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This paper applies the social contract and legalistic ethical frameworks, to study whether or not corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability support corporate financial performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical data from Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical firm, to document whether or not CSR has contributed to creating financial wealth and value for the corporation.

The paper approaches CSR as embedded in social contract and legalistic ethical frameworks, which suggest that business organizations are self‐motivated to report on CSR. The underlying premise of the research is that socially desirable sustainable activities are expected to improve financial performance.

A case study of a multinational corporation (MNC) and CSR member company, Johnson & Johnson, substantiates that CSR and sustainability have contributed to improve the organization's economic performance. The empirical evidence from Johnson & Johnson suggest that profitability can be sustained for a long period of time if economic performance is effectively integrated with social and environmental goals, as part of the business strategic planning process, to benefit shareholders, consumers, society and the community at large. When CSR is incorporated in business strategies of sustainability, including social and environmental performance, it complements economic profitability objectives.

The contribution of this paper is in the extension and application of the importance of sustainability and CSR in the pharmaceutical industry. It is one of the few studies that examined the impact CSR and sustainability have on the financial and economic performance of the health care industry. The study has documented that sustainability promotes transparency, adherence, and disclosure that incorporates and promotes social equity, environmental restoration/renewal and financial performance. It is argued that in the long run, organizations that have integrated sustainability and CSR in their strategic planning processes are able to manage risks and take advantage of opportunities of programs that are safer, greener, and economical.

This study proposes a novel method utilising a speech-word pair bipartite network to examine the correlation structure between members of parliament (MPs) in the context of the UK- China relationship.

We construct MP-word pair bipartite networks based on the co-occurrence relationship between MPs and words in their speech content. These networks are then mapped into monopartite MPs correlation networks. Additionally, the study calculates correlation network indicators and identifies MP communities and factions to determine the characteristics of MPs and their interrelation in the UK-China relationship. This includes insights into the distribution of key MPs, their correlation structure and the evolution and development trends of MP factions.

Analysis of the parliamentary speeches on China-related affairs in the British Parliament from 2011 to 2020 reveals that the distribution and interrelationship of MPs engaged in UK-China affairs are centralised and discrete, with a few core MPs playing an integral role in the UK-China relationship. Among them, MPs such as Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, David Cameron, Lord Hunt of Chesterton and Lord Howell of Guildford formed factions with significant differences; however, the continuity of their evolution exhibits unstableness. The core MP factions, such as those led by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and David Cameron, have achieved a level of maturity and exert significant influence.

The research has several limitations that warrant acknowledgement. First, we mapped the MP-word pair bipartite network into the MP correlation network for analysis without directly analysing the structure of MPs based on the bipartite network. In future studies, we aim to explore various types of analysis based on the proposed bipartite networks to provide more comprehensive and accurate references for studying UK-China relations. In addition, we seek to incorporate semantic-level analyses, such as sentiment analysis of MPs, into the MP-word -pair bipartite networks for in-depth analysis. Second, the interpretations of MP structures in the UK-China relationship in this study are limited. Consequently, expertise in UK-China relations should be incorporated to enhance the study and provide more practical recommendations.

Firstly, the findings can contribute to an objective understanding of the characteristics and connotations of UK-China relations, thereby informing adjustments of focus accordingly. The identification of the main factions in the UK-China relationship emphasises the imperative for governments to pay greater attention to these MPs’ speeches and social relationships. Secondly, examining the evolution and development of MP factions aids in identifying a country’s diplomatic focus during different periods. This can assist governments in responding promptly to relevant issues and contribute to the formulation of effective foreign policies.

First, this study expands the research methodology of parliamentary debates analysis in previous studies. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to study the UK-China relationship through the MP-word-pair bipartite network. This outcome inspires future researchers to apply various knowledge networks in the LIS field to elucidate deeper characteristics and connotations of UK-China relations. Second, this study provides a novel perspective for UK-China relationship analysis, which deepens the research object from keywords to MPs. This finding may offer important implications for researchers to further study the role of MPs in the UK-China relationship.

This study proposes a novel scheme for analysing the correlation structure between MPs based on bipartite networks. This approach offers insights into the development and evolving dynamics of MPs.