Corporate Technology Research Articles

Examining the relationship between technological innovation, environmental social governance and corporate sustainability: the moderating role of green operational innovation

While environmental social governance (ESG) and technological innovation are important foundations for corporate sustainability, how ESG activities and technological innovation impact corporate sustainability remains limited in the current literature. This study therefore examined the relationship between corporate sustainability, ESG activities and technological innovation through the moderating role of green operational innovation. To achieve the aims of this study, primary data were collected from 488 respondents of mobile app platform users for hypothesis testing. The collected data were analyzed using statistical analysis such as SPSS and AMOS. Findings show that ESG activities and technological innovation are related to corporate sustainability. This study finds green operational innovation to positively moderates the relationship between ESG, technological innovation, and corporate sustainability. This study further affirms that corporate sustainability can benefit from ESG activities, while green operational innovation can contribute to sustainable corporate growth and promote technological innovation activities. The originality of this study lies in the evidence that ESG activities, technological innovation, and green operational innovation are important factors that drive firms’ sustainable growth.

Does Pollution Information Disclosure Affect Corporate Employment? Evidence from China

This study examined the impact of pollution information disclosure on corporate employment demand. Utilizing data from A-share listed companies between 2009 and 2018, we examined the impact of pollution information disclosure on corporate employment requirements using the pollution information transparency index (PITI). The research indicates the following: ① The publication of pollution information significantly reduces corporate employment demand. A series of 2SLS analyses were performed using the air mobility coefficient and Internet penetration as instrumental variables, and the aforementioned conclusions remained valid. ② The analysis of the mechanism indicates that the disclosure of pollution information imposes environmental governance pressure on enterprises via the negative effects of environmental costs. Consequently, enterprises are likely to diminish their employment demand in reaction to the increase in environmental management costs in the short term. The positive impact of corporate technology R&D on employment demand has not yet been demonstrated. ③ Further analysis showed that the impact of pollution information disclosure on corporate employment is more obvious among state-owned enterprises and heavily polluting enterprises, industries with higher wage levels, employees of high-skilled enterprises, and employees in the production sector. ④ The impact of pollution information disclosure on corporate employment shows a growing positive effect; i.e., a favorable relationship between pollution information disclosure and human capital will be established when the pollution information disclosure index hits 65.6 points.

How digital transformation can affect corporate technology innovation: Based on an income gap perspective

How digital transformation can affect corporate technology innovation: Based on an income gap perspective

Anticipating corporate strategy and performance through digital platforms and technology innovation in a developing economy

In the present business environment, digital platform integration and technological innovation are pivotal in bolstering corporate strategy and performance for businesses. The present study investigates the roles of digital platforms and technology innovation in developing corporate strategy and performance. The study is quantitative, following Yoshikuni (2022) and Liu et al. (2023), and used 342 cases collected from Egyptian business executives by applying a survey questionnaire. Employing path analysis through AMOS software, the findings demonstrated a positive impact of digital platform integration and technological innovation on corporate strategy and performance. Additionally, the impact of corporate strategy on corporate performance was found to be positive. Regarding mediation analysis, the results confirmed a mediating effect of corporate strategy between digital platform integration and corporate performance, rather than between technological innovation and corporate performance. The study’s findings facilitate benchmarking opportunities and contribute to broader economic considerations and policy implications by offering a nuanced view of how different sectors contribute to the overall business context and national economic development.

PENGARUH TEKNOLOGI DAN GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE TERHADAP EFISIENSI PENGELOLAAN ZAKAT DI PROVINSI ACEH

This research investigates how technology and Good Corporate Governance (GCG) impact the efficiency of zakat management in Aceh Province. GCG is measured through factors like board size and the presence of professionals on the board. Using a quantitative approach, this study analyzed secondary data from the Baitul Mal Directory, accessible via the Baitul Mal Aceh website, for the period 2016 to 2020. A convenience sampling method was adopted for sample selection, and multiple linear regression analysis was applied to assess the data. The findings show that board size, technology, and the expertise of board professionals all have a significant effect on zakat management efficiency. This suggests that optimizing governance structures and leveraging technology could enhance the efficiency of zakat management processes. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers and zakat institutions, especially in regions similar to Aceh, by highlighting the importance of governance and technology in increasing the accountability and effectiveness of zakat distribution.

