How enterprises can leverage frontier technologies to achieve synergy between environmental governance and high-quality development has become a critical issue amid the deepening global push for sustainable development and the green economic transition. Based on micro-level data of Chinese enterprises from 2009 to 2023, this study systematically examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on corporate green governance performance and explores the underlying mechanisms. The findings reveal that AI significantly enhances green governance performance at the enterprise level, and this effect remains robust after accounting for potential endogeneity. Mechanism analysis shows that AI empowers green transformation through a dual-path mechanism of “cognition–behavior,” by strengthening environmental tendency and increasing environmental investment. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive effects are more pronounced in nonheavy polluting industries and state-owned enterprises, suggesting that industry characteristics and ownership structure moderate the green governance impact of AI. This study contributes to the theoretical foundation of research at the intersection of digital technology and green governance, and provides empirical evidence and policy insights to support AI-driven green transformation in practice.

Under the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, taking environment, social responsibility, and corporate governance (ESG) as the important investment factor has become an action guide and standard for capital market participants. The practice of the ESG concept is not only a new way for enterprises to form new asset advantages and realize green and low-carbon transformation, but also important access for promoting high-quality and sustainable development. Based on Chinese-listed companies within the period of 2009 to 2015, we investigate the impact of ESG responsibility performance on export performance as well as its mechanism. We theorize and find out show that ESG responsibility performance can significantly and stably promote enterprises’ export performance. Mechanism analysis shows that ESG can improve export performance by reducing financing costs and easing financing constraints, and the green technology innovation effect is also an important channel for ESG to affect export performance. Therefore, government should strengthen the supervision and incentive of ESG performance, encourage enterprises to improve their environmental, social and governance performance in order to adapt to the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality and promote the high-quality development of export trade. Future research may consider combining ESG accountability with other factors such as supply chain management, intermediate imports, and transnational spillovers to more fully understand its impact on export performance, so as to create more value for society.

This paper constructs an evaluation index system for the high-quality development of the marine economy based on the five dimensions of the new development paradigm. It employs entropy method, kernel density analysis, and Dagum Gini coefficient method to analyze the high-quality development level of China's marine economy and its spatial-temporal evolution from 2013 to 2022. The findings reveal that: (1) The comprehensive index for the high-quality development of China's marine economy exhibits an overall fluctuating upward trend; (2) The high-quality development levels of the marine economy in the eastern and southern marine economic circles are both above the national average, while that in the northern marine economic circle is below the national average; (3) The focus of high-quality development in China's marine economy is shifting towards economically developed regions along the southeast coast, demonstrating a trend of "higher in the south and lower in the north." Moreover, the gap in high-quality development of the marine economy among the three major marine economic circles is gradually narrowing, and the high-quality development of regional marine economies tends to become more coordinated.

Based on institutions' general role and the specialty of motivated investors' relatively larger stake, we examine whether ownership by motivated investors is associated with the focal firm's ESG rating disagreement in China. Our results suggest that ownership by motivated investors can decrease the focal firm's ESG rating disagreement. That relationship is strengthened by a better internal or external information environment. What's more, ownership by motivated investors can increase the quality of ESG disclosure and the level of consensus ESG rating. ESG rating disagreement increases stock return volatility and price synchronicity, while motivated investors can mitigate those negative effects. Our results confirm that motivated investors have greater incentive and capability to discipline managers and influence corporate policies and actions even in an emerging market with weak investor protection and the popularity of exploration by ultimate controllers. That would shed valuable insights into the high-quality development of other emerging markets, especially those in south-east Asian.

This paper examines the relationship between population aging and corporate digital transformation from the perspective of demographic changes. Generally, the findings indicate that population aging notably contributes to corporate digital transformation, mainly through increasing labor costs, including expected and actual labor costs. Further analysis suggests that the above effects are significantly weakened in samples of firms with lower levels of regional intellectual property protection, higher corporate financial constraints, and shorter-sighted managerial decision-making. Moreover, the economic consequences test implies aforementioned favorable effects can enhance corporate total factor productivity.

Digital transformation empowers enterprises with new kinetic energy for high-quality development, can digital transformation enhance the transparency of capital market? This study constructs a corporate digital transformation index, and examines its impact on Chinese capital market transparency from the perspective of information senders. We find that corporate digital transformation significantly improves transparency, and this finding is more pronounced in non-SOEs, firms with low political connection, high industry environment uncertainty, and low regional marketization level. Channel tests show that lowering management myopia and increasing analyst attention are possible mechanisms. Furthermore, digital transformation improves stock liquidity by enhancing enterprises’ information transparency. Overall, our findings provide critical insights for improving transparency in China’s capital market.

Capital misallocation is a crucial factor that hinders the high-quality development of the capital market. Taking mergers and acquisitions (M&A) cases of Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2019 as samples, this study finds that there is a mismatch between the target firm’s profit quality and the M&A premium. Moreover, based on the dual perspective of acquirer and target motivations, this study demonstrates that the target firm’s insufficient motivation to improve its information quality is the primary cause of a capital mismatch. Factors that can enhance the motivation of the target, such as improving financial services and facilitating labour flow, are the cure for capital misallocation. It is a crucial study to understand China’s capital misallocation and of great theoretical and practical significance to understand the combination of efficient markets and effective governments in emerging markets.

In the era of digital economy, the development and application of digital intelligence technology are changing rapidly, and human society has entered a new era where digital intelligence technology is rapidly advancing and playing an important role. Workers who master digital intelligence technology play a decisive role in the sustained and healthy development of enterprises, and the human capital possessed by workers has become the driving force for high-quality development of enterprises. The recognition and measurement of the value of human capital possessed by workers is the foundation and prerequisite for motivating workers, and the recognition and measurement of human capital value has become a core issue that urgently needs to be studied in human resource equity accounting. The article briefly introduces the development of human resource accounting theory, expounds that establishing human capital property rights is an important condition for the sustainable development of enterprises in the digital economy era, stimulates the potential of human capital, and is conducive to accelerating economic transformation and upgrading. The dynamic equity distribution mechanism is an important way to stimulate the vitality of human capital.

In the era of digital economy, although the production (labor) tools of enterprises are digitalized, intelligent, and networked, and new characteristics and scenarios have emerged in enterprise operation and labor methods, the human capital possessed by workers has become the driving force for the sustainable development of entrepreneurial enterprises. Workers who master digital technology play a decisive role in the sustainable and healthy development of entrepreneurial enterprises. The article points out that in the era of digital economy, human capital is a key factor for economic growth and development. In the fields of mixed ownership and private economy, the employment system will gradually "retire", and modern partnership systems will prevail; The modern partnership system can motivate partners to collaborate and innovate, which is an upgrade of the manager system; The article briefly introduces the advantages and disadvantages of the dual ownership structure and the dynamic equity distribution mechanism of start-up companies; And the achievements made by Xiaomi Group, Huawei Company, and Midea Group in implementing a business partnership system.

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.