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Based on institutional theory, this paper aims to examine whether, and if so which, institutional forces influence the quality of China’s listed financial institutions’ (FIs) sustainability disclosures.

Using univariate statistical and multiple regression analyses, this study quantitatively examines the impacts of coercive pressure from the government and stock exchanges, imitation within subsectors and normative pressure from industry associations and regulators on the quality of China’s listed FIs’ sustainability disclosures. Assessment of the robustness of regression results uses panel random-effects and generalized methods of moments estimation.

Financial sector corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure quality did not increase dramatically following issue of the “Guiding Opinions on Establishing a Green Finance System.” However, a convergence in quality is found over time. State ownership concentration and state links to dominant shareholders negatively impact the quality of financial sector sustainability disclosures, whereas stock exchange index listing requirements and industry association reporting guidance have positive influences.

First, data availability limits the sample to listed financial firms with RKS quality scores. Thus, results may not be generalizable to the broader listed and unlisted financial sector. Second, this study only examines the influence of external forces based on institutional theory. However, internal institutional forces, such as corporate governance, may require examination. This study’s results indicate that coercive pressure, as represented by issue of the “Green Finance” policy, has not yet prompted the financial sector to improve reporting quality; however, normative pressure has had significant influence in influencing FIs’ CSR practices, with China’s banks potentially taking a leading role.

The financial sector has a lower direct environmental impact than traditional polluting industries and different operating and reporting structures, features often used to argue for its exclusion in prior studies. However, its indirect environmental impact via lending and investing activities is significant, suggesting evidence on the determinants of sustainability disclosure quality is required. This study uses evidence from China’s financial sector to reduce this gap in the literature.

This paper examines firm-level accountability and performance implications under a state-dominated institutional environment, China, for firms engaged in the space economy. Extant studies on the rapidly evolving civil space economy predominantly focus on developed Western economies at national or sector levels, frequently ignoring alternative institutional contexts. Additionally, limited attention has been given to firm-level empirical evidence and analysis, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice-R&D quality relationships in the space economy. The paper addresses each of these areas.

This paper utilises multiple regression, propensity score matching and split sampling methods applied to a proprietary dataset of Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange-listed A-share firms. Results are robust to endogeneity issues, alternative measurement of dependent variables and sampling.

China’s space firms demonstrate superior CSR performance to their counterparts in other sectors, supporting CSR‘s role in maintaining legitimacy. Their CSR practices also positively contribute to firm patent quality. The link is more pronounced among firms facing higher economic policy uncertainty and for state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The latter is due to SOEs’ government support, advantages in financing and attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce.

This paper adds to discussion on major space power’s, by examining China’s state-dominated civil space sector. It also addresses a lack of empirical firm-level evidence on space firm behaviour by examining the impact of firm-level CSR practices on R&D quality outcomes, areas in which there is a limited literature.

This paper aims to provide a longitudinal analysis of influences on China’s financial sector’s sustainability reporting practices, examines “green finance” disclosures and undertakes subsector comparisons. The state’s impact on the quantity and quality of reporting practices is analyzed.

Content analysis is used to examine the volumes, frequency and content of sustainability disclosures by China’s financial institutions. Survival analysis is used to identify factors significant in firms’ initiation of these disclosures. In total, 308 firm-year observations on disclosures are examined for 2007–2016.

China’s financial sector’s sustainability reporting pieces of evidence an “emerging stage” (2007–2009), “developing stage” (2010) and “greening stage” (2011–2016). The roles of institutional theory and regulatory pressure in explaining Chinese financial firms’ reporting behaviours are supported.

This study has several limitations. Firstly, given data restrictions, use of a relatively small sample size. Secondly, it examines different categories of disclosures made by financial firms, not more detailed content. Thirdly, is the potential overlap in disclosure themes under the classification scheme.

China’s financial sector’s adoption of sustainability reporting has been institutionalized, mainly in its banking subsector, consistent with general regulatory pressures.

“Greening the finance system” is examined in China’s context, as the country transforms from a resource and pollution-intensive to a green economy.

The financial sector is normally excluded from in-depth qualitative research. This study examines China’s financial sector’s responses to recent governmental pressures on green finance disclosures.

This article outlines contingent claims created as a result of the arrangements underlying the transfer of state‐owned commercial banks’ non‐performing loans to asset management companies. An understanding of these factors is central in analysing the potential for China’s as set management companies to realise value from their acquisition of these nonperforming state‐owned enterprise loans. After establishing the scale of the non‐performing loan problem, the article identifies and describes a number of real and financial options that may assist in the consideration of the value of assets associated with the transfer of non‐performing loans from the state‐owned commercial banks to the asset management companies. Real and financial options appear in the form of implied guarantees over asset management corporation debt, implied guarantees associated with the non‐performing assets remaining with the stateowned commercial banks, and within the equity positions held by the asset management companies as a result of equity‐for‐debt swaps initiated under the current reform process. The article concludes that any gains made to the credit standing of the state‐owned commercial banks reflect the value of implied guarantees over both the asset management corporation debt and the remaining stock of non‐performing loans held by the banks. Furthermore, institutional arrangements associated with the equity positions held by the asset management corporations significantly reduce the value of options associated with operation and control of firms in which the equity positions are held. Additionally, the structure of equity positions taken under the equity‐debt swaps suggest that the value of equity positions held in state‐owned enterprises by the asset management companies will be considerably lower than hoped for and implied in the asset management companies’ mandates.