Supply chain digitalization, green technology innovation and corporate energy efficiency

Supply chain digitalization, green technology innovation and corporate energy efficiency

Green Technology Innovation and Corporate Reputation: Key Drivers of ESG and Firm Performance

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and firm performance within China's manufacturing sector, with a novel focus on the mediating effect of green technology innovation and the moderating influence of corporate reputation. Using a 2011-2022 dataset from A-share listed manufacturing companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, the study employs multiple regression analysis with a two-way fixed-effects model to examine these relationships. Findings indicate that robust ESG practices significantly enhance company performance, mediated by green technological innovation. However, a negative moderating effect of corporate reputation suggests that higher corporate reputation weakens the ESG-financial performance relationship. Further analyses reveal that privately-owned firms, those in China's eastern region, and environmentally sustainable industries benefit most from strong ESG initiatives. This study addresses the challenge of disentangling key variables by analyzing their interconnected effects. The findings fill a gap in the existing literature by contributing to a deeper understanding of the relationship between ESG and corporate success, particularly through the mediating role of innovation and the moderating influence of reputation. Additionally, the study provides practical recommendations for managers and policymakers to enhance ESG strategies, promote growth, and support sustainable development. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-06-021 Full Text: PDF

Digital Inclusive Finance and Corporate Technological Innovation

As digital technology develops apace, digital inclusive finance has appeared before people's eyes. Its emergence has brought new technological innovation power for enterprises and provided new opportunities for the economic high-quality development of the nation. This paper carries out theoretical analysis and empirical analysis, and draws the following conclusions: The advancement of digital inclusive finance has a pronounced impact on fostering corporate technological innovation and this effect has regional heterogeneity; Human capital stock and urbanization level play a mediating role in this process. Finally, policy recommendations are made accordingly: firstly, the government should invest more in digital inclusive finance; secondly, it should pay attention to the positive roles played by human capital stock and urbanization level in promoting technological innovation of enterprises.

Effects of electric vehicle demonstration and promotion policy on air pollution: Evidence from China

The escalating problem of air pollution has recently attracted global attention. The use of electric vehicles (EVs) has emerged as a key strategy for mitigating air pollution in the transportation sector. This study uses the difference-in-differences method to examine the influence and underlying mechanisms of China's Electric Vehicle Demonstration and Promotion (EVDP) policy on air pollution. The results indicate that EVDP policy implementation significantly reduces urban air pollution. The EVDP policy is associated with a 3.1% reduction in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions, which is equivalent to a reduction of 0.28–1.12% in mortality risk and of 175.1 billion yuan in government expenditure on pollution control. The emission reduction effect of the EVDP policy primarily manifests in cities in the southern region and with high electricity availability, exhibiting insensitivity to variations in city size. The EVDP policy reduces urban air pollution through technological innovation and corporate environmental, social, and governance responsibility. Moreover, the reduced air pollution driven by the EVDP policy can potentially mitigate health inequalities across population groups. These findings provide a foundation for advancing energy-saving development and EV demonstration and promotion in China, thereby promoting high-quality green urban development.

The Impact of Green Finance and Technological Innovation on Corporate Environmental Performance: Driving Sustainable Energy Transitions

As global sustainability imperatives increase, understanding how green finance policies and technological innovation influence corporate environmental performance has become a relevant issue. This study examines the impact of green finance on corporate environmental practices, particularly focusing on how innovation enhances sustainable energy transitions. A difference-in-differences (DID) approach was employed. This research compares corporate environmental performance before and after the implementation of green finance policies across treated and control groups. This method allows for isolating the effect of green finance by controlling for temporal and individual factors, providing robust insights into policy efficacy. Our findings indicate a statistically significant improvement in environmental performance, particularly among larger, state-owned enterprises in China’s eastern regions. The findings also underscore the moderating role of innovation in optimizing green finance outcomes. Finally, important implications for policymakers aiming to drive corporate sustainability are offered.

Can institutional openness policies enhance corporate technology innovation efficiency?Evidence from the establishment of Free Trade Zone

The establishment of Free Trade Zones (FTZs) is a testing ground for deepening reform in the new era. It is a significant endeavour for China to investigate institutional innovation, execute an innovation-driven development strategy, and raise the quality of economic development. This study examines a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2022 and explores the positive relationship between institutional openness, represented by China's Free Trade Zone, on corporate technology innovation efficiency. The findings highlight that introducing China's Free Trade Zone can strengthen corporate technology innovation efficiency. Furthermore, the stimulating impacts of China's Free Trade Zone on corporate technology innovation efficiency are attained through alleviating corporate financing constraints and facilitating innovative knowledge flow. Heterogeneous analysis confirms that firms' ownership and industry nature play a critical role. The findings demonstrate how institutional openness can enhance stimulate corporate technology innovation efficiency, support the critical role of openness in stimulating corporate technology innovation capability, and contribute to further institutional openness.

