Is there a peer effect on corporate ESG performance?Evidence from China’s capital market

Corporate ESG performance is an important way for stakeholders to understand the corporate environment,social responsibility,and governance behavior.Under China’s implementation of the“carbon peak and carbon neutrality”dual carbon strategic background,ESG has become an important tool to promote the achievement of the“dual carbon”goals and high-quality development.How enterprises can reasonably and effectively improve their ESG performance and promote their green and sustainable development has become a major practical problem that urgently needs to be solved.Based on social learning and dynamic competition theories,this study takes Shanghai-Shenzhen A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2021 as research samples,empirically tests whether there is a peer effect in the ESG performance of listed companies in China,and examines the generation mechanism and influencing factors of the peer effect in the ESG performance of enterprises.The results show that:(i)There is an industry and regional peer effect on the ESG performance of enterprises,where the average ESG performance of other enterprises in the same industry and region,except for the focus enterprise,significantly affects the ESG performance of the focus enterprise.This core conclusion still holds true after robustness tests such as instrumental variable method,propensity score matching method,and first order difference method to eliminate endogeneity issues,replace key measurement indicators,and control for macro factors.(ii)The mechanism analysis results show that the“information learning”and“competitive pressure”mechanisms promote the peer effect of ESG performance.(iii)Further research has found that institutional investors’attention and government environmental regulations positively and significantly impact the peer effect of corporate ESG performance.(iv)Heterogeneity analysis shows that the ESG performance peer effect is more significant for large-scale,eastern,and state-owned enterprises than for small-scale,central,western,and non-state-owned enterprises.This study expands the boundaries of current ESG theory and empirical research,and the conclusions provide important policy implications for governments and enterprises.

Effect of corporate social responsibility on creation of added value

In the process of financial management and operation, a firm should not only aim to maximize its shareholders' benefits, but also consider the interests of all stakeholders. Bearing social responsibility to each stakeholder to a certain extent and pursuing harmonious social development are fully consistent with the concept of China's building a harmonious socialist society. Furthermore, added value also reflects the idea of social responsibility Based on the relational contract theory, the paper divides stakeholders into staff and shareholders under relational contracts, creditors, suppliers and consumers under transactional contracts and governments and communities under special contracts. The paper details the effect mechanism of a firm's bearing social responsibilities to each stakeholder on the creation of added value respectively, and considers that corporate social responsibilities should be included in the system for creating added value to theoretically support firm managers to fulfill social responsibilities.

Incentive and Entrenchment Effects of Large Shareholdings： Evidence from Chinese Public Corporation

This paper studies incentive effect and entrenchment effect of the largest shareholder. Author investigates 763 listed companies in SHSE, explores the statistical relationship between the largest shareholding and corporate performance. Author observes that the largest shareholder has the incentive effect and entrenchment effect on corporate valuation. Empirical relationship between the largest shareholding and corporate valuation shows that the firm value decreases with the equity ownership of the largest shareholders, consistent with a negative entrenchment effect, when the largest equity ownership is below 40.28% of the whole share. Then firm value rises when the proportion of the largest shareholder＇s rights was increased to 69.29%, being consistent with a positive incentive effect. But with the increase of the share of the largest shareholding, firm value falls again.

Contemporary Values of Confucianism and the Effectiveness of Internal Control in Corporate Management:Compatibility between Management Culture and Systems in Chinese Enterprises

Based on data from China’s A-share listed companies from 2008 to 2017,this paper examines the influence of the contemporary values of Confucianism,namely benevolence,righteousness,propriety,wisdom,and fidelity on the effectiveness of internal control.It indicates a significant positive correlation between the contemporary values of Confucianism and the effectiveness of internal control.Furthermore,this positive influence is noticeable in family-owned businesses but is unobserved in foreign-invested enterprises in China.In addition,the contemporary values of Confucianism enhance internal control quality through two pathways:promotion incentives and corporate reputation.In regions with lower degrees of openness,lower levels of rule of law and slower marketization,or in companies facing operational crises,the contemporary values of Confucianism have a more pronounced effect on enhancing the effectiveness of internal control.The contemporary values of Confucianism have strengthened the ability of internal control to decrease agency costs and mitigate the negative influence of internal control on risk-taking.

