Digital computing power is the key for a country to energizing innovative development, accelerating digitalization and stimulating the growth of digital economy. It is of great research significance to deeply analyze the complex influencing mechanism of digital computing power from the perspective of innovation theory. Taking digital computing power as the technical main body, this paper logically constructs a TOE-based analytical framework (TOE is short for Technology-Organization-Environment) to systematically analyze the interaction process between digital computing power and the innovation system, and reveal the paths and mechanisms by which regional digital computing power has a cross-level and cross-subject effect on the total factor productivity of enterprises. Based on the panel data of provincial and listed enterprises in China from 2016 to 2022, this paper measures the development level of regional digital computing power in China. With the fixed effect model as the benchmark, the effect of regional digital computing power on the total factor productivity of enterprises is verified. The main conclusions include: Regional digital computing power can promote the growth of total factor productivity of enterprises. This conclusion passes two robustness tests, namely 2SLS-IV and GMM estimation. In terms of influence path, regional digital computing power promotes the growth of total factor productivity of enterprises by enhancing the level of regional digital governance, deepening the integration of digital and real industries, and promoting the digitalization of enterprises. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that this promoting effect is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, non-high-tech enterprises, enterprises in eastern regions, and enterprises in regions where production follows behind. This paper provides important perspectives and suggestions for the development of regional digital computing power and enterprise innovation management, which are important for China’s strategic layout of “east data computed in the west” and the development of new quality productivity in enterprises.

Based on a sample of 94,889 fine-grained observations from 20 industries in 331 cities from 2005 to 2020, this paper uses the opening of high-speed railways as a quasi-natural experimental scenario to examine the impact of transportation accessibility on regional economic vitality using the Difference-in-Differences method. The empirical test finds that the opening of high-speed railways significantly stimulates the economic vitality of the region, which is the result of three effects: population agglomeration, capital agglomeration and market agglomeration. However, this impact is not balanced and there is a siphoning effect, i.e., the enhancement brought about by the opening of high-speed railways is more pronounced in regions with comparative economic or locational advantages. This paper enriches our understanding of the positive externalities of transportation accessibility from the perspective of regional economic vitality, and provides positive policy references for China’s optimization of high-speed rail layout, sustained improvement of livelihood construction, and promotion of high-quality economic development.

Starting from the dual perspectives of efficiency improvement and coordinated development, and based on a deep understanding of the general purpose meta-technology characteristic of the new-generation artificial intelligence (AI) as a new form of productive force, this paper systematically explains the intrinsic theoretical mechanism through which AI influences the optimization of urban industrial structure, both in terms of heightening and rationalizing the structure, by improving resource allocation and enhancing the unbalanced innovation capacity across the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Using the phased establishment of the National New Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Development Experimental Zones as a quasi-natural experiment, the study employs a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) approach for policy evaluation. The results show that the development of new-generation AI has promoted industrial structure heightening, but suppressed its rationalization. The mechanism analysis reveals that the disparity in effects arises because new-generation AI exacerbates the imbalance in innovation capacity between the three industries although it enhances resource allocation efficiency and overall innovation capacity. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that with the improvement of factors such as population mobility, digital inclusive finance, marketization, and the level of openness, new-generation AI can more effectively promote industrial structure heightening, while mitigating its suppressive effect on industrial structure rationalization. This paper provides an analytical framework for understanding the creative destruction effects of new-generation AI on industrial structure transformation and offers insights into the path of building a modern industrial system.

Based on 137 in-depth interviews and a sample of 43 authoritative newspaper articles, this paper uses the grounded theory to refine the digital empowerment elements driving the digitized integration of rural industries through digital technology. Furthermore, a mechanism model illustrating the role of these elements is constructed. The results show that: (1) The intrinsic nature of digital technology driving the digitized integration of rural industries can be deconstructed into five digital empowerment elements: digital infrastructure, the supply of data resource, the honeycomb structure of industrial main bodies, the ability of data association, and the ability of data production. (2) Through organizational empowerment, structural empowerment, and contextual empowerment, digital technology systematically promotes the digitized integration of rural industries by deploying data resources, reconstructing subject relationships, and enhancing data correlation and production capacities. (3) The mechanism behind digital technology driving the digitized integration of rural industries follows the path of “data resource action → data capability generation → data value realization.” (4) The five digital empowerment elements operate as follows: the supply of data resource constructed by digital infrastructure facilitates the honeycomb structure of industrial entities, enhances the ability of data association and the ability of data production, ultimately contributing to the digitized integration of rural industries.

SRDI (Specialized, Refined, Differential, Innovation) enterprises can alleviate resource constraints in digital transformation by leveraging the capabilities of leading enterprises. However, as participants in the ecosystem, they face the challenge of managing coopetition relationships with these leading firms. Given the dynamic and persistent nature of digital resource investment, this paper establishes differential game models for a digital ecosystem with leading enterprises, SRDI enterprises, and local governments as core participants, considering three scenarios: competition-dominated, cooperation-dominated, and one with incentive mechanism. From a “part-whole” perspective, this paper analyzes the optimal strategies of local agents and system benefits under different situations. Furthermore, a simulation analysis is conducted based on a case study of LCFC’s digital empowerment on SRDI enterprises. The findings indicate: (1) The incentive mechanism has significantly improved the enthusiasm of SRDI and leading enterprises for resource investment, and the government’s optimal subsidy level is correlated with the profit distribution coefficient. (2) System benefits are considerably influenced by the initial reputation of the leading enterprise. When initial reputation is high, benefits decline over time in competition-dominated relationships but increase in other scenarios. (3) There is a threshold in the initial digital stock of the system. If this threshold is exceeded, the digital level decreases over time; otherwise, it increases. (4) The technology spillover effects between SRDI enterprises and leading enterprises promote resource investment by both parties across different coopetitive scenarios.

Enterprise green technology innovation serves as a critical pathway through which policy empowerment influences carbon emission reduction and stable growth. By endogenizing the green technology innovation process within an NK-E-DSGE model and simultaneously incorporating policy instruments such as “carbon reduction loan,” carbon taxes, and green R&D subsidies, this study simulates the individual and synergistic effects of fiscal and financial policy tools based on the calibration and estimation of Chinese quarterly macroeconomic data. The simulation results indicate that: First, regarding the effectiveness of individual policy instruments, carbon tax policy demonstrates a triple effect of fostering green technology innovation, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting long-