Digital transformation

  • 详情 Servitization Level, Digital Transformation and Enterprise Performance of Sporting Goods Manufacturing Enterprises in China
    In order to clarify the effect and mechanism of servitization level and digital transformation on the performance of listed sporting goods manufacturing enterprises in China, the index of the degree of digital transformation is constructed based on the data of 31 sporting goods manufacturing enterprises listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen A shares and the New OTC Market in China, taking the proportion of service business income in enterprise operating income as the index of servitization level, by analyzing the semantic expression of national policy related to digital economy and collecting "digital" category keywords in enterprise annual report with the help of crawler technology, then, the influence of servitization level and digital transformation on enterprise performance is discussed, and whether digital transformation plays a moderating effect between servitization and enterprise performance is tested. The results show that the servitization level suppresses the performance of listed sporting goods manufacturing enterprises, and there is a "Servitization Paradox" phenomenon. The degree of digital transformation has a positive U-shaped impact on enterprise performance, and at the same time, digital transformation has a weak positive moderating effect on servitization level and enterprise performance.
  • 详情 Strategies for Success: Overcoming Top Challenges in Chinese Enterprises
    Chinese enterprises are currently facing unprecedented economic transformations accompanied by a diverse array of challenges. This article delves into these challenges and provides management recommendations to assist companies in addressing these pressing issues. First, China's economic growth is gradually slowing, prompting companies to explore new avenues for growth, such as diversifying their products and markets, enhancing research and development, and expanding into emerging markets. Second, the uncertain global trade landscape has impacted exports and supply chains, necessitating diversified supply chains, new trade partnerships, and proactive strategies to navigate potential trade policy changes. Additionally, the pressure of technological innovation cannot be underestimated, urging companies to increase R&D investment, collaborate with other enterprises on research, and recruit and nurture high-quality tech talent. Furthermore, with the Chinese government's growing focus on environmental concerns, companies need to invest in clean production technologies, build sustainable supply chains, and actively fulfill their social responsibilities. Other challenges including rising labor costs, intellectual property protection, financial risks, regulatory compliance, talent recruitment and retention, and digital transformation all require proactive responses. By adopting proactive management strategies, Chinese enterprises can thrive in this era filled with both opportunities and risks, achieving sustainable growth and enhanced competitiveness.
  • 详情 Can Local Fintech Development Improve Analysts’ Earnings Forecast Accuracy? Evidence from China
    This paper investigates the impact of local fintech development on analysts’ earnings forecast accuracy. We use the method of web text mining to construct the local fintech development index for empirical test and find that local fintech development significantly improves analysts’ earnings forecast accuracy by promoting firm digital transformation, improving firm information transparency, and alleviating the information asymmetry between firms and outsiders. Furthermore, this effect is more significant for analysts without equity pledge associations and those with weaker buy-side pressure. This study shows that local fintech development can optimize the capital market information environment.
  • 详情 From Credit Information to Credit Data Regulation: Building an Inclusive Sustainable Financial System in China
    A lack of sufficient information about potential borrowers is a major obstacle to access to financing from the traditional financial sector. In response to the need for better information to prevent fraud, to increase access to finance and to support balanced sustainable development, countries around the world have moved over the past several decades to develop credit information reporting requirements and systems to improve the coverage and quality of credit information. Until recently, such requirements mainly covered only banks. However, with the process of digital transformation in China and around the world, a range of new credit providers have emerged, in the context of financial technology (FinTech, TechFin and BigTech). Application of advanced data and analytics technologies provides major opportunities for both market participants – both traditional and otherwise – as well as for credit information agencies: by utilizing advanced technologies, participants and credit reporting agencies can collect massive amounts of information from various online and other activities (‘Big Data’), which contributes to the analysis of borrowing behavior and improves the accuracy of creditworthiness assessments, thereby enhancing availability of finance and supporting growth and development while also moderating prudential, behavioral and conduct related concerns at the heart of financial regulation. Reflecting international experience, China has over the past three decades developed a regulatory regime for credit information reporting and business. However, even in the context of traditional banking and credit, it has not come without problems. With the rapid growth and development of FinTech, TechFin and BigTech lenders, however, have come both real opportunities to leverage credit information and data but also real challenges around its regulation. For example, due to fragmented sources of borrower information and the involvement of many players of different types, there are difficulties in clarifying the business scope of credit reporting and also serious problems in relation to customer protection. Moreover, inadequate incentives for credit information and data sharing pose a challenge for regulators to promote competition and innovation in the credit market. Drawing upon the experiences of other jurisdictions, including the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Singapore and Hong Kong, this paper argues that China should establish a sophisticated licensing regime and setout differentiated requirements for credit reporting agencies in line with the scope and nature of their business, thus addressing potential for regulatory arbitrage. Further, there is a need to formulate specific rules governing the provision of customer information to credit reporting agencies and the resolution of disputes arising from the accuracy and completeness of credit data. An effective information and data sharing scheme should be in place to help lenders make appropriate credit decisions and facilitate access to finance where necessary. The lessons from China’s experience in turn hold key lessons for other jurisdictions as they move from credit information to credit data regulation in their own financial systems.
  • 详情 The Impact of Digital Transformation on Online Positive Sentiment: Evidence Fromchinese Stock Forum
    This study investigates how digital transformation affects public sentiment toward firms on social media platforms in China. Using 2008-2022 data on Chinese listed companies and multivariate regression analysis, this paper identifies that digital transformation boosts positive online comments and sentiment. This relationship is mediated by gains in total factor productivity from digital initiatives. Moreover, concurrent green transformation positively moderates the effect, amplifying the impact of digital moves on online positive sentiment. Heterogeneous results reveal that the digital transformation effect on online positive sentiment is greater for state-owned, high-tech, and large companies. To our knowledge, this is the pioneering study to examine the linkage between corporate digital transformation and online public sentiment. The findings reveal whether, how, and when digital transformation shape more favorable public sentiment and online buzz. Companies can leverage digitalization, productivity improvements, and green development to foster positive perceptions and enhance their online reputation.
