As many ESG rating agencies have flourished to meet rising interests in ESG investing, we examine the information provider role of these rating agencies. We hypothesize that new ratings can add information useful to investors about rated firms besides any changes to the average level and dispersion in ratings. We exploited the empirical setting where the introduction of various ESG ratings in China is staggered over time and across firms. We show that an increase in the number of ratings by different agencies for a given firm will induce more mutual funds’ investments towards that firm. This is unexplained by rating inflation or rating shopping channels. We further show that such effect is more pronounced when incumbent and entrant agents provide complementary information. For different types of funds, we find different sensitivities to the arrival of new agents in accordance with their explicit requirements for ESG mandate. And interestingly ESG funds that track ESG indices are not responsive to new ratings as ESG indices are sticky in choosing the reference rating. We also provide evidence that the documented effects are not due to endogenous actions taken by incumbent agencies or the firms. Our paper provides interesting and causal evidence of the incremental information from additional ESG ratings which have important implications for the market competition and regulations of ESG rating agencies.

In today’s global business landscape, successful cross-cultural collaboration is not just an asset but a necessity. This article explores essential strategies for achieving effective collaboration between Chinese and Canadian business teams, emphasizing the critical role of cultural intelligence. We delve into understanding cultural differences, their impact on decision-making and communication, and the keys to building high-performing cross-cultural teams. Real-world case studies highlight success stories, and actionable strategies for bridging cultural gaps are provided. By embracing these insights, businesses can unlock the potential of cross-cultural cooperation, leading to better decision-making, enhanced communication, and stronger, more effective teams.

This article delves into the imperative shift from diversity to true equity in organizations, emphasizing the pivotal role of inclusive leadership. It traces the evolution of diversity and inclusion efforts, elucidates the essence of inclusive leadership, and underscores the compelling business case for achieving equity. The article elucidates the attributes and behaviors of inclusive leaders and provides strategies for overcoming challenges in implementing inclusive leadership. Additionally, it offers a structured framework for leaders to develop and refine their inclusive leadership skills. Case studies of organizations that have successfully embraced inclusive leadership are presented as inspirational exemplars. The conclusion highlights the transformative potential of inclusive leadership and urges readers to take actionable steps towards becoming inclusive leaders. Resources for further learning and development are provided, concluding with a powerful call to action, emphasizing the profound positive impact of inclusive leadership on individuals, organizations, and society as a whole.

资本跨地区流动是构建国内统一大市场和经济高质量发展的重要支撑。文章基于2007—2019 年中国上市公司数据,利用年报文本和数字化资本投入等方式测算企业数字化水平,从理论和实证两方面分析了企业数字化对资本跨地区流动的影响和作用机制。研究发现,企业数字化显著促进了上市公司设立异地子公司,加速资本跨地区流动。数字化对资本跨地区流动的促进效应在民营企业、流程制造业、生产性服务业和高竞争行业中更显著；同时,母子公司处于同一个城市群内部或母公司位于较大的城市时,这一促进效应也将更强。机制分析发现,企业数字化主要通过降低各项交易费用、优化企业内部组织、提高企业生产经营效率等途径促进了资本跨地区流动。进一步分析发现,企业数字化对本地投资并不存在显著挤出效应,且跨地区投资增加了母公司利润,但子公司之间的协同效应还有待加强。文章的研究为推进国内统一大市场建设提供了新的微观路径。

This paper studies the impact of political dynamics on corporate environmental investments. Employing data collected manually on the turnover of municipal government officials in China as a proxy for political dynamics from 2007 to 2020, we find that these dynamics drive an uptick in corporate green investments, aligning with the principles of resource dependency theory. The influence of political dynamics on green investments becomes more pronounced when companies grapple with external economic and political uncertainties. Additionally, this effect is most pronounced among energy sector companies and non-state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Despite the observed surge in green investment activity due to political dynamics, we reveal a tendency towards over-investment in green initiatives, subsequently diminishing overall firm investment efficiency under current political conditions. This study advances knowledge regarding how political dynamics influence enterprises' sustainability practices and provides valuable insights for businesses navigating the implications of their pursuit of environmentally responsible development.

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There is mixed evidence of a positive relationship between the stock market risk and return. We reexamine this critical implication of asset pricing theory using fresh data from China's stock market, which is largely segmented from the rest of the global financial market. Using formal variable selection methods and a comprehensive set of predictor variables, we identify conditional market variance, scaled market prices, and inflation as crucial determinants of equity premiums. The estimated simple risk-return relationship exhibits downward omitted variable bias, which underlines the importance of considering multiple factors to explain the variation in equity premiums. We cannot wholly attribute the three-factor conditional equity premium model to data mining, as Guo, Sanni, and Yu (2022) select the same model for the U.S. stock market. These findings challenge existing asset pricing models and provide valuable guidance for future theoretical research.

This study examines factors that determine prefectural industrial policies and their impact on firm total factor productivity (TFP), utilizing a natural language processing algorithm and data from the Report on the Work of the Government in China. We find that compliance with upper-level governments is crucial in shaping prefectural industrial policies. When an industry is favored by the upper-level government, the probability of the prefectural government’s favoring that industry increases. However, prefectural policies driven by political compliance have a minimal positive impact on TFP, due to inadequate implementation of policy measures like tax deductions, preferential loans, and land price discounts.

本文以我国逐步推行的股票发行注册制度为研究场景，采用多时点双重差分模型为研究方法，考察资本市场发行制度的完善如何影响上市公司的生产效率，为资本市场基础性制度建设助力实体经济高质量发展提供经验证据。研究结果表明，资本市场注册制的推行可以提升企业全要素生产率，在采用企业TFP不同测算方法、增加行业固定效应和重新筛选数据等稳健性检验之后，上述结论依然成立。机制分析表明，注册制的实行主要通过缓解企业融资约束和促进企业研发创新作用于企业全要素生产率。进一步的异质性检验表明，注册制实行对非国有企业、制造业行业企业、东部地区企业以及行业竞争度高的企业的全要素生产率促进作用更为显著。为了提升资本市场对实体经济的服务效能，提高企业全要素生产率，要继续推动股票发行注册制走深走实，促进资本市场良性循环发展，优化要素资源配置效率、鼓励企业务实创新。

This paper exploits China’s first default of state-owned enterprises to study the implicit government guarantee’s effect on SOEs’ trade credit financing. It finds that SOEs increase trade credit by 2.3% of total liabilities, on average, relative to non-SOEs after the first SOE default in China’s bond markets in 2015. The additional reliance on suppliers’ credit is more prominent among SOEs with higher information opacity. It is consistent with the literature where trade credit advantage lies in the suppliers’ superior information, as they can observe their clients through daily transactions. The current paper also finds that trade credits positively affect SOEs when IGG weakens. Overall, the results suggest that the reduction in IGG significantly affects Chinese firms’ financing decisions, highlighting the trade credit advantage against the backdrop of imperfect market institutions.