Over the past few decades, entrepreneurial scholars have conducted extensive research on the issue of poverty alleviation. However, there has not yet been much research with respect to the emerging category of digitally driven entrepreneurship and, more specifically, the role and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on poverty reduction. In recent years, with the emergence of new and increasingly accessible digital technologies and AI, scholars have devoted significant amounts of energy to exploring a series of digital poverty reduction issues to leverage such technologies. This introductory essay of the Management and Organization Review special issue on digital poverty reduction presents several perspectives on digital poverty reduction, including the digital poverty reduction perspective, the digital platform empowerment perspective, the plight behavior perspective, the digital indigenous entrepreneurship perspective, and the technological and policy perspective. It further explores the approaches and mechanisms of digital technology in alleviating poverty through a literature review, employing a multi-faceted analysis of digital poverty reduction. This comprehensive exploration aims to offer research contributions that hold both theoretical and practical significance in the field of digital poverty reduction. (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)190 (sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)80 (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)6.85 (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic): (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)? (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)((sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic))(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).
This study examines how CEOs' hobby of reading fiction reinforces empathy and, in turn, is associated with higher corporate philanthropy. Grounded in the Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis, we propose that fiction-reading sustains and deepens a multidimensional yet integrated empathic capacity, which motivates prosocial organizational decisions. With a large dataset of CEOs from non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) listed in China's A-share market from 2001 to 2018, we show robust evidence that firms led by fiction-reading CEOs engage more in corporate philanthropy; additionally, we confirm that empathy mediates this positive relationship. Furthermore, a difference-in-differences analysis with CEO transition data reveals a significant increase in corporate philanthropy with a newly appointed fiction-reading CEO. Supplementary results show that fiction-reading CEOs promote broader prosocial practices, including employee welfare and ethical governance. By introducing fiction-reading as an unobtrusive, verifiable measure of empathy, this study offers a novel methodological approach for tracing the micro-foundations of corporate social responsibility.
This study investigates how resource-constrained small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop and apply digital capabilities across value chain activities for internationalization, addressing a gap in the existing literature. Using six Taiwanese manufacturing SME case studies, and an integrated theoretical lens (Uppsala Internationalization Model, Porter's Value Chain Framework, and Resource Orchestration Theory), the study explores how digital capabilities embedded in primary and support activities shape internationalization outcomes. Findings show that SMEs prioritize digital investments in primary and downstream activities to enhance foreign market delivery, responsiveness, trust, and visibility. Digital upgrades in support functions primarily enable internal coordination and subsidiary replication. The study identifies three mechanisms - inter-firm value enhancement, inter-firm relationship enhancement, and intra-firm management enhancement - that explain how activity-specific digital capabilities facilitate international expansion. This research offers a detailed understanding of digital capabilities deployment in SMEs and provides practical implications for leaders and policymakers on strategic, phased digital internationalization approaches.
