Corporate Perceptions Research Articles

Does corporate perception influence radical innovation in China?

ABSTRACT As the macro-financial system becomes more complex and unstable, the volatility of monetary policy increases, which inevitably affects firms’ innovation behaviour. This study focuses on firms’ perceived monetary policy uncertainty (MPU) and the duality of innovation structure by constructing a new field patent index to measure the degree of radical innovation, and empirically examines the impact of MPU on firms’ radical innovation. Based on the panel data of Chinese listed manufacturing firms, we find that increased MPU and firm perceptual capabilities significantly promote firm radical innovation. Mechanism analysis indicates that higher perceived MPU leads to increased corporate openness, equity concentration, and long-term borrowing, thus creating favourable conditions for radical innovation. Finally, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive impact of MPU on radical innovation is more pronounced in centrally controlled, high-tech, large-size, and highly financially constrained firms. These findings shed light on the micro-mechanism of how MPU affects firms’ innovation structure and the importance of improving firms’ ability to perceive MPU.

Suit up or dress down: exploring the impact of CEO attire on corporate perceptions

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the influence of CEO attire formality on consumers’ perceptions of corporate image, drawing on first impression theory and spillover effect theory.Design/methodology/approachFour experimental studies were conducted to test the proposed effect, the underlying mechanism and the boundary condition.FindingsThe formality of CEO attire significantly influences consumers’ perceptions of corporate image. Specifically, formal CEO attire creates a stronger perception of corporate authority among consumers, mediated by perceived rule-following of the CEO. In contrast, informal CEO attire leads to a stronger perception of corporate friendliness, mediated by perceived psychological distance of the CEO. Moreover, a matching effect exists between the type of industry and CEO attire formality, where consumers perceive a greater match between authoritative industries and formally dressed CEOs, and between friendly industries and informally dressed CEOs. This alignment strengthens consumers’ corporate attitudes.Practical implicationsThe findings offer valuable insights for CEOs aiming to foster a positive image through their attire, providing strategic guidance for aligning corporate image with industry characteristics.Originality/valueThis research extends the understanding of how consumers’ perceptions of CEO attire can spill over to affect the corporate image, offering a novel perspective on corporate image communication.

Publics’ perceptions of legitimacy in corporate social advocacy: A computational analysis of the role of ideological congruence

For corporations engaged in corporate social advocacy (CSA), establishing legitimacy among publics is challenging when they take stands along clear ideological lines on controversial issues. This study examined two questions: (1) how would the congruence between individuals’ political ideologies and corporations’ CSA stances influence perceived CSA legitimacy; and (2) how would individuals’ political ideology strength moderate this relationship? A computational analysis was conducted to examine individual-level ideological congruence and perceived CSA legitimacy in six real-world CSA events. Pairing sentiment analysis with a self-trained model for individual ideology detection, this study cross-analyzed naturalistic data generated by 5181 ordinary users involved in the CSA events on Twitter. It was found that individuals’ perceptions of corporations involved in CSA were highly dependent on the extent to which their own political ideologies were congruent with the corporations’ CSA stances. Also, the influence of ideological congruence was amplified among individuals with stronger political ideologies. However, CSA legitimacy perceptions can be highly situational, with individual events potentially yielding varied results depending on factors such as the issue’s socio-historical context. This study overall demonstrates the important role that individual-level political factors can play in influencing publics’ CSA legitimacy perceptions. This study also highlights the feasibility of using cutting-edge computational methods in assessing publics’ voices on social media as a source of CSA legitimacy.

Is energy firms' investment behavior more sensitive on corporate perception of monetary policy?

Central bank communication has emerged as a non-traditional monetary policy tool capable of mitigating adverse effects, policy uncertainties and stabilizing expectations, thereby affecting corporate investment behaviors. Additionally, monetary authorities among the pioneers are performed in promoting green growth. To shed light on the role of corporate perception of monetary policy in corporate investment and tell the heterogeneous effects between energy and non-energy firms, we employ the Chinese listed firm data during 2011 to 2022 to estimate the relationship. Our empirical findings reveal that corporate firms' investment behaviors are significantly sensitive on corporate perception of monetary policy. In specific, energy-intensive firms are more sensitive on such effects. Moreover, a series of working mechanisms is well explored. The corporate perception of monetary policy helps firms reducing financial risk, alleviating internal financial cost and external bank financing pressure to facilitate energy-intensive firms' investment behaviors. Furthermore, the heterogeneous of non-SOEs and high regulation level highly motivates energy-intensive firms to invest.

