputational Costs as a Tax Avoidance Deterrent in Small to Medium Enterprises

Reputational concerns are considered a disincentive to tax avoidance. Prior literature examining tax avoidance in the context of large and listed firms attributes this relationship to the scrutiny to which large firms are subject. This begs the question if reputational concerns are a relevant tax avoidance deterrent in the setting of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) because SMEs have fewer stakeholders, lower disclosure requirements, and are subject to less media attention. Using survey data from Belgian SMEs, we find that SMEs with reputational concerns report an effective tax rate that is 8.57 percentage points higher than that of SMEs with low reputational concerns. We further examine which firm characteristics moderate the deterrent effect of reputational concerns on tax avoidance. We find that potential reputation damage is more important to the tax avoidance decision of firms with less financial freedom and firms with a higher need to maintain creditor relations. Finally, we document that reputational concerns act as a corporate tax avoidance deterrent against aggressive positions.

Restorative Just Culture: An Exploration of the Enabling Conditions for Successful Implementation.

Restorative responses to staff involved in incidents are becoming recognized as a rigorous and constructive alternative to retributive forms of 'just culture'. However, actually achieving restoration in mostly retributive working environments can be quite difficult. The conditions for the fair and successful application of restorative practices have not yet been established. In this article, we explore possible commonalities in the conditions for success across multiple cases and industries. In an exploratory review we analysed published and unpublished cases to discover enabling conditions. We found eight enabling conditions-leadership response, leadership expectations, perspective of leadership, 'tough on content, soft on relationships', public and media attention, regulatory or judicial attention to the incident, second victim acknowledgement, and possible full-disclosure setting-whose absence or presence either hampered or fostered a restorative response. The enabling conditions seemed to coagulate around leadership qualities, media and judicial attention resulting in leadership apprehension or unease linked to their political room for maneuver in the wake of an incident, and the engagement of the 'second victim'. These three categories can possibly form a frame within which the application of restorative justice can have a sustainable effect. Follow-up research is needed to test this hypothesis.

Botanists voted to remove offensive names; will zoologists follow?

The Nomenclature Section of the XX International Botanical Congress (IBC) was held from 15 to 19 July 2024, with 173 registered delegates in Madrid plus 219 additional attendees participating online (Gostel et al. 2014). It deliberated 433 proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Turland et al. 2018, the Shenzhen Code). Among the decisions, one received significant media attention and was featured in top journals Science (Ortega & Stokstad 2024) and Nature (Callaway 2024): the removal of the letter c and the second f (if applicable) from 301 racially offensive names that include caf[e]r- and caff[e]r- (Smith & Figueiredo 2021). This proposal, along with others on offensive names (e.g., Hammer & Thiele 2021), received heated debates in Megataxa (Pethiyagoda 2023; Smith & Figueiredo 2023) and other journals (e.g., Jiménez-Mejías et al. 2024, with summaries of debates prior to this paper).

Assessing the impact of climate policy stringency on corporate energy innovation: Insights from China

Corporate energy innovation is a crucial means for countries worldwide to achieve sustainable development goals. Climate policy is one of the measures employed by government departments to address climate change and energy challenges. Existing research mostly focuses on the regional environmental consequences of climate policy, lacking consideration of the policy stringency, and there is a gap in understanding its sustainable energy benefits at the micro level. This study uses data from Chinese A-share listed enterprises from 2012 to 2022, combined with media text big data, to construct and measure a firm-level climate policy stringency indicator using machine learning methods. We explore the complex interplay between climate policy stringency and corporate energy innovation based on institutional theory and its legitimacy perspective. Empirical analysis results indicate that: 1) Climate policy stringency can incentivize companies to pursue energy innovation. 2) Climate policy stringency can promote the process of corporate energy innovation by helping companies acquire external economic resources and encouraging them to modify their internal sustainable development philosophy. 3) In state-owned enterprises, non-short-termism management enterprises, enterprises receiving higher government environmental subsidies, enterprises with higher media attention, enterprises belonging to regulated and polluting industries, and those in regions with high public environmental attention, the climate policy stringency is more likely to have positive effects on energy innovation. This study will help government practitioners and corporate managers comprehend the interplay between the climate policy stringency and corporate energy innovation. It also provides targeted management insights to advance green innovation transformation in the economy and society.