The purpose of this paper is to link literature on China’s real estate sector and the impact of governance, ownership and political connectedness on firm financial performance. Whether these factors impact listed real estate firms differently to firms in other industry sectors is identified.

The paper uses pooled 2008-2013 data on A-share firms. Tobin’s Q captures firm financial performance. Explanatory variables include corporate governance, ownership, local government political connectedness, accounting data and ultimate control. Two-way interactions are estimated between real estate and ownership, governance, political connectedness and other variables. Three-way interactions are estimated between real estate, ownership, control and political connectedness. Year and industry fixed effects are absorbed.

Industry concentration and proportion of state ownership appear to positively impact performance. Firm size, gearing and greater foreign ownership appear to negatively impact performance. However, differences are identified for real estate firms, in which state control and gearing positively impact performance. Greater state and foreign ownership as well as supervisory board size negatively impact performance. Finally, state control in the presence of local government connections negatively impacts performance, while greater state ownership in the presence of local government connections positively impacts performance.

A lack of empirical evidence on the impact of corporate governance, ownership structures and political connectedness on firm performance in China’s real estate sector is addressed. Importantly, relationships among these factors and the financial performance of China’s listed real estate firms differ to those of firms in other industries.

Attempts to understand consumer behaviour through a study of the physiological brain functioning processes. Refers to literature on physiological psychological theory. Provides a brief description of the nervous system and brain centre functions. Tests three models of psychological variables dealing with shopping – the hypothesized developmental state model, hypothesized disposition model, and hypothesized danger model – then integrates these models into one and tests the new model. Tests the models against data gathered during interviews with shoppers in a US shopping mall. Finds some support for Hilgard’s “neodissociationistic theory” of behaviour. Recommends further investigation of the brain’s mechanisms should be carried out.

The very headline of this presentation hints at least two things. First, what is meant is the history of American sociology, though it is some what awkward to say so outright. Second, the history of American sociology is accomplished, in an impor tant sense, but one should not say that so out‐right, either. In philosophy, as Wittgenstein advised, whereof we can not speak, thereof we must be silent. A different rule reigns in sociology: whereof we can hint at, thereof we must prove. My first task, there fore, is to prove that no matter how embarrassing it may seem one canspeak of a his tory of American sociology after all. My second task is to prove that it has already been on a course of development specifically characteristic of it. And, finally, my last point will be that this specific course is brought to its desired end. Every thing in its own time. Talking about the history of American sociology is extremely risky. But it is the risk that it makes it worth trying. Part of the risk stems from the issue if there is a history of sociology at all, as well as from the issue if there is American sociology in the proper sense of the word. Apart from this, there is the consideration that it may be the American nature proper of that sociology that makes it the least likely to have its own history. First things first.

The campaign for striker replacement legislation, which began in the late 1980s and had effectively ended by the mid-1990s, was the most important political battle over labor legislation since the defeat of the Labor Law Reform Bill in 1978. Striker replacement was the AFL-CIO’s top legislative priority in the early 1990s and, coming quickly after the passage of NAFTA, which labor had opposed, the defeat of its campaign solidified organized labor’s reputation for failure in legislative battles. As yet, however, the political campaign for striker replacement legislation has attracted surprisingly little attention from industrial relations scholars.

The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically examine antecedents of innovative capability in different organization categories of multinational corporations (MNCs) and domestic firms by applying the integrative theory, linking both personal and contextual factors in explaining employee creativity.

A conceptual framework has been developed based on previous research investigating the relationship between proactive personality, organizational context (hierarchy, communication, atmosphere and risk-taking orientation), employee creativity and, ultimately, corporate innovative capability. More remarkably, by applying multiple group analysis, this research emphasizes on the identification of distinct organizational and contextual characteristics in MNCs and native corporations that respectively affect organizations’ capacity to innovate via employee creativity.

The analysis revealed that four dimensions, communication, atmosphere, risk-taking orientation and employees’ proactive personality, have significant impacts on employee creativity and ultimately organizational innovative capability, whereas the proposed negative effect of hierarchy on employee creativity did not exist. This research also highlights the identification of respective organizational characteristics in MNCs and native corporations that affect their capacity to innovate via employee creativity. Given that proactive personality is a critical antecedent of innovative capability regardless of organization types, communication and atmosphere are statistically confirmed to be more influential antecessors in the MNC context, whereas for domestic corporations, risk-taking orientation is dominant.

This research is original and of great value for several reasons. First, it provides suggestion on a single personality trait, proactive personality, that correlates remarkably with creativity. Second, it examines the association between various organizational aspects and employee creativity to appraise and advance the results of previous classic studies done in the field. Last, it incorporates both personal and organizational factors in the evaluation of creativity and innovative capability not only in the context of multinational but also in domestic corporations.