Management scholars have argued and demonstrated that pay dispersion can exert a considerable influence on a number of factors, including corporate behavior and performance. However, there is still relatively little knowledge available concerning the influence that pay dispersion may exert on firms' internationalization decisions. In this study, we investigate how top executive pay dispersion shapes a firm' internationalization strategy. Drawing on tournament theory, we propose that top executive pay dispersion is positively related to firms' internationalization speed. Moreover, we argue that the impact of pay dispersion will be weakened by top management team coordination needs. Using a sample of 2421 Chinese listed companies from 2008 to 2021, we find strong evidence to support our arguments. This study advances our understanding of tournament theory by examining international business as a novel form of research context. It also provides a new perspective on how remuneration structures shape firms' internationalization strategic decision-making.

This study investigates the impact of digital industrial cluster policies on firms' innovation activities, with a focus on both the frequency and pioneerism of innovation. Utilizing a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) approach on a panel dataset of Chinese firms from 2010 to 2023, along with Double Debiased Machine Learning (DML) techniques utilizing Random Forest algorithms, we find that these government-led spatial policies significantly enhance firms' innovation performance. Specifically, digital industrial clusters boost both the quantity of patent applications and the originality of technological outputs. Furthermore, we examine the moderating role of a firm's data element utilization level. Our results reveal that firms with a higher capacity to leverage data benefit more from these cluster policies, suggesting that digital absorptive capacity is crucial for maximizing policy-induced innovation gains. This study contributes to the literature on innovation policy and spatial development by highlighting the synergistic effects of targeted industrial policies and firm-level digital capabilities in fostering innovation within digitally concentrated environments.

Purpose Information transparency is an important factor in enhancing trust and promoting interfirm cooperation. By combining transaction cost theory and institutional theory, this study aims to examines whether host-country firms’ information transparency prompt multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) to choose the joint venture entry mode for outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Design/methodology/approach Using Heckman two-stage estimation method, this study examines Chinese listed manufacturing firms for the period 2014–2019. Findings The findings indicate that the higher the information transparency of host-country firms, the higher the possibility of MNEs choosing the joint venture entry mode for OFDI. This study further finds that the positive relationship between host country firms’ information transparency and the possibility of choosing the joint venture entry mode is enhanced by institutional distance, but weakened by MNEs’ host-country experience. Originality/value How to choose the appropriate entry mode of OFDI in the internationalization strategy is an important issue for MNEs to consider. As the postpandemic world is characterized by increased global risks, decoupling of economies, disruption of global value chains and the retreat of globalization (Contractor and Cantwell, 2022), how to further strengthen cooperation, reduce the cost and risk of MNEs and truly realize common construction and sharing is one of the hot issues in both practice and research.

This paper selects the panel data of 297 cities in China from 2003 to 2017 and analyzes the effects of government efficiency and innovation environment on the relationship between high-speed rail opening and economic growth from the perspective of government competition pressure and information flow by using the approach of difference-in-differences (DID). The findings are as follows: first, the opening of high-speed rail has a significant promoting effect on regional economic growth; second, government efficiency has negative impact on the relationship between high-speed rail development and economic growth, while the innovation environment has positive impact on this relationship; third, the moderating effects of government efficiency and innovation environment exhibit regional heterogeneity. This paper provides a new perspective from the perspectives of government competition pressure and information flow for understanding the impact of high-speed rail on the economy, offering insights for promoting the coordinated and sustainable development of the Chinese economy.

Purpose This study aims to investigate how the role of female leadership works in sports coaching. Drawing key insights from the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework of human resource management, the authors explore the underlying mechanisms of female leadership and the role female coaches play in enabling athletes to develop their self-initiative through AMO enhancement. Design/methodology/approach The sample in this study is made up of 11female coaches from eight teams in China selected using purposive sampling. Data was collected and analyzed on various aspects of female leadership. Findings Analysis of interviews and secondary data show that the mechanisms and enablers related to AMO enhancing practices stimulated by female coaching leadership can increase team performance. Research limitations/implications This study opens new avenues for sports science research and strengthens the theoretical and practical understanding of the intentions and mechanisms female coaches implement as leaders in sports coaching. Originality/value First, this study contributes to the AMO framework by helping form new theoretical insights based on the understanding of female sports coaching mechanisms. Second, this study provides novel insights into female leadership literature by investigating the mechanisms of female leadership in the context of sports exercise. Third, this study also contributes to the body of research on sports coaching in Asia, especially that of Chinese women in such leadership roles.

