PurposeThis study examines how intellectual capital (IC) and its components - human, structural, and relational capital - foster green technology innovation (Gr) in traditional manufacturing firms. It further examines the intermediary functions of environmental investment and financing constraints, along with the moderating role of executives' environmental awareness.Design/methodology/approachEmploying panel data from 1,426 Chinese listed firms (2008-2023), this research constructs an IC index via the entropy weight method and applies system GMM estimation to address endogeneity concerns.FindingsThe research findings indicate that IC and its three sub-dimensions all exert a facilitating effect on Gr. Human capital enhances absorptive capacity for green knowledge, structural capital embeds environ-mental routines into core processes, and relational capital expands access to innovation resources. Mediation analysis reveals that IC boosts Gr by increasing environmental investment and mitigating financing constraints. Executives' environmental awareness amplifies these effects, particularly for internal IC.Originality/valueThis paper extends the intellectual capital literature by connecting IC to Gr mechanisms in a traditional industrial context, highlighting its strategic role in sustainability transitions. It offers theoretical and practical implications regarding the approaches for firms to harness intangible assets in fostering eco-innovation and enhancing environmental performance.

Purpose By exploring the impact of digital knowledge resources (DKR) on the carbon emission intensity of the pig industry (PCEI), this study aims to reveal the role of DKR in reducing PCEI. Design/methodology/approach Based on provincial panel data in China from 2011 to 2021, this study uses the entropy and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change coefficient methods to calculate the evaluation index system of DKR and PCEI, respectively. Empirical analysis using a panel fixed-effects model examines the influence of DKR on PCEI and its underlying mechanisms. Findings DKR can significantly reduce PCEI. This conclusion still holds even after undergoing endogeneity treatment and a series of robustness tests. Mechanism test results indicate that DKR can operate indirectly through the mediation mechanism of rural human capital (RHC) and pig breeding technology innovation (PTI), while environmental regulation intensity (ERI) plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between DKR and PCEI. The magnitude of the impact of DKR on PCEI depends on ERI. Further studies found that the impact of DKR on PCEI has obvious heterogeneity characteristics, and the promotion effect is more obvious in regions with good integration degrees and high development potential. Practical implications This paper divides DKR into three dimensions: digital technology knowledge (DTK), digital management knowledge (DMK) and digital application knowledge (DAK), providing a new framework for research and enriching the understanding of the relationship between DKR and PCEI. Furthermore, the research results reveal the application potential of DKR in the pig industry, particularly in terms of resource allocation efficiency. This is of great significance for promoting low-carbon development in the pig industry and provides insights for the low-carbon transformation of other industries. In addition, the study emphasizes the moderating effect of ERI on the mechanism of carbon reduction in the pig industry through DKR. This offers a new perspective for understanding the relationship between knowledge management and environmental governance, providing a reference basis for policy formulation in related fields. Originality/value This paper further enriches the role of DKR in the livestock industry. Integrating DKR with traditional industries promotes knowledge innovation, information distribution and utilization and scientific decision-making. This has significant value in promoting the development and application of carbon reduction technologies, enhancing industrial competitive advantages, and other aspects.

PurposeBased on institutional theory, resource-based view, organizational cognitive theory, and behavioral economics, this study aims to reveal the mediating mechanism of knowledge diversity (KD) and artificial intelligence (AI) application between green credit (GC) and corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. It provides a new theoretical framework for enhancing corporate ESG performance by facilitating the absorption of external pressures and internal knowledge and technological capabilities, as well as a multidimensional theoretical basis for the subsequent optimization of green finance policies and the formulation of corporate sustainable development strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors select data from A-share manufacturing listed companies in the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges in China from 2011 to 2022 as the sample and employ a two-way fixed effects model for analysis.FindingsThe study shows that GC significantly enhances firms' ESG performance, but the effect is inconsistent across the ESG dimensions. In addition, GC contributes to ESG performance by increasing the level of corporate KD and AI application.Originality/valueThe mechanisms by which GC affects corporate ESG performance have not been fully explored. This study reveals the mediating role of KD and AI applications between GC and ESG performance, provides a theoretical framework for GC to enhance ESG performance, and offers new insights into how firms use financial resources, knowledge resources, and AI technologies to promote sustainable development.