Credit Risk Model Taking Account of Inflation and Its Contribution to Macroeconomic Discussion on Effect of Inflation on Output Growth

We use Extended Merton model(EMM)for estimating the firm’s credit risks in the presence of inflation.We show quantitatively that inflation is an influential factor making either a benign or adverse effect on the firm’s survival,supporting at the microeconomic level New Keynesian findings of the nonlinear inflation effect on output growth.Lower inflation increasing the firm’s expected rate of return can raise its mean year returns and decrease its default probability.Higher inflation,decreasing the expected rate return,makes the opposite effect.The magnitude of the adverse effect depends on the firm strength:for a steady firm,this effect is small,whereas for a weaker firm,it can be fatal.EMM is the only model taking account of inflation.It can be useful for banks or insurance companies estimating credit risks of commercial borrowers over the debt maturity,and for the firm’s management planning long-term business operations.

Effectiveness of China's Labor Contract Law——Evidence from China Employer-Employee Survey

Using micro-level data from China Employer-Employee Survey(CEES), this paper conducts an empirical analysis of firms' heterogeneous characteristics in the implementation of the Labor Contract Law and its effects on employees. Our findings are as follows: With China's economic development, firms more proactively implement the Labor Contract Law, resulting in a higher percentage of employees with labor contracts. Labor contracts significantly increase the probability of employees in receiving social insurances, such as pension, health, unemployment, work injury and birth insurances, and have a significantly positive effect on wage income. Longer term of labor contract corresponds to stronger employment protection, and such an effect is highly robust. Larger firms with higher capital-labor ratios have better results in implementing the Labor Contract Law. And employees of private and labor-intensive firms have poorer coverage of employment and social protection; such firms should be given focal attention in the law's implementation.

Diversity and Board Effectiveness： A Case of India

A number of research studies have dealt with the relationship between diversity and effectiveness of corporate boards. The present paper makes an attempt to provide an international perspective on diversity and effectiveness of corporate boards and examines such relationship in detail in the case of India. The paper presents the theory relating to diversity and board effectiveness with particular reference to women on boards. The position of diversity as related to the boards of National Stock Exchange （NSE） listed 511 companies and the 245 state-owned enterprises （SOEs） by the Government of India （GoI） is reflected in the paper. It then examines gender diversity specifically in the case of India and Singapore. Drawing from the evidence of diversity in the case of global companies, it offers the rationale for making boards global in composition and character. The paper highlights an interestiiag issue： whether the boards should have younger or veteran members？ This follows a discussion on diversity of boards in terms of skills, age, and personalities. Finally, the paper makes suggestions for balance boards to enhance their effectiveness and brings out lessons for the corporate organizations to promote diversity of their boards.

Effectiveness of Supervisory Boards in Coordination With Audit Committees in China

China＇s supervisory mechanism is peculiar in that it integrated the supervisory board （SB） of the German corporate governance （CG） model in 1993, and has simultaneously adopted the audit committee （AC） of the Anglo-American model since 2002. This paper aims to reveal the effectiveness of SBs in coordination with ACs in China. The regulations for Anglo-American and Chinese systems are compared and further evidence is provided through interviewing two governors of all listed companies in the SSE and of 79 investment corporations in Hangzhou. Both statements indicate that China still faces difficulties and problems in meeting the two indexes of independence and expertise of supervision to give effective supervisory functions. Both opinions differed in terms of the co-ordination of SBs and ACs in the future. The evidence presented forms a basis for proposals of how key characteristics of effectiveness and co-ordination can be improved to make supervisory functions in China more effective.

数字化转型对制造业企业创新效率的门槛效应研究

数字化转型可以突破研发资源配置时空边界,赋能制造业企业创新发展,但潜在的数字鸿沟问题也可能会加剧企业创新的不确定性。鉴于此,利用文本挖掘技术构造数字化转型指数,系统考察数字化转型对制造业企业创新效率的影响效应及作用机制,并选取2007—2022年中国A股制造业上市公司的微观数据进行实证分析。研究发现:数字化转型对制造业企业创新效率具有显著的门槛效应;对于大多数制造业企业来说,其数字化转型水平低于门槛值,数字化转型是提升制造业企业创新效率的助力,而非阻力;人力资本和公司治理是数字化转型影响制造业企业创新效率的传导路径。进一步研究发现,数字化转型对创新效率的门槛效应在国有企业和资本技术密集型制造业企业中更明显。研究结论为合理评估中国制造业推进数字化转型战略的实施效果提供了新视角,对国家充分发挥数字化转型战略与创新驱动发展战略的合力效应也具有政策启示意义。

Effectiveness of Communications of“Airbnb”

This report analyzes the effective and ineffective communication of Airbnb.First,it presents the mission statement and explains what the mission coveys to the insiders and outsiders of Airbnb.Second,it illustrates corporate culture in the order of the development of Airbnb.Then,using the BCG matrix and customer profile,it outlines how the market is divided and who target populations are.It also describes how to identify and approach stakeholders and considers the use of quantitative data collection methods to position key stakeholders.Besides,it provides different ways of communication to different stakeholders.Nevertheless,some ineffective communications still exist.For them,some recommendations are discussed and concluded.