Challenges and Responses to ESG Risk Management

As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations gradually gain global prominence, the demand for ESG risk management by corporations is rapidly increasing. This is not only a manifestation of social responsibility, but also a prerequisite for sustainable corporate development. ESG risk management is not only crucial for the long-term interests of corporations themselves, but also influences investment decisions and public perceptions of corporations. However, in the implementation process, challenges such as uncertainty in data quality, regulatory compliance, the diversification of stakeholder needs, and the complexity of strategic integration have been encountered. To effectively address these issues, corporations need to establish and enhance ESG data quality management systems, adapt to and proactively respond to regulatory changes, strengthen communication with investors and other stakeholders, and promote deep integration of ESG strategies across various departments and levels within the corporation. This article will explore the challenges faced by ESG risk management and propose corresponding strategies and recommendations.

Prevention or ex-post forcing? The impact of dual environmental regulation on corporate environmental behavior

Corporate reactions to environmental regulation are the hottest topics in research on corporate environmental behavior. However, a few studies incorporate other environmental behavior into the same framework. By constructing a comprehensive indicator system of dual environmental regulation, this paper uses a comparative analysis to discuss Chinese A-listed corporations' environmental behavior from 2009 to 2017, which were influenced by dual environmental regulation. The study's results show that formal environmental regulation (FER) has a significant U-shaped effect on pre-emptive environmental behavior (PEB) but an insignificant impact on ex-post environmental behavior (NEB). After categorizing the various forms of FER, this study finds that market-incentive environmental regulation has a significant inverted U-shaped effect on NEB but an insignificant impact on PEB, voluntary-participation regulation have a significant U-shaped effect on PEB and an inverted U-shaped effect on their NEB, and command-control regulation has significant influence on neither PEB nor NEB. In addition, informal environmental regulation (IER) has a significantly positive and negative effect on PEB and NEB. This study shows that corporate perceptions of policies can have a positive impact on the interaction between the FER and PEB but a negative impact on the interaction between the IER and PEB, and no impact on the interaction between FER or IER and NEB. Moreover, the impact of FER and IER on corporate environmental behavior (CEB) varies depending on factors like ownership, industry characteristics, the market environment, and regional development. Therefore, governments should understand the choices related to corporate environmental behavior under the dual environmental regulation—formal and informal—and prioritize the synergistic impact of these dual environmental regulation, highlighting their enforceability, and take into account the heterogeneity of their targets and the market to stimulate PEB and decrease NEB to help enterprises align their short-term economic objectives with their long-term social goals.

Exploring the Link between Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Perception in Designated Nigerian Deposit Money Institutions

Exploring the Link between Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Perception in Designated Nigerian Deposit Money Institutions

CORPORATE PERSPECTIVES OF A NATIONAL NURSING HOME PRAGMATIC TRIAL AND FACTORS AFFECTING IMPLEMENTATION FIDELITY

Abstract Implementation fidelity is concerning for embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs), where effectiveness is evaluated in real-world settings instead of a structured clinical environment. Healthcare facilities paused ePCT research activities during the COVID-19 pandemic to address related staffing issues and infections. We examined a 54-nursing-home ePCT implementing Music & Memory, a nonpharmacological intervention using music to improve quality of life for residents living with dementia. Our qualitative study describes factors influencing implementation fidelity across four nursing home corporations. The interview guide assesses corporate perceptions of implementation barriers, facilitators, and participation incentives. Themes were organized within the Conceptual Framework for Implementation Fidelity’s potential modifying factors: 1) context, 2) participant responsiveness, 3) intervention complexity, 4) facilitation strategies, 5) quality of delivery, and 6) recruitment. Interviewees (n=4) lead corporate-wide dementia initiatives. 1) Context: COVID-19-related capacity issues and local “champion” turnover impacted success. 2) Participant responsiveness: Developing playlists strengthened staff-resident relationships, although time-consuming and requiring staff competency. Residents experienced decreased agitation while staff satisfaction increased. 3) Intervention complexity: Brown’s research team adapted processes to save staff time. 4) Facilitation strategies: The relationship with Brown promoted problem-solving. 5) Quality of delivery: The ePCT was an effective, non-pharmacological approach addressing dementia symptoms. 6) Recruitment: Corporate leadership makes decisions regarding individual nursing homes’ recruitment in research. Financial incentives did not drive participation, although some voiced appreciation for offsetting time and resources invested. Recommendations for future efforts included in-person champion training and site-specific quality improvement efforts. Researchers maintaining relationships with corporate and local leadership promotes sustainable engagement.