Climate risk perception, female directors and greenwashing

This study investigates the impact of female directors on greenwashing and the influence of climate risk perception in China from 2012 to 2022. We find that female directors significantly inhibit greenwashing and climate risk perception improves this inhibitory effect. Further analysis suggests that female directors curb greenwashing by mitigating agency costs, alleviating financial constraints, and promoting information disclosure. The influence of female directors on greenwashing is more visible in highly competitive companies and in companies with low media attention. Our findings offer guidance for companies and policymakers to recognize the female power in addressing climate risk and improving corporate governance.

HIV Denial in the COVID Era.

Though scientific consensus regarding HIV causation of AIDS was reached decades ago, denial of this conclusion remains. The popularity of such denial has waxed and waned over the years, ebbing as evidence supporting HIV causation mounted, building again as the internet facilitated connection between denial groups and the general public, and waning following media attention to the death of a prominent denier and her child and data showing the cost of human life in South Africa. Decades removed from these phenomena, HIV denial is experiencing another resurgence, coupled to mounting distrust of public health, pharmaceutical companies, and mainstream medicine. This paper examines the history and current state of HIV denial in the context of the COVID pandemic and its consequences. An understanding of the effect of this phenomenon and evidence-based ways to counter it are lacking. Community-based interventions and motivational interviewing may serve to contain such misinformation in high-risk communities.

Hormonal contraceptives and women’s mental health – A long-term perspective

Hormonal contraceptives and women’s mental health – A long-term perspective Belinda Pletzer of the University of Salzburg discusses the importance of researching the mental health effects of hormonal contraceptives and the need to identify women at risk for adverse mood reactions before they start hormonal contraception. The mental health effects of hormonal contraceptives have received much media attention over the last decade, resulting in increased skepticism towards hormonal treatments and a reduction in hormonal contraceptive use. Recognizing hormonal contraceptives as a potential trigger of mood symptoms was a crucial and empowering step for women’s mental health research and care. However, we still need to find a balance in weighing the reproductive – and probably also mental – health benefits of hormonal contraceptives against the risks of adverse reactions. Information is key to achieving that goal. Thus, research into the mental health effects of hormonal contraceptives is of utmost importance.

Government accounting supervision and risk of stock price crashes of listed companies: Evidence from the ministry of finance in China

The impact of accounting supervision by China's Ministry of Finance on the capital markets has grown significantly in recent years. Using data from China's Ministry of Finance random inspections from 1999 to 2022, this study examines the effects of government accounting supervision on corporate stock price crash risk. Employing a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) approach, the findings indicate that government accounting supervision significantly reduces the risk of corporate stock price crashes in supervised firms. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the correlation between government accounting supervision and stock price crash risk is stronger when a company has a low marketization level, high equity concentration, low political affiliation, low audit quality, and low media attention. Findings contribute to the literature on determinants of crash risk and provide empirical support for the effectiveness of government accounting supervision in mitigating financial risks. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers while suggesting that strengthening accounting supervision can enhance market stability and investor protection when considering regional economic development and corporate ownership structures.

FACTORS INFLUENCING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN EU

Youth unemployment is not only a challenge in Europe but also a global issue, with varying degrees of severity across different countries. The causes and potential solutions for youth unemployment differ widely, highlighting the need for tailored approaches. Given the long-term risks associated with prolonged unemployment, addressing this issue is crucial, as young people represent the future potential of every nation. This topic has garnered significant media attention and has been a prominent discussion point in various business and policy forums. Within the European Union, youth unemployment is a high priority on the policy agenda. The European Commission has recently launched the “Youth Opportunities Initiative” to support unemployed young people. This initiative aims to provide funding for apprenticeship and entrepreneurship programs, facilitate company placements, and offer guidance for young individuals with business ideas. Current levels of youth unemployment need to be understood in the context of increased labor market flexibility, an expansion of higher education, youth migration, and family legacies of long-term unemployment. Compared with previous recessions, European-wide policies and investments have significantly increased with attempts to support national policies. We argue that understanding youth unemployment requires a holistic approach that combines an analysis of changes in the economic sphere around labor market flexibility, skills attainment, and employer demand, as well as understanding the impact of family legacies affecting increasingly polarized trajectories for young people today.