This paper investigates the retailer’s artificial intelligence (AI) adoption strategies in the green supply chain involving a manufacturer and a retailer. We demonstrate that the decision to introduce AI is influenced by the retailer’s estimation of the consumers’ green preference (CGP) without AI as well as the unit adoption cost of AI. Specifically, irrespective of whether the retailer underestimates or overestimates the CGP without AI, as the estimation bias increases, the retailer becomes more inclined to adopt AI; however, an increase in the unit adoption cost will discourage adoption. Furthermore, we find that if the retailer underestimates the CGP without AI, adopting AI may negatively impact the profits of both the manufacturer and the supply chain, as well as the greenness level, while simultaneously enhancing social welfare. Conversely, if the CGP is overestimated, adopting AI can improve the manufacturer’s profit and the supply chain’s profit but decrease the greenness level and potentially harm social welfare. We extend the model by considering the prediction accuracy of AI, demonstrating that as the prediction accuracy increases, the retailer who underestimates the CGP without AI becomes more inclined to adopt AI; however, this may not hold under certain conditions if the CGP is overestimated.

Purpose The assimilation of external knowledge by gatekeepers plays a pivotal role in rejuvenating corporate knowledge, thus fostering organizational success. This study aims to delve into the function of gatekeepers in disseminating knowledge and enhancing knowledge transfer performance through a motivational lens. It investigates whether gatekeepers inherently disseminate knowledge or if certain motivations drive their actions. Particularly, this research centers on the influence of autonomous motivation (intrinsic acceptance) and controlled motivation (external pressure) on knowledge transfer performance, asserting that understanding both motivations is crucial for grasping the intricacies of the behavior-performance nexus. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire survey was used to select a total of 24 firms of three different sizes, large, medium and small, in the provinces of Hunan, Guangdong, Shandong and Zhejiang, China, to conduct a survey of knowledge gatekeepers, and 321 valid questionnaires were finally obtained. The study analyzed the proposed hypotheses through structural equation modeling. Findings The controlled motivation of gatekeepers negatively affects knowledge transfer performance, while autonomous motivation has a positive impact. Additionally, this study unveils that work effort serves as a mediator in the correlation between motivation for knowledge dissemination and knowledge transfer performance. Furthermore, the capability for knowledge transfer positively moderates the link between work effort and knowledge transfer performance. Remarkably, the mediating effect of work effort becomes more pronounced when gatekeepers possess higher knowledge transfer capability. Originality/value This research contributes to the knowledge gatekeeping theory and the literature on knowledge transfer by examining the connection between knowledge gatekeepers’ motivation to disseminate knowledge and knowledge transfer performance. It challenges the conventional belief that gatekeepers consistently share knowledge and provides new perspectives on the mechanisms linking motivation and performance. By doing so, this study helps organizations boost employees’ job autonomy and improve knowledge transfer performance.

Enhancing the development of new quality productive forces (NQPF) has become a critical pathway for overcoming the "low-end lock-in" of the pig industry and achieving high-quality growth. Based on panel data from 31 Chinese provinces spanning 2011 to 2022, this study employs benchmark regression models, mediation effect models, and threshold effect models to empirically analyze the impact of industrial agglomeration (AGG) on the enhancement of new quality productive forces in the pig farming industry (NQPP) and its underlying mechanisms. The findings revealed that (1) AGG significantly enhances NQPP, and this conclusion remains robust across various robustness tests. (2) Industrial structure upgrading (ISU) serves as the intrinsic driving force behind the positive effect of AGG on NQPP enhancement. (3) The spillover effects of AGG on NQPP enhancement exhibit a significant non-linear characteristic of "increasing marginal effects". (4) The impact of AGG on NQPP enhancement varies across regions. The promotional effect is more pronounced in regions rich in resources and with strong development potential. Accordingly, the policymakers should carefully consider regional factor endowments and production capacities when formulating differentiated policy measures tailored to local conditions. Additionally, efforts should be made to strengthen the integration of the pig industry chain and promote technological innovation, thereby facilitating the industry's transition toward intensification, efficiency, and sustainability.