Corporate climate risk disclosure: assessing materiality and stakeholder expectations for sustainable value creation

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the adequacy of climate risk disclosure by providing empirical evidence on whether corporate disclosure meets rising stakeholders’ demand for risk disclosure concerning climate change.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a triangulated approach for collecting data from multiple sources in a longitudinal study, we perform a panel regression analysis on a sample of multinational firms between 2007 and 2021. Inspired by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) principles, our innovative and inclusive model of measuring firm-level climate risks underscores the urgent need to redefine materiality from a broader value creation (rather than only financial) perspective, including the impact on sustainable development.FindingsThe findings of this study provide evidence of limited corporate climate risk disclosure, indicating that organisations have yet to accept the reality of climate-related risks. An additional finding supports the existence of a nexus between higher corporate environmental disclosure and higher corporate resilience to material financial and environmental risks, rather than pervasive sustainability risk disclosure.Practical implicationsWe argue that a mechanical process for climate-related risk disclosure can limit related disclosure variability, risk reporting priority selection, thereby broadening the short-term perspective on financial materiality assessment for disclosure.Social implicationsThis study extends recent literature on the adequacy of corporate risk disclosure, highlighting the importance of disclosing material sustainability risks from the perspectives of different stakeholder groups for long-term success. Corporate management should place climate-related risks at the centre of their disclosure strategies. We argue that reducing the systematic underestimation of climate-related risks and variations in their disclosure practices may require regulations that enhance corporate perceptions and responses to these risks.Originality/valueThis study emphasises the importance of reconceptualising materiality from a multidimensional value creation standpoint, encapsulating financial and sustainable development considerations. This novel model of assessing firm-level climate risk, based on the GRI principles, underscores the necessity of developing a more comprehensive approach to evaluating materiality.

Intrinsic drivers of the reputation for CSR: a cognitive analysis of consumer expectations

PurposeThe appraisal of corporate reputation based on third-party corporate social responsibility (CSR) indices appears to have been institutionalized. The endorsement of such an approach by sustainability custodians and influencers undermines the uptake of the morality and legitimacy of CSR. This study takes a social realist perspective, which suggests that social phenomena such as CSR and corporate reputation are shaped by social structures and power relations. This study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between CSR and corporate reputation and understand ways in which the constructs are influenced by cognitive factors.Design/methodology/approachThis study surveyed 411 respondents across five shopping malls and analyzed the data using path analysis of the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The mall-intercept survey sought to critically assess expectations of CSR vis-à-vis evaluation of corporate reputation. Based on a case study of three Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed companies, CSR expectations were measured along the philanthropic, economic, ethical and legal dimensions, while evaluation of corporate reputation was based on product quality, financial performance and social responsibility. SEM path analysis was used to extrapolate the predictive outcomes of CSR on corporate reputation.FindingsReputation for product quality and social responsibility is underpinned by the fulfillment of ethical CSR expectations, while philanthropic gestures enhance the evaluation of financial performance. Legal CSR significantly influences the reputation for social responsibility and product quality. Fulfillment of economic CSR expectations influences the reputation for product quality. However, no relationship was established between economic performance and social responsibility. Involvement in economic, philanthropic and particularly, legal CSR, are not indicative of the reputation for financial performance. Conversely, companies’ involvement in economic CSR does not suggest a higher propensity for social responsibility.Research limitations/implicationsThe predictive outcomes of CSR expectations on corporate reputation can reveal situated understanding of actual perceptions of corporate behavior.Practical implicationsEthical business conduct is synonymously associated with social responsibility while espoused corporate philanthropy signals strong financial performance. The awareness of consumers’ cognitive evaluation of corporate reputation can offer a pathway to corporate communication professionals, policy makers and agencies to rethink and reposition CSR efforts.Social implicationsInsensitivity to taken-for-granted cultural prescriptions and reliance on market-based reputational rankings undermine mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships and the social license to operate.Originality/valueThis study brings to the fore, cognitively dominated indicators of consumers’ perceptions of the reputation for CSR, to foster nuanced and halo-removed approaches to social responsibility. The authors show for the first time how companies’ skewed focus on corporate philanthropic giving paradoxically signals a capitalistic notion of social responsibility and unethical business conduct. This study offers a halo-removed orientation to the appraisal of CSR and corporate reputation.