Organizational Digital Transformation Readiness: An Exploratory Investigation

The widespread adoption of digital technologies across various aspects of society has led to the emergence of two highly context-dependent constructs that explain how businesses are getting ready for transformative digital processes: digital readiness and digital transformation (DT). However, assessing the extent to which an organization is ready to succeed in a DT initiative still requires further investigation. This research addresses this gap by working towards a practical definition and model of organizational digital transformation readiness (ODTR). The authors investigate how an organization’s readiness for digital transformation should be conceptualized, assessed, and improved through a systematic literature review. This literature review covered the years 2004 to 2021, as well as articles published until May 2022. The search was conducted in the Web of Science database, as well as in the most important publishers’ databases, resulting in 264 papers on “e-readiness”, 72 articles on “digital transformation”, and 8 articles on “digital transformation readiness”. Based on this, some dimensions emerged as the most prominent for understanding how companies prepare for transformative digital processes, namely technological resources, business processes, management capability, human capability, and corporate culture, which highlights the multidisciplinary nature of ODTR. Furthermore, the literature review showed the similarity between e-readiness and digital readiness, allowing the assessment of an organization’s maturity for digital transformation. The review synthesized the scientific literature on the readiness of organizations for digital transformation, allowing the proposition of an integrative framework to evaluate ODTR. Moreover, it allows the development of insights and recommendations for practices related to successful digital transformation initiatives. As this literature review has limitations related to its scope and search criteria, future studies can provide a broader investigation into how organizations respond to the challenge of DT and their respective readiness to do so in practice.

Corporate Technology for the Implementation of an Automated System: Functional, Technological and Methodological Aspects

The purpose of the study is to form a methodological justification for the pedagogical model of the individual trajectory of professional development of bachelors and masters for the implementation of the stages of creating an automated system based on the principles of continuity and experimental verification of its application in the educational process of the university in accordance with the requirements of IT departments, vendors and employers. It is shown that there is a gap between the socio-economic order for the training of IT specialists with high professional competence in the field of information systems and the insufficient level of targeted formation of their readiness to implement the stages of creating automated systems. In addition, the lack of methods and practical recommendations for the implementation of such systems in the context of maximum preservation of corporate standards and taking into account the requirements of Russian legislation, as well as specialists competent in these matters, determined the feasibility of conducting the study in two aspects - functional-technological and pedagogical.Methods and materials. The key methods are structural-functional and process modeling, interactive methods of organizing the educational process (project method, etc.). The research materials include a functional model for developing a corporate technology for implementing an automated system in the form of a function tree.Results. The results present a model of causes and factors determining the success of the projects for the implementation of the automatization systems. The role of the factor “qualification of the performing team” and the possibilities of the educational environment of the university to influence this factor are considered. The pedagogical aspect of the research problem is determined by the methodological justification for conducting students’ project work within a number of disciplines for training bachelors and masters in the field of “Applied Informatics”. The description of the structure and requirements for students’ projects gives an idea of the level of formed competencies, their consistency with the work functions of specialists in the field of information systems.Conclusion. At this stage of work on the research problem, its dual nature was determined. On the one hand, modern IT projects require their own technologies and management methodologies, which should change from project to project, so it is important to have practical recommendations for the development of corporate technology for the implementation of an automated system. On the other hand, one of the success factors of the project for the implementation of an automated system is the “Project Implementation Team”, its level of qualification. This factor is successfully determined and influenced by educational institutions responsible for training specialists in this field. In this direction, the project method plays a key role. It ensures the development of communication skills, the ability to independently pose a problem and develop a way to solve it together. Methodological aspects and practical results, generalizing the pedagogical model for training bachelors in the field of creating automated systems presented in the paper, as well as the development of corporate technology for the implementation of information systems, were reflected in three electronic multimedia educational publications: “Portfolio of Software Engineering Projects”, “Theory and Practice of IS Implementation”, “Theory and Practice of IS Maintenance”.

Green technology innovation and corporate brand competitiveness: an analysis based on the role of environmental policy

In an increasingly competitive market environment, green innovation has become a crucial factor in enhancing a company's market position. This paper utilizes data from publicly listed companies from 2007 to 2021 to thoroughly examine how green technology innovation influences corporate brand competitiveness and investigates the role played by environmental policies. The study demonstrates that green technology innovation positively enhances corporate brand competitiveness, with environmental policies serving a proactive regulatory function. Moreover, the paper further reveals that the effects of green technology innovation on brand competitiveness vary according to industry sector, equity nature, and company size.

Green Technology Innovations and Corporate Customer Concentration—The Perspectives of Financing Constraints and Social Responsibility

Green technology innovations propel both economic development and environmental sustainability. Exploring the contributing factors to green technology innovations carries important policy implications, but research from the perspective of supply chain relationships has been rare. This paper examines the impact of corporate customer concentration on green technology innovations and explores its influencing mechanisms using the data of Chinese A-share listed companies. The results show that a high customer concentration inhibits the quantity and quality of green technology innovations, a finding that is robust when endogeneity is addressed and when alternative measures and an alternative estimation model are employed. Financing constraints and social responsibility play intermediary roles in the impact of customer concentration on green technology innovations. A high customer concentration tends to increase corporate financing constraints and reduce corporate social responsibility performance, which hinder green technology innovations. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effect of customer concentration on green technology innovations is less severe in digitally transformed enterprises, mature enterprises, or enterprises with a high level of market power. As this study provides a novel perspective on the contributing factors to corporate green innovations, it offers important policy recommendations.