以2003-2019年中国A股上市企业为样本,采用双重差分法,以中国高铁开通的"准自然实验"为契机,衡量信息不对称的改变对企业供应商关系型交易的影响.研究发现,企业所在地级市的高铁开通显著降低了企业供应商关系型交易,且经过工具变量等检验后结论依然稳健.此外,在信息不对称程度较高的情况下,高铁对供应商关系型交易的影响更显著;从企业特质角度进行的异质性分析发现,对于非国有企业以及市场竞争压力较大的企业,高铁对供应商关系型交易的影响更显著.研究结论表明,高铁有利于缓解信息不对称,降低企业间关系型交易行为,降低企业供应链风险,促进市场化交易.实证结果凸显了软信息对于企业交易模式选择和中国市场化改革的重要作用.

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions by emerging multinational enterprises have significant failure rates due to difficulties in gaining legitimacy from local stakeholders. By incorporating the concept of strategic green marketing into marketing innovation via defensive green marketing and assertive green marketing, this study focuses on the green part of marketing innovation in the context of cross-border merger and acquisitions (M&As) by emerging multinational enterprises. This study examines the effects of defensive and assertive green marketing approaches on cross-border M&A completion as well as the boundary conditions of marketing channels of financial advisors. An analysis of 358 cross-border M&As conducted by Chinese firms over 9 years (2007 to 2015) reveals that conducting corporate social responsibility activities as a defensive green marketing approach, developing green patents as an assertive green marketing approach, and hiring financial advisors as a marketing channel can increase cross-border M&A completion rates. The main relationship between assertive green marketing approach and M&A completion is weakened by financial advisors due to the substitute effect between financial advisors and assertive green marketing innovation. This paper provides insights for international business studies by adopting the strategic green marketing perspective and linking the marketing innovation literature to the emerging multinational enterprises internationalization literature.

This paper investigates how business incubators facilitate the international growth of start-up clients originating from emerging markets. Drawing key insights from a network perspective, we explore the processes by which business incubators create international linkages between the networks of knowledge creation and knowledge application. Our analysis of interviews and archival data on five Chinese high-tech business incubators reveals that clients-interface, market-interface, and knowledge recombination practices of the business incubators create international knowledge linkages, which in turn facilitate the international growth of their start-up clients. This role of incubators as knowledge intermediaries is achieved through several networking and learning mechanisms, including clustering and coaching of international clients, upstream and downstream networking in international markets, and client-market matchmaking internally. This study demonstrates business incubators as an efficient modality of internationalization for locally bound international knowledge and network scarce start-up clients.

PurposeThe speed of internationalization is an important research topic in the process of internationalization. This paper aims to answer two questions: first, what is the relationship between the speed of internationalization of Chinese multinational firms and their performance? Second, how do potential slack and knowledge assets of firms affect this relationship?Design/methodology/approachThe authors choose Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms from 2009–2018 as the research sample and use the fixed-effect regression model to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsFirstly, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the speed of internationalization and firm performance (SI-P). Secondly, the potential slack and knowledge assets of firms moderate the inverted U-shaped relationship. Firms with a higher level of potential slack or knowledge assets have a flatter inverted U-shaped relationship between SI-P.Originality/valueFirst, the authors develop and extend Penrose’s theory of firm growth to the research topic of speed of internationalization. Second, this paper incorporates the time dimension into the research on the internationalization process and locates the research context in emerging market firms (EMFs). This is a step forward in clarifying the complex relationship of SI-P. Third, the authors show that the SI-P relationship of EMFs is inverted U-shaped and integrate previous studies, which argue that rapid internationalization positively or negatively affects firm performance. Fourth, starting from inside the firm, the authors provide more contextual factors for better understanding and analysis of the SI-P relationship.

中国跨国公司国际化进程中外派管理面临复杂多样和难以持续的特性,在“一带一路”倡议背景下,对外派管理进行回顾并提出研究评述,在相关理论基础上,梳理外派管理的现状、动机,分析其影响因素和作用结果,最后提出外派管理未来研究方向,为中国跨国公司国际化实现可持续的、高效循环的人才管理及可持续发展和选择合理战略提供了重要思路,同时也为中国政府推进“全面开放新格局”与“一带一路”倡议提供理论支撑.

The impact of freedom of digital media in host countries has been under-researched in the literature of the internationalization decisions of emerging multinational enterprises (EMNEs). Through integrating the stakeholder perspective with transaction cost economics, we examine the role of host-country digital media in influencing the foreign direct investment (FDI) entry mode choice of EMNEs and its boundary conditions associated with internal and external corruption-controlling efforts. Using a panel dataset of Chinese listed manufacturing firms' outward FDI between 2010 and 2016, our empirical analyses indicate that freedom of digital media in a host country has positive impact on an EMNE's wholly owned subsidiary choice as FDI entry mode. This main relationship is strengthened by EMNE transparent information disclosure and external control of corruption in the host country.