The toxic waste management towards corporates’ sustainable development: A causal approach in Vietnamese industry

Effective toxic waste management is critical for sustainable development, as toxic waste has a severe impact on both ecosystems and human health. However, the relationship between toxic waste management and corporate effectiveness and its impact on various aspects of sustainable development has remained unclear due to a lack of previous studies examining the interrelationships of these attributes under uncertainty, particularly in emerging countries. This study addresses this gap by presenting a cause–effect model that utilizes qualitative information and linguistic preferences to explore perceptions of toxic waste management and its influence on Vietnamese industry practices. To ensure the reliability and validity of the selected attributes, the study employs the fuzzy Delphi method, which combines fuzzy set theory with crisp numbers to transform qualitative information and linguistic preferences into meaningful data. At the same time, this study applies the decision-making trial and evaluation method (DEMATEL) to address the interrelationships among the proposed attributes. From a set of 7 aspects and 33 criteria, which are identified from previous documents and experts’ preferences, the study finds that environmental protection regulations, environmental perceptions of corporations, and financial resources are the key drivers of enhancement in corporate prospects for sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and the adoption of new technologies and policies for toxic waste management. The study also identifies five critical criteria, including comprehensive institutional vision, legislation enforcement, municipal operations, financial resources, technical capacity and competitive advantages, that can play crucial roles in enhancing corporate toxic waste management practices. Based on these significant findings, this study discusses both theoretical and practical implications.

The effects of crisis types on corporate warmth and competence perceptions: Interplay with post-crisis promotion types for corporate attitude recovery

ABSTRACT This research investigates the effects of crisis type and post-crisis promotion type on corporate perceptions and attitude. A 2 (crisis: moral-harm vs. product-harm) x 2 (post-crisis promotion: donation vs. discount) between-subjects experiment was conducted with a total of 360 participants recruited from Amazon MTurk. Results indicate that moral-harm crises have a more negative impact on perceived corporate warmth and attitude than product-harm crises. However, this negative effect can be better mitigated through post-crisis donations toward society than through post-crisis discounts for consumers. In contrast, product-harm crises have a more negative impact on perceived corporate competence than moral-harm crises. Nevertheless, post-crisis discounts are more effective than post-crisis donations in alleviating this negative effect. Further, moderated mediation models reveal that stakeholder perceptions of corporate warmth and competence mediate the matching effects of crisis type and post-crisis promotion type on attitude recovery. The findings highlight the dynamic effect of crisis communications through strategic compensation with post-crisis promotions in consideration of crisis types.

The nexus of customer behaviour, corporate perception and banking: Australian perspective

ABSTRACT The Australian Hayne Royal Commission (2017–2019) inquired into misconduct within the banking, superannuation, and financial service sectors. Existing literature produced mixed results with regards to the effectiveness of the Hayne Royal Commission while focusing on the legislative angle. The first major contribution of this paper is it looks at the Hayne Royal Commission through the lens of a customer by creating indices which include the Retail Banking Perception Index, the Monthly Review Score, the Monthly Growth Score, and the Monthly Headline Score. The second major contribution of this paper is it adds to the field of perception analysis for banks by using novel data instead of point in time survey data. By creating these indices, we conclude that banks have been impacted idiosyncratically by the Hayne Royal Commission in terms of customer perception driven by increased transparency.

The Expansion of Turkey’s Medical Tourism Industry

The Expansion of Turkey’s Medical Tourism Industry

Does Government-Led Publicity Enhance Corporate Green Behavior? Empirical Evidence from Green Xuanguan in China

Promoting green behavior among corporations is essential to the green transition of industrial sectors in China. There is a unique government-led green publicity institution, ‘Xuanguan‘, that expects to accelerate the green idea and policy spread top-down in the economic system in China. However, few studies discussed its role in formulating corporate green behavior. By constructing an integrated model of Government-led publicity-Internal and external perception-Corporate green behavior, this paper explored the effect of government-led green publicity on corporate green behavior, based on the survey data of 199 industrial manufacturing corporations in Henan Province, China. A structural equation model (SEM) was adopted to detect the influence and influential path. The results found that government-led green publicity could positively enhance green behavior via improving the corporate internal perception of risk and opportunity and improving the corporate perception of external environment actors. The heterogeneity tests showed that type of publicity channels, corporate ownership, and corporate scale made different effects on the results. Further analysis proved that government-led publicity could enhance the function of formal environmental regulation. It implies that government-led publicity can be a good compensation for formal regulations and stimulate green behavior. This paper demonstrates a new factor of enhancing corporate behavior and contributed new evidence of China’s green development story.

