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This study aims to explore the impacts of the knowledge structure of CEO on corporate innovation strategy in the background of China’s national policy of innovation-driven development.

Regression analysis is used to test the direct effects and the moderating roles of financial and power incentives. It screens 685 listed companies from Chinese stock market, with the time window from 2016 to 2018.

CEO’s knowledge breadth has a significant impact on innovation strategy, but the moderating effects of power and financial incentives are not significant. CEO’s knowledge depth is negatively correlated to corporate innovation strategy; moreover, power incentive significantly strengthens the relationship, whereas financial incentive significantly weakens it.

Firms are suggested to optimize CEO knowledge structure and organizational incentive system for better implementing innovation-driven development strategy.

It is beneficial to the exploration of the micro-mechanism that enables corporate innovation strategy. Scholars may gain additional insights into the strategic management of corporate innovation from the perspective of CEO’s knowledge structure.

The purposes are to explore corporate financial management optimization in the context of big data and provide a sustainable financial strategy for corporate development.

First, the shortcomings of the traditional financial management model are analyzed under the background of big data analysis. The big data analytic technology is employed to extract financial big data information and establish an efficient corporate financial management model. Second, the deep learning (DL) algorithm is applied to implement a corporate financial early-warning model to predict the potential risks in corporate finance, considering the predictability of corporate financial risks. Finally, a corporate value-centered development strategy based on sustainable growth is proposed for long-term development.

The experimental results demonstrate that the financial early-warning model based on DL has an accuracy of 90.7 and 88.9% for the two-year financial alert, which is far superior to the prediction effect of the traditional financial risk prediction models.

The obtained results can provide a reference for establishing a sustainable development pattern of corporate financial management under the background of big data.

The aim of this paper is to help management scholars and executives learn from the COVID-19 global crisis by analyzing if and how the level of financial literacy affected stakeholders' sensitivity to corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues during the pandemic, as well as identifying whether financial literacy is an important variable to account for in the postpandemic period. The authors test the relationship between objective (measurable) and subjective (self-assessed) financial literacy, as well as financial happiness (i.e. satisfaction with one's current financial situation) with CSR during the pandemic. High levels of financial literacy cause individuals to reward companies that implement CSR strategies and processes.

The authors designed an online survey and obtained data on objective and subjective financial literacy, financial happiness and COVID-19 infections, as well as on the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of a representative sample of 1,334 Italian respondents. From a methodological point of view, the authors perform a factor analysis on the CSR-related questions to extract the principal components (PCs) that were used as dependent variables in the regression models to analyze the effects of explanatory variables (financial literacy, financial happiness and COVID-19 infections) and consider the control variables (demographic and socioeconomic characteristics). The authors follow a theoretical approach merging stakeholder theory with CSR.

Respondents with a high level of financial literacy and financial happiness are highly sensitive to all CSR components (ethical, philanthropic, economic and legal social responsibilities). Being infected by COVID-19 increased participants' sensitivity to ethical and philanthropic social responsibility (SR), but not to economic and legal SR. The more educated and employed respondents were, the more sensitive they were to CSR, especially compared to their less educated and unemployed counterparts.

While the sample used is large and representative of the Italian population, Italy is an interesting and useful case to analyze, given that it was the first Western country to be severely hit by COVID-19; since the paper only refers to a specific country scenario, the results cannot be generalized to other countries. A cross-country comparison relating financial literacy and financial happiness to CSR during the COVID-19 pandemic period would be desirable. The research study has theoretical implications for management scholars since the authors show that, during the pandemic period, financial education and financial happiness are relevant in explaining stakeholders' greater sensitivity to CSR issues. The findings may thus help scholars to learn from the COVID-19 period, with the aim of further developing and enhancing stakeholders' theory.

