Abstract Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2014 to 2019, we investigate the impact of senior executives’ financial background on corporate greenwashing from the perspective of executive characteristics. The results indicate that corporate greenwashing is less prevalent when senior executives possess financial expertise. Reduced financing constraints and enhanced internal control and information disclosure are identified as the primary mechanisms underlying this relationship. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the negative effect of senior executives’ financial background on corporate greenwashing is stronger in firms in strategic emerging industries and firms operating in regions with a well-developed digital economy. Further analysis reveals that the embedded Chinese Communist Party (CPC) organization within firms strengthens the inhibitory effect of senior executives’ financial background on corporate greenwashing. These findings contribute to understanding how financial expertise shapes strategic disclosure across institutional contexts, highlighting the role of internal political monitoring.
Abstract This study examines heterogeneous bank-level responses following Korea’s first non-zero countercyclical capital buffer announcement. Using quarterly bank-level data, we assess whether post-announcement changes in household lending and bank stability vary with banks’ pre-announcement financial conditions. Banks with higher pre-announcement non-performing loan ratios exhibit slower household loan growth and higher Z -scores, whereas responses associated with capital cushions are generally insignificant. Small-sample-robust inference provides stronger support for the stability association, while the household-lending association is more sensitive to finite-sample inference and sample composition. The adjustment among banks with higher pre-announcement NPL ratios is more consistent with lower risk-weighted asset intensity than with higher capital-to-assets ratios. Our findings provide evidence of systematic cross-bank heterogeneity following a common macroprudential announcement, with pre-existing asset-quality fragility associated with subsequent lending and balance-sheet adjustments.
This study examines the attitude-behavior gap for SDG-embedded cultural and creative products in China and asks how SDG embeddedness, enterprise resource capability, policy support, and consumer identity relate to marketing performance. Using survey data from 438 firms and 1,200 consumers across 31 Chinese provinces, supplemented by 28 stakeholder interviews, we estimate a structural equation model with bootstrap mediation tests, moderation analysis, and robustness checks. Because the data are cross-sectional, all path estimates are read as conditional associations rather than causal effects. Consumer identity shows the largest standardized association with marketing performance (beta = 0.47 after removing the overlapping recommendation item, p < 0.001), while policy support is smaller but still significant (beta = 0.20, p < 0.01). The storytelling-communication moderation is significant; the over-40 subgroup moderation is not interpreted because it is statistically unstable. Descriptively, 78 % of consumers (n = 1,200) recognize the social value of SDG-oriented products, yet only 12 % - a subset of that 78 % - report at least one purchase in the past 12 months. Overall, the findings support a cautious stakeholder framework linking SDG embeddedness, consumer identity, policy instruments, and market outcomes, while indicating that longitudinal or experimental data are needed before stronger causal claims can be made.
This research investigates the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the evolution of essential skills in education and the labor market by 2030, using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative analysis with qualitative insights. Grounded in the frameworks of human capital theory, lifelong learning, and sustainable development, the study explores how emerging technologies are reshaping the competencies required for a dynamic, digital, and inclusive economy. Through semi-structured interviews with HR professionals, tech industry leaders, academics, and students, the analysis identifies a convergence of perspectives around the importance of transversal skills such as critical thinking, adaptability, digital literacy, and emotional intelligence as key assets in AI-driven transformations. The findings also highlight the urgent need for curricular reform, institutional collaboration, and policy alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDGs 4, 8, and 13), underscoring their global impact. Term frequency analysis reinforces the centrality of AI, education, and digitalization in contemporary discourse while emphasizing ethical responsibility and national contextualization. The study contributes to a strategic understanding of how education systems and labor markets must adapt to ensure equitable and sustainable human capital development in the age of AI.
Promoting digitalisation may contribute to environmental policy in transportation as it potentially enables sustained decreases in travel. In this study, we quantify the extent to which firm digitalisation can be associated with changes in mobility during the Covid-19 crisis in Germany, both when strong restrictions were in place and after the restrictions were lifted. To this end, we employ a novel text-mining approach to measure digitalisation based on firm websites. We aggregate our firm digitalisation indicator at the district level and link it to changes in mobility between January 2020 and December 2022. Our results indicate that districts with a higher level of firm digitalisation experienced a stronger reduction in mobility during the first two years of the pandemic. However, in our preferred specification, mobility almost came back to pre-crisis levels after most restrictions were lifted, suggesting that lower mobility levels are not lasting. Our findings provide insights on the limitations and potentials of digitalisation as a lever for reducing physical travel.