Proposal for a Tax Rate Swap to Shield Against the Gap Between Statutory and Effective Tax Rates-A Boost for Entrepreneurship and a Motive for New Investments

This paper focuses on a common problem for entrepreneurs and investors:the uncertainty around the actual tax rate,which is the percent of net income that a corporation pays in taxes.This uncertainty results from a difference(i.e.,a gap)between the statutory and the effective tax rate,which is the actual tax rate.This gap results from the legal framework which provides that certain types of incomes and expenses are not considered income.This gap causes significant uncertainty and may hinder entrepreneurship.This paper studies this gap in seven OECD countries(Austria,Canada,France,Germany,Italy,UK,and USA)and Brazil.We selected the 10 top-listed companies of each country and calculated the gaps for the period 2016-2019.Our findings proved that these gaps are unstable and may differ between companies of the same country and between countries.In addition,gaps of specific companies may change over time.The key outcome of this paper is the proposal of a new derivative tax rate swap.Using this derivative,governments will be able to eliminate the gap of specific companies,attract new investment,and increase entrepreneurship.

同行“双碳”政策感知对企业创新绩效的影响研究

科技创新是实现“双碳”目标的关键支撑,如何充分调动企业科技创新的主观能动性则成为亟需解决的问题。本文运用文本计量方法测算上市公司的同行“双碳”政策感知,定量分析同行“双碳”政策感知对企业创新绩效的影响,并对这种溢出效应机制进行探索。研究发现:同行的“双碳”政策感知能够显著提高企业的研发强度、专利申请量和专利获取量;该创新促进效应的重要渠道是“双碳”政策感知在行业与企业间的传递;外部环境、企业性质和行业特征是该创新促进效应的重要调节变量。本文研究结果验证了凝聚绿色低碳转型的行业共识,可以充分调动企业科技创新的主观能动性,并指出激励政策和给予特殊行业补贴的策略至关重要。

Assessment on IT-based Technical Innovation of the Subordinate Company of the Corporation

Information technology （IT） is one of the most important means by which companies can win an advantaged position in drastically competed market. It has a positive effect on the advancement of the corporation＇s technical innovation. The application of IT can promote the communication among subordinates of a corporation or group, reduce explicit boundaries of the subordinates, and boost the ripple effect of technical innovation of the subordinates. Not only does any subordinate company within a corporation need to assess both technical and economic benefits brought to the corporation itself by technical innovation, but also it should thoroughly analyze how the ripple effect of technical innovation among subordinate companies plays a significant role in the boosting value of the corporation as a whole. In this paper, a scientific approach to assessing technical innovation of a subordinate company is proposed through analyzing the ripple effect of IT-based technical innovation on subordinate companies.

近朱者赤:被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户能否影响企业ESG表现?

绿色是实现高质量发展最亮的底色。以“双碳”目标为背景,基于企业与客户的二元供应链关系,实证检验被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户对企业ESG表现的影响。研究表明:被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户能够显著提升企业ESG表现。对企业ESG表现的分维度研究表明,被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户对企业E和S维度的表现具有显著的提升作用,而对企业G维度表现的提升作用不显著。被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户通过倒逼效应提升企业ESG表现。短期内,被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户倒逼企业“末端治理”;长期内,被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户倒逼企业“前端预防”。当企业位于低碳试点城市、处于高碳排放行业时,被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户对企业ESG表现的提升作用更显著。企业ESG表现提升并不能直接增加企业价值,但被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户能够倒逼企业提高环保投资水平和绿色技术创新水平,进而推动企业ESG表现显著增加企业价值,而且长期更有效。基于被纳入碳排放权交易试点的客户这一新研究视角,揭示了低碳减排与ESG实践的激励相容机制,不仅为深入理解我国碳试点的微观作用效果提供了新思路,而且对推进美丽中国建设、实现经济高质量发展具有重要的实践意义。