The research also has practical implications, both for corporate executives and for policymakers, helping them to learn from the COVID-19 global crisis concerning the role of financial literacy and financial happiness on CSR sensitivity and, consequently, how they may consider these important variables in the postpandemic era. On the one hand, executives may improve stakeholders' segmentation and eventually modify CSR policies, considering the higher sensitivity of their stakeholders' due to a higher degree of financial literacy. On the other hand, the findings suggest that policymakers should have a stronger role in supporting employment and education in general and in promoting programs to improve financial literacy to increase stakeholders' sensitivity to CSR, thus further stimulating the inclusion of CSR factors in companies' strategies. Increasing stakeholders' sensitivity to CSR will, in turn, increase the propensity of companies to include SR in their strategies. Thus, increasing financial literacy will have tangible positive effects of increasing CSR. Given the greater role played by companies during the COVID-19 period with respect to societal risk, the findings seem particularly useful.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first that links financial literacy and financial happiness with CSR during the COVID-19 crisis. The large and representative dataset, as well as the use of specific variables related to financial literacy, financial happiness and COVID-19 infections in the CSR assessment model, makes our analysis original, robust and significant by contributing to the CSR literature and to the financial literacy literature from a methodological point of view, as well as by informing corporate executives and policymakers about the role of financial literacy with regard to CSR during the pandemic, which may help them in learning how to improve their decisions and actions in the postpandemic era.

This paper seeks to explicate the strategic contribution of the corporate communication/ public relations function (PR) to enterprise strategy development at macro‐organisational level with the aim of contributing towards its institutionalisation.

The approach takes the form of a literature review and conceptual analysis, reflective PR paradigm and corporate social performance approach.

Enterprise strategy is the suggested mechanism and a relevant strategy process for incorporating societal and stakeholder expectations, values, norms and standards into the organisation's strategy development processes. Enterprise strategy explicates corporate communication/PR's strategic contribution at the macro‐organisational level. Societal expectations, values, standards and norms are expressed through concepts such as CSR, corporate governance, good corporate citizenship, sustainability, and the Triple Bottom Line; manifest through non‐legislative measures such as the Global Sullivan Principles of CSR, the Global Reporting Initiative, the Social Responsibility Investment Index of the JSE, as well as voluntary codes such as the Cadbury Report (UK) and the King Reports I, II and III in South Africa (SA); and are addressed through legislative measures such as the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (USA) and the Employment Equity/Broad‐based Black Economic Empowerment/Financial Intelligence Centre Acts (SA).

This article addresses the dearth of literature on enterprise strategy and corporate communication/PR's strategic role at top management level by conceptualising enterprise strategy and explicating corporate communication's strategic contribution within its framework – indicating corporate communication's focus to be on the social (People) and environmental (Planet) pillars of the Triple Bottom Line approach, rather than its financial aspects (Profit).

Focuses on Internet strategy and its place in corporate distribution strategy. The underlying purpose of the research is to review the relationship between the generic and Internet strategies of retail institutions in the financial services industry and thus determine whether there exists an alignment between them. The corporate strategy is conceptualised through Michael Porter’s generic strategies: differentiation, cost leadership and focus. For the Internet strategy, the three options translate into certain actions on the marketplace and in the adoption of specific information technologies. The technology analysis observes the frequency of OFX adoption among the sample population based on the published list of software vendors (Quicken and Microsoft). The pricing analysis is based on each financial institution’s retail transaction account price as calculated through a defined process using the fee structure of the account. The obtained data are then used for an empirical test for any relationships between the adoption of OFX transactional technology and pricing of retail transaction accounts.

The purpose of this paper is to examine and explain the complex interrelationships which influence the ability of firms to create value for their providers of finance and other stakeholders (loosely referred to in practice as “integrated thinking”). In doing so it examines the interrelationships between: environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk; delivering on corporate strategy; non-financial corporate reporting; and, board oversight.

Interviews were conducted with board chairs and non-executive directors of large listed companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (where Boards are required to have a social and ethics sub-committee and approve integrated reports which have been mandatory since 2010) and the Australian Stock Exchange (where Board directors’ liability legislation results in Boards being reluctant to adopt integrated reporting which is voluntary).