Perception and Trust in Autonomous Vehicles Post Cyber Security Incidents

The integration of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) into modern systems of transportation brings with it a new and transformative era. Central to the successful realisation of this transformation is the public’s trust in these vehicles and their safety, particularly in the aftermath of cyber security breaches. The following research therefore explores the various factors underpinning this trust in the context of cyber security incidents. A dual-methodological approach was used in the study. Quantitative data was gathered from structured questionnaires distributed to and completed by a cohort of 151 participants and qualitative data, from comprehensive semi-structured interviews with AV technology and cyber security experts. Rigorous Structural Equation Modelling of the quantitative data then allowed for the identification of the key factors influencing public trust from the standpoint of the research participants including the perceived safety of AV technology, the severity of cyber security incidents, the historic cyber security track record of companies and the frequency of successful cyber security breaches. The role of government regulations, though also influential, emerged as less so. The qualitative data, processed via thematic analysis, resonated with the findings from the quantitative data. This highlighted the importance of perceived safety, incident severity, regulatory frameworks and corporate legacy in shaping public trust. Whilst cyber incidents no doubt erode trust in AVs, a combination of technological perception, regulatory scaffolding and corporate history critically impacts this. These insights are instrumental for stakeholders, from policymakers to AV manufacturers, in charting the course of AV assimilation successfully in future.

Enhancing competitiveness and sustainability in Spanish agriculture: The role of technological innovation and corporate social responsibility

Enhancing competitiveness and sustainability in Spanish agriculture: The role of technological innovation and corporate social responsibility

Digital technology innovation and corporate ESG performance: evidence from China

Using Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2022, this study empirically examines the impact of digital technology innovation on corporate ESG performance. The results show that digital technology innovation significantly enhances corporate ESG performance, positively impacting E, S, and G aspects. The mechanism analysis indicates that digital technology innovation further improves enterprises’ ESG performance by fostering green innovation, and enhancing the corporate governance structure. Moreover, the heterogeneity analysis reveals that digital technology innovation can better promote the improvement of ESG performance in larger enterprises, non-state-owned enterprises, industries with heavy pollution, non-high-tech industries, enterprises in the eastern and central regions, and regions with better business environments. This study enriches and expands the scope of research on the effects of the digital economy at the micro level, and provides new research perspectives to help listed companies effectively fulfil their ESG responsibilities and achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Can government-guided funds promote corporate technology innovation? Evidence from the new energy automobile industry

A government-guided fund is a crucial policy instrument for fostering innovation in the new energy automotive industry. This article examines the stimulating impact and underlying mechanisms of government-guided funding on A-share new energy automotive listed firms from 2012 to 2022, using a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The finding suggests that government-guided funds can effectively stimulate corporate technology innovation activities. Mechanism tests reveal that government-guided funds can encourage corporate innovation by alleviating financial constraints and attracting research and development experts. Additionally, government-guided funds have varying effects on the technology innovation of different types of enterprises within the new energy automobile industry chain, including upstream, midstream, and downstream companies. The study's findings have specific policy implications for increasing government-guided fund assistance and optimizing fund investment direction.

Mitigating managerial short-sightedness in green technology innovation and corporate financial performance: The role of “National Team” shareholding

The potential for green technology innovation (GTI) to enhance corporate financial performance continues to be the core motivation for sustained investment by companies. However, the micro-mechanisms to enhancing financial performance have not yet received sufficient attention in the academic literature. Internal corporate governance and corporate management constitute crucial factors that affect the process in which GTI contributes to corporate technological progress, and to the enhancement of corporate financial performance. Specifically, this paper will examine the role of “National Team” shareholding in corporate governance in mitigating managerial short-sightedness in GTI. A two-way fixed effects panel OLS model will be applied for individual-time on 618 listed companies with consistent R&D activities from 2015 to 2022. The results show that corporate GTI promotes corporate financial performance via technological progress. Through the conditional process analysis, it shows that the interaction of CEO narcissism and the “National Team” shareholding proportion together moderate the relationship between corporate GTI and technological progress, with the “National Team” shareholding proportion contributing to the impact of technological progress on corporate financial performance. From a corporate governance point of view, the presence of institutional investors helps mitigate the negative impact of managerial short-sightedness in technological progress.