  • 详情 Macro-Prudential Policy, Digital Transformations and Banks’ Risk-Taking
    Macro-prudential policy plays a crucial role in stabilizing the financial system and influencing banks' risk preferences and willingness to take risks. This study examines the influence of macro-prudential policies on bank risk-taking using unbalanced panel data from 126 commercial banks in China between 2010 and 2021. The difference-in-differences model is employed to analyze the data. The empirical findings demonstrate that implementing macro-prudential policies in China effectively enhances bank risk prevention measures. In other words, macro-prudential policy implementation facilitates the digital transformation of banks and subsequently reduces risk-taking behaviors. Moreover, the heterogeneity test reveals that macro-prudential policies have a more significant impact on the risk-taking behavior of commercial banks with higher capital adequacy ratios compared to those with lower ratios. Additionally, commercial banks with strong interbank dependence exhibit more pronounced effects on their risk profiles when subjected to macroprudential policies with stricter capital supervision requirements. Therefore, this study proposes policy recommendations for strengthening bank capital supervision through differentiated approaches, serving as a valuable reference for the regulatory authorities.
  • 详情 Digital Finance's Impact on Corporate Stock Price Crash Risk: The Mediating Roles of Digital Transformation and ESG Performance
    This paper examines the effects of digital finance and corporate stock price crash risk, and the underlying mechanisms, using panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2012 and 2021. Specifically, we focus on whether digital transformation and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance are intermediary channels through which digital finance mitigates corporate stock price crash risk. By employing panel regression and mediation effect models, we demonstrate that digital finance significantly reduces corporate stock price crash risk. This conclusion remains robust after a series of robustness tests, including the replacement of core explanatory variables, lagging digital finance by one period, using alternative dependent variables, applying the instrumental variables method, and system GMM estimation. More importantly, we find that digital finance curbs stock price crash risk by enhancing digital transformation and ESG performance. In addition, we reveal that digital finance has heterogeneous effects on corporate stock price crash risk. The inhibitory effect of digital finance on stock price crash risk is more pronounced in the central and western regions of China and for companies with lower internal control levels, higher information transparency, and higher financing constraints.
  • 详情 SMEs Amidst the Pandemic and Reopening: Digital Edge and Transformation
    Using administrative universal business registration data as well as primary offline and online surveys of small businesses (including unregistered self-employments) in China, we examine (i) whether digitization helps small and medium enterprises (SMEs) better cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, and (ii) whether the pandemic has spurred digital technology adoption. We document significant economic benefits of digitization in increasing SMEs' resilience against such a large shock, as seen through mitigated demand decline, sustainable cash flow, ability to quickly reopen, and positive outlook for growth. Post the January 2020 lockdown, firm entries exhibited a V-shaped pattern, with entries of e-commerce firms experiencing a less pronounced immediate drop and a quicker rebound. Moreover, the pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of existing firms and the industry in multiple dimensions (e.g., altering operation scope to include e-commerce, allowing remote work, and adopting electronic information systems). The effect persists more than one year after reopening, and is more pronounced for certain sectors, firms in industrial clusters, and areas with more digital inclusion but less financial efficiency, constituting initial evidence for the long-term impact of the pandemic and the supposedly transitory mitigation policies.
  • 详情 Blockchain+Audit: An Important Tool for Enterprise Internal Control and Risk Management
    Establishing a comprehensive risk management system and establishing a sound and effective internal control mechanism are important conditions for the survival and healthy development of enterprises. Enterprises should continue to innovate their internal control mechanisms, continuously improve and strengthen their internal control and risk management functions, continuously improve their internal control effectiveness, and assist in high-quality development of enterprises. The article elaborates that the digital transformation of auditing helps to achieve internal audit goals and improve the effectiveness of internal control; Blockchain technology, due to its excellent characteristics of distributed decentralization, authenticity, transparency, and tamper resistance, will help transform the methods of financial and accounting business and audit supervision; The application of blockchain technology in the field of auditing will inevitably lead to the reshaping of audit work models; Blockchain technology will become a trigger point for the audit revolution, comprehensively empowering audit and risk management work. The article introduces JD's blockchain ABS standardization solution, while Tencent and TCL Group's industrial blockchain solve the reliable transmission of trust and value at low cost, confirming that the close combination of blockchain technology with enterprise finance and auditing can assist internal control and play an important risk prevention and control role in enterprise operations. The "blockchain+audit" can achieve online real-time audit, risk assessment and warning, and data analysis becomes the core of audit content; Blockchain+auditing will become an important tool for internal control and risk management in enterprises.
  • 详情 Digital Intelligence Empowers audit Transformation and Promotes High-quality Development of Enterprises
    Audit digitalization is the organic integration of digital technology and audit work; Internal audit digital intelligence is a collective term for internal audit digitalization and internal audit intelligence. This paper systematically expounds that the digital transformation of audit is conducive to achieving internal audit goals, giving full play to the internal audit function, and improving the efficiency of internal audit. The main paths and key points of the digital transformation of enterprise audit are introduced, and it is pointed out that intelligent audit is a major trend in the future development of auditing. The three types of intelligent audit and the application of digital twin in commercial bank audit are introduced. A brief introduction to Bank of Jiangsu's research-based audit and its achievements. It is pointed out that the digital transformation of audit is also the upgrading and transformation of organizations and talents, and it is necessary to vigorously cultivate and introduce audit professionals to support the smooth achievement of digital transformation of auditing