The research finds that contemporary reporting processes, and in particular those set out in the King III Code and the International Integrated Reporting Framework, influence cognitive frames enhancing board oversight and assisting organisations in managing complexity. This results in increased awareness of the impact of ESG issues together with a broader view of value creation despite investor disinterest.

A number of avenues of research are suggested to further examine the interrelationships identified.

The research assists the development of practice and policy by articulating and enhancing the understanding of linkages, which loosely fall under the vague practitioner term “integrated thinking”.

The conceptualisation can inform national and global discussions on the appropriateness of corporate reporting and governance models to achieve sustainable development and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The paper conceptualises emerging and complex interrelationships. The cross-country comparison allows an assessment of the extent to which different national social contexts with differing governance and reporting frameworks lead to different perspectives on, and approaches to, value creation.

Decades of research offer mixed results regarding the relationship between green product strategies and corporate financial performance. On the one hand, many scholars put forward green product strategies as a source of competitive advantage and in turn enhance financial performance. On the other hand, some studies suggest the opposite – that green product strategies may encounter managerial difficulties or are too costly, consequently leading to meager, if any, financial gain. This study explores cross-country contextual differences as a contingency to resolve this inconsistency. Thus, the research question is, “Do stakeholders of a country affect the link between green product strategies and financial performance?”

Using a meta-analytic approach, the authors examine three country-level contingencies related to stakeholders: the impact of regulatory (stringency of environmental regulators), economic (consumer economic wealth) and political conditions (democratic vs. authoritarian governments) of a country in which the effects of a green product strategy on financial performance may vary.

Consistent with our predictions, the meta-analysis of 26 studies published over a 20-year period reveals that green products positively relate to financial performance in countries with lax environmental regulation, low consumer economic status and authoritarian regimes.

The authors applied both (natural) resource-based and resource dependence theories by focusing on the interactions between firms' internal resources/capabilities and the external resources that firms can access. By doing so, the study adds to our understanding of stakeholders as resource providers to enhance financial benefits of green product strategies and provide insight into key boundary conditions of the link.

This chapter analyzes how the internal environment determines corporate dividend decisions. First, dividend policy is influenced by strategic and financial issues. Corporate strategies are developed by top managers to achieve firms' missions, visions, and long-term goals while business strategies are designed by middle managers to maintain firms' competitive advantages. These strategies affect corporate dividend decisions through corporate performance and business operations. In addition, many financial characteristics are important determinants of dividend policy. Financial characteristics are classified into three groups, namely performance-related issues (e.g., firm profitability, free cash flow, and stock liquidity), leverage-related issues (e.g., debt ratio, asset tangibility, business risk, and firm size), and investment-related issues (e.g., investment opportunities and firm maturity). Firms with high profitability, free cash flow tends to pay more dividends. Stock liquidity may have a positive effect on dividend payments through lowering costs of equity; however, it may also have a negative effect through weakening the signaling motive. Moreover, firms with high debt ratio, low asset tangibility, high business risk, and small size face higher costs of external financing. Therefore, they have low incentives to pay dividends. When firms have more investment opportunities, they are more likely to restrict dividends and save cash for their investment projects and vice versa. Second, internal stakeholders may influence corporate dividend policy since their benefits are closely related to dividend decisions. Shareholders, directors, the chief executive officer, and employees have different characteristics, positions, and hold various proportions of shares. Therefore, they create pressures on dividend decisions to protect their wealth.

Most chief financial officers view real estate as an important component of financial success, but not many take the time to align their real estate strategies with corporate strategies to ensure optimal performance. While this lack of attention to real estate issues is understandable given their workload, it is also detrimental to the goal of maximizing short‐ and long‐term financial performance. By contrast, CFOs who ensure that real estate strategies are aligned with financial objectives as well as business strategies realize financial gains that more than justify the additional investment in time and energy.