绿色金融、数字化转型与企业ESG表现

本文以2013—2021年沪深两市A股上市公司为研究对象,揭示绿色金融、数字化转型与企业ESG表现的关系。研究发现,绿色金融总体上促进企业ESG表现提升,但二者间并非线性关系,而是呈现动态的“潜力滞后—缓慢释放”的非线性变化轨迹。绿色金融发展对数字化转型的影响具有非线性特征,数字化转型在绿色金融与企业ESG表现间起中介作用,但这种中介作用体现为遮掩效应;数字化转型导致绿色金融对企业ESG的推动作用是非线性的,随着数字化转型提升,绿色金融对企业ESG表现的促进作用缓慢释放。进一步分析发现,绿色金融对企业ESG表现的促进作用在信息不对称较低组、金融基础较高组、重污染行业与国有企业中更显著;绿色金融同群效应显著促进企业ESG表现提升;ESG表现同群效应显著改善环境绩效,但对财务绩效短期无显著影响。

压力还是监督:机构投资者调研与企业金融化

基于2013—2021年深交所A股上市公司面板数据,从监督效应和压力效应两种竞争视角,考察机构投资者调研对企业金融化的影响。结果表明,机构投资者调研对企业金融化具有正向影响。划分金融资产配置结构后发现,机构投资者调研能够促进企业配置“蓄水池”类金融资产,抑制企业配置“投资替代”类金融资产,这说明机构投资者调研对企业金融资产配置具有监督效应。进一步研究发现,融资约束较低、代理成本较高的企业,机构投资者调研对其金融资产配置的监督效应更强;机构投资者调研对金融资产配置的监督效应有助于提高企业全要素生产率。研究结果对有关部门完善投资者关系管理,借助市场手段改善“脱实向虚”问题提供了可行依据。

高管薪酬结构与企业创新——基于高管风险承担视角

创新是企业获得技术优势的重要行为,有助于国家实现高水平科技自立自强,高管是企业做出创新决策的主体。以2008—2021年中国沪深A股上市公司为研究对象,对高管薪酬结构影响企业创新的效应及作用机制进行了实证检验。研究发现,随着高管薪酬结构中股权薪酬比例的提升,企业创新投入水平呈先上升后下降的倒“U”型趋势。进一步地,以激励物的Delta指数和Vega指数为度量的高管风险承担在薪酬结构影响企业创新的路径中发挥了中介作用。异质性分析表明,高管股权薪酬对企业创新的正向激励效果仅显著存在于非国有企业和位于高市场化程度地区的企业当中。因此,企业要制定合理的薪酬结构,适当提高股权薪酬占比,并注重改善激励环境提升高管的风险承担能力,为企业创新创造良好的内外部环境。

中国企业所得税的有效税率差异研究——基于财务报表附注数据的分解

本文基于上市公司财务报表附注数据,对企业所得税有效税率差异的形成因素进行了分解。研究发现如下:第一,近年来企业所得税优惠政策不断推出,其中税基式优惠的增长尤为明显;第二,随着优惠规模的扩大,企业的有效税率普遍下降,但企业间的税负差异也随之扩大;第三,税收法定的制度因素对有效税率差异的影响至关重要,其中,适用税率的大小是决定企业有效税率高低的关键因素,而税基调整项中的暂时性差异是有效税率差异的最主要来源。本研究强调,未来的税收政策应更注重效率与公平的权衡,同时考虑企业认知能力的差异,税制设计应避免过于复杂和碎片化。

人口老龄化会加剧企业“脱实向虚”吗?——基于地级市层面的数据

本文聚焦于企业的资产结构,以2010-2020年沪深A股上市企业为研究样本,验证了地区人口老龄化会加剧企业的“脱实向虚”行为。通过机制检验发现,地区人口老龄化会通过“资金供给”渠道、“经营风险”渠道以及“资源配置”渠道对企业的预期和外部经营环境造成冲击,进而影响企业在资产结构上的选择。本文研究有助于从企业微观决策视角理解人口老龄化可能带来的经济冲击,为应对人口老龄化提供有益参考。

社会责任同群效应对绿色技术创新的溢出效应研究

以沪深A股市场非金融类上市公司为研究样本,运用专家访谈法、回归分析法和内容分析法,研究企业社会责任同群效应对绿色技术创新投资形成的溢出效应。研究结果表明,企业社会责任同群效应对绿色技术创新投资的溢出效应呈“U”型特征;动态能力强化了企业社会责任同群效应对绿色技术创新投资的溢出效应,冗余资源和组织惯性缓解了企业社会责任同群效应对绿色技术创新投资的溢出效应。放松企业决策的独立性假设,将同群效应纳入企业社会责任和绿色技术创新研究框架,实现企业社会责任和绿色技术创新的资源合理配置。