低碳经济是当前及未来经济社会发展的重要任务之一,目前学界对高铁的降碳作用尚未进行充分研究.本文选取中国283个城市2003—2016年的面板数据,采用多期双重差分法探究高铁是否存在降低碳排放强度的作用,并通过中介效应模型分析其作用机制.研究发现:首先,高铁的开通会显著降低沿线城市的碳排放强度,且该影响平均存在三年的时滞,在高铁开通后的第四年碳排放强度显著降低,在此之后下降趋势逐渐扩大;其次,产业结构调整在高铁开通降低碳排放强度的影响中起部分中介作用,但经济集聚机制未通过中介效应检验;第三,高铁开通降低碳排放强度的作用存在区域异质性,在剔除省会级城市样本后,高铁开通的降碳作用在中西部城市显著,而在东部城市中没有显著影响.

In this study, we examine the productivity spillovers of foreign direct investment (FDI) to domestic firms sourced from foreign firms’ local innovation. Based upon a panel dataset on manufacturing firms in China over the period from 1998 to 2007, we find that local innovation undertaken by foreign firms in an industry can spill over to and benefit domestic firms in the same industry. Further, we find that this positive productivity spillover is significantly stronger when foreign firms have higher intangible asset intensity, share longer overlapping years and densely co-located with domestic firms.

<span id="ChDivSummary" name="ChDivSummary" class="abstract-text">基于复合基础观,对以中国为代表的新兴市场跨国企业的快速国际化情境进行了分析,通过理论分析和实证检验对组织冗余与企业国际化速度之间的关系进行了探索。研究结果表明:组织冗余与企业国际化速度之间呈正相关关系,同时,环境丰富性会负向调节组织冗余与企业国际化速度之间的关系,组织双元并进程度会正向调节组织冗余与企业国际化速度之间的关系。通过动态视角将时间维度纳入国际化进程研究中,并对复合基础观中的部分要素进行了实证检验,为新兴市场企业根据内部资源和外部环境制定适当的国际化战略起到借鉴作用。</span>

This study builds upon social cognitive theory and the research on micro-foundations to elaborate on how, and under what conditions, multinational enterprises (MNEs) identify various international opportunities (e.g., ambidextrous and non-ambidextrous opportunities). Using a qualitative approach, this study develops a theoretical framework for explaining the international opportunity identification behaviour in the empirical context of Chinese MNEs. The findings establish cognitive mechanisms enabled by international management teams relevant to international opportunity identification and clarify the specific constituents of self-efficacy in the ambidextrous opportunity identification process. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of findings for the international business literature.

以来自中国的152名外派人员为研究对象,运用实证研究方法对外派员工高绩效工作系统对海外子公司的绩效表现和自主性表现的影响路径进行研究.研究结果发现,外派员工高绩效工作系统直接影响海外子公司绩效表现,但无法直接影响海外子公司自主性表现,同时,在双路径模型中外派员工跨文化能力起中介作用,外派员工高绩效工作系统通过外派员工跨文化能力对海外子公司的绩效表现和自主性表现均有正向影响.最后提出了对中国跨国企业外派管理的实践建议.

从个人—环境匹配视角出发,基于制度理论对中国跨国企业如何履行企业社会责任的问题进行了研究,探索国际化战略承诺和本地化战略承诺如何影响中国跨国企业履行企业社会责任,及外派人员在这其中起到的作用.通过理论分析和实证检验,研究发现:中国跨国企业将履行企业社会责任从战略层面纳入跨国发展的战略价值结构中,重视与东道国的共同发展.中国跨国企业国际化承诺和本地化承诺对其海外子公司履行企业社会责任产生正面影响.外派人员的组织承诺在国际化承诺对企业社会责任的影响中起到中介作用.研究结论对中国跨国企业响应“一带一路”倡议,明晰战略规划目的,挖掘外派人力资源价值,更全面地理解企业社会价值起到一定借鉴作用.

This research investigates how business incubators perform the role of knowledge intermediary to facilitate the international evolution of start-ups. The research adopts the evolutionary perspective of the firm, by employing the concepts of variation, selection, and retention. We collected and analysed interviews and archival data from five incubators from China that have international operations. The findings show that client and market-interface activities and the internal knowledge recombination practices of the business incubators facilitate the international evolution of start-ups. Those incubators as a knowledge intermediary provide start-ups with several mechanisms, including clustering and coaching of international clients, upstream and downstream networking in international markets, and client-market match-making internally. Business incubators serve as an efficient modality of internationalization for locally bound international knowledge and network scarce start-ups.