Renewable energy technology innovation and ESG greenwashing: Evidence from supervised machine learning methods using patent text

As global environmental pollution worsens, environmental governance has become a critical aspect of corporate development. In environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk management, how firms address the threat of greenwashing has emerged as a central focus in achieving sustainable green development. This study explores an under-researched factor contributing to ESG greenwashing: renewable energy technology innovation (RETI). Using supervised machine learning and text analysis methods, the study constructs a proxy variable for RETI and applies it to a sample of Chinese listed companies. The findings reveal that RETI reduces corporate ESG greenwashing, and this effect remains consistent after a series of endogeneity and robustness tests. The inhibitory impact of RETI on ESG greenwashing is more significant when board experiential diversity and media attention are higher. This study contributes to the theoretical basis and demonstration for the research on RETI, greenwashing, managerial experience, and corporate governance.

What Are the Most Popular Articles in Urogynecology and Who Is Disseminating Them

Importance This research describes which articles published in Urogynecology are garnering the most attention online. Understanding which articles are having the largest impact in the online community has become increasingly important due to the exponential increase in the use of social media on the internet. Objective The Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) is a quantitative and qualitative measure of the articles’ online attention in social media and news outlets, blogs, and reference managers. The aim of this study was to provide an analysis of those accessing and sharing the 100 most popular articles published in Urogynecology. Study Design This was a retrospective descriptive analysis. Using Dimensions, a “linked research knowledge system,” data about each article’s demographics on Twitter and other media sources was extracted from each of the articles within Urogynecology with the highest AAS. No articles were excluded. The articles were categorized by topic and metrics of online sharing were compared among categories. Results Fifteen categories were created. Sexual health and education articles had the highest average Altmetric scores per article and reached the highest impressions per article and had the highest average follower count per Twitter user. On average, social justice in medicine had the highest number of tweets per article. Tweets were most often composed by members of the public (58%) compared with health care practitioners (14%), researchers (13%), and science communicators (12%). Conclusions Sexual health and education articles had the highest average AAS and impressions on Twitter. We observed a difference in which articles are being shared most among the general public and health care professionals. The general public comprised a majority of those sharing articles online regardless of category. Additionally, there may be a disparity in research, its funding, and online scientific communications within the field of urogynecology.

Impact of fund cliques on corporate cash dividends: Evidence from China

Utilizing 2007–2021 data on Chinese A-share listed companies, this study explores how fund cliques affect corporate cash dividends. The results reveal that fund cliques can significantly reduce corporate cash dividends. This conclusion is verified after addressing possible endogeneity concerns and conducting a series of robustness tests. Mechanism tests indicate that ownership concentration and agency cost are the primary channels. The results further show that the negative effect of fund cliques on cash dividends is more significant in larger firms, as well as in firms that have lower regional investor protection and greater media attention. Furthermore, we find that fund cliques can significantly increase corporate stock dividends, and the reduction of cash dividends promotes fund cliques’ share lessening, from which funds can obtain higher share returns. This study has some implications for protecting shareholder rights and maintaining capital market stability.

Forecasting disorientation in the tax avoidance map: Tax haven subsidiaries and analyst forecasts

In the context of economic globalization, China has actively encouraged its enterprises to “Go Global” to enhance their core competitiveness. However, in recent years, many companies have been drawn to the unique features of tax havens, establishing subsidiary in these regions to exploit regulatory and institutional arbitrage rather than focusing on genuine production and operations. This study uses panel data from Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2022 to investigate the impact of tax haven subsidiary layout on analyst forecast accuracy and the underlying mechanisms. Our findings show that tax haven subsidiary layout significantly reduces analyst forecast accuracy. This negative effect is primarily driven by increased information asymmetry and heightened operational risks caused by tax haven subsidiary layout. Moreover, the impact is more pronounced in firms with higher controlling shareholder tunneling, lower media attention, stronger product market competition, and weaker tax enforcement. Our research contributes to a deeper understanding of the adverse effects of tax haven subsidiary layout, offering crucial insights for promoting efficient capital flow and sustainable economic development in emerging markets.