Problems of the definition of corporate reporting

In recent decades, there has been a general trend aimed at the development and introduction of new types of reporting into the management practice. These methods were based on a different conceptual framework than financial statements, changing the perception of corporate reporting and its target orientation. There has to be streamlined the conceptual and categorical apparatus which is necessary for building a corporate reporting system. The aim of the study is to identify and systematize approaches to the definition of corporate reporting in order to determine the role and place of various types of statements in the corporate reporting system. There were used bibliometric analysis, general scientific methods of cognition, such as analysis, synthesis, generalization, abstraction, and a systematic approach. There were established the dynamics of scientific publications based on the bibliometric analysis which had been posting on the eLibrary. Ru platform for the period 2000–2021 by the keyword “corporate reporting”. Approaches to the definition of the term “corporate reporting” are generalized and systematized, based on the target of corporate reporting, the composition of the components included in the corporate reporting system. There were identified factors influencing the transformation of the corporate reporting concept and considered its possible formats. The definition of corporate reporting was clarified based on the main essential characteristics of reporting. It is proposed to conduct further scientific research and discussions to develop a common approach to the definition of the term “corporate reporting”, as well as to the definitions of other types of reporting included in the corporate reporting system with the intention of development of its institution in Russia.

CSR Decoupling and Tax Avoidance: a Conceptual Framework

This paper proposes a conceptual framework to investigate the relationship between CSR and tax avoidance. CSR and tax avoidance are claimed to share a similar feature of morality, thereby forming the basis of argument in the linkage between the two strategies at corporate level. While prior studies examined the relationship to ascertain corporate intention of engaging in CSR, this paper proposes that the corporate intention, implied by CSR decoupling, be embedded in the framework to investigate corporate perception on what constitutes moral judgment. Specifically, this paper proposes a framework to understand if companies view tax avoidance as an immoral act. The premise of neo-institutional theory is utilised to explain the intention of CSR, through CSR decoupling, and its influence on tax avoidance. This paper proposes that the significant gap in the literature should be addressed by incorporating the intention of CSR into examination rather than concluding it; and seek to ascertain if companies view tax avoidance as immoral, concluding the huge assumption that prior studies have relied on.

Ethnic Categorization & Organizational Crisis Management in Multi-Ethnic Societies

Increasing business interests in multi-ethnic emerging economies as a result of the opportunities they offer for trade and investments, expose organizations operating there to ethnic group rivalries and conflicts. Despite this growing threat, little has been documented on the role of ethnicity in shaping perceptions of corporations and organizational crises. This study proposed an ethnic attribution framework for understanding organizational crises in multi-ethnic settings, laying as its foundation the assumption that stakeholders in multi-ethnic societies perceive organizations along ethnic lines. The study identifies some of the factors responsible for ethnic categorization and suggests the ethnic inclination of stakeholders would be positively related to the ethnic categorization of organizations. Drawing from a sample of 158 stakeholders, this study found reports of ethnic categorization of organizations driven primarily by the lack of diversity amongst staff. The findings assert that in multi-ethnic societies, the application of an ethnic frame to an inter-organizational crisis is a function of the attribution of ethnicity to the corporate organizations involved in the crisis.

Evaluation of the Strategic Leadership Characteristics of Provincial Directors of Youth and Sports in Terms of Some Variables

This study aims to examine the strategic leadership characteristics of Provincial Directors of Youth and Sports in terms of some variables. The sample group consists of 59 people serving as Provincial Directors of Youth and Sports in Turkey. The Strategic Leadership Questionnaire was used to collect data. SPSS 22.0 program was utilized to analyze the data obtained. According to demographic variables, one-way analysis of variance (One way Anova), Independent T-test and Pearson correlation analysis were used to compare the scores of the strategic leadership scale sub-dimension of the provincial directors of youth and sports participating in the study. As a result of the analyses, it has been determined that the provincial directors of youth and sports participating in the study use high levels of transformational leadership and managerial leadership, their ethical leadership and political leadership use levels are above the moderate level and their leadership effectiveness perceptions and corporate environment perceptions are above the moderate level. There is a positive relationship between Transformational leadership, Managerial leadership, Ethical leadership, Political leadership and Leadership effectiveness (p <0.05). However, there is no significant relationship between corporate environment perception and leadership effectiveness (p> 0.05). There is a positive relationship between perception level and corporate environment perception and it is below average (p <0.05).

Perceptions of large Korean corporations from a social cognition perspective

ABSTRACT Large corporations can be important symbols in the lives of Korean consumers, but little is known about the way their corporate imagery might be seen by the public. The imagery of 10 such companies was found to be described by and grouped around three theorized image dimensions: warmth, competence, and status. The same dimensions predicted satisfaction and brand-person congruence. We tested competing theories of whether status associations are independent of competence evaluations or are their antecedents. Our data supported the former view. We also tested the theory that warmth evaluations best predict satisfaction and brand-person congruence and found only qualified support.