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the role and advantages of knowledge resources in the carbon emission reduction of the industrial chain, and how it can be used to promote the carbon emission reduction of the industrial chain, so that the industry can better achieve the saving of energy and the reduction of emission. Design/methodology/approach This paper argues that the traditional resource-plundering industrial chain production method can no longer meet the needs of sustainable development of the green and low-carbon industrial chain, and builds the coupling and coordination of knowledge technology innovation drive and industrial chain carbon emission reduction mechanism, in the four dimensions of industrial chain organization, government support, internet support and staff brainstorming, put forward suggestions for knowledge resources to drive carbon emission reduction in the industrial chain. Findings This paper holds that the use of knowledge resource advantages can better help industrial chain enterprises to carry out technological innovation, knowledge resource digital platform construction, knowledge resource overflow and transfer, application and management of network information technology, so as to reduce carbon emission in industrial chain. Originality/value This paper contributes to the discussion about the high-quality implementation of the revitalization strategy of the industrial chain and also deepens research on the knowledge resource-driven carbon emission reduction of the industrial chain. Further, this paper enriches the role of knowledge resources in the industrial industry, and the theoretical results support the advantages of knowledge resource in the field of chain carbon emission reduction.

Combined the new metric Energy-Related Uncertainty Index (EUI) and novel Decomposed R2 Connectedness framework, with monthly dataset covers 19 G20 stock market returns from January 2004 to October 2022, this paper examines the dynamic overall, contemporaneous and lagged spillover effect between energy market and G20 stock markets. This paper has the following important and interesting conclusions: Firstly, the spillover effect of EUI and G20 stock markets are contemporaneous dominated. All the contemporaneous From and To connectedness indicators are higher than lagged connectedness except for EUI. Secondly, the spillover effect shows heterogeneity. The stock of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are net transmitter, while China, Saudi Arabia, and EUI are the net recipient. Finally, the EUI plays a unique and subtle role in the transmission dynamics of market shocks. The multifaceted impact of EUI on the individual stock markets of the G20 has exacerbated the complexity of this interaction. Specifically, the spillover effects between the EUI and G20 stock markets are significantly affected by economic events such as global crises and technological changes. Our research is poised to offer valuable insights to investors, policymakers, and researchers alike. By delving into the specificities of the G20 context, we aim to contribute nuanced perspectives that can inform decision-making processes amidst the complexities of energy-related uncertainties in the financial landscape.

Purpose This paper aims to establish a systematic cognition to alleviate the supply–demand contradiction in rural financial markets from an integrated perspective of knowledge management and proposes the concept of rural financial knowledge ecosystem (RFKE) to encourage multifaceted solutions. Design/methodology/approach The authors qualitatively describe the process that the knowledge management dilemmas cause the supply–demand contradiction in the rural finance and further summarize a systematic methodology from three dimensions: the knowledge subject, the knowledge environment and the knowledge ecology. Findings The authors list four types of knowledge management dilemmas leading to the supply–demand contradiction in the rural finance, i.e. the weak knowledge sharing, the poor knowledge flow, the slow knowledge updating and the imperfect knowledge environment. Meanwhile, the RFKE model consisting of the ecological subject, the ecological environment and the ecological regulation is also presented. Research limitations/implications The role of knowledge management in improving the allocation of financial resources to various rural financial market participants (government, rural financial institutions, farmers, agricultural enterprises, etc.). Originality/value The authors creatively give the RFKE model, which complements and enriches the theory of knowledge management. Meanwhile, relevant management practices are urgently needed under the macro circumstance of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rural revitalization in China.

Lack of funds has a bottleneck to restrict the development of farmers specialized cooperative because of weak power, financing pledge and guarantee shortage.As a new financing technique, supply chain financing which mainly contains three models including accounts receivable, prepaid accounts and stocks can be used to solve financing problems of farmers specialized cooperative.However, it lacks practice and promotion, and it also presents some difficulties in practice.Therefore, We should increase the knowledge of supply chain finance, foster the farmers specialized cooperative to develop continuously and healthily, develop rural logistics vigorously, establish multilateral cooperative supply chain finance system, and perfect the rural financial ecological environment to promote supply chain finance to serve the farmers specialized cooperative better.

This article takes horizon of shareholders' investment motive and the mechanism of debt governance, testing the effect of different types of holding companies' financing structure to enterprise value with empirical testing, the study discovers that: under the control of major shareholders, the financing structure of listed companies in China has more negative economic consequences to corporate, and its positive role in the mechanism has not been very good to play. As the changes of majority shareholders' shareholding ratio and the nature of equity, there exits some differences among negative impact, which comes from financing structure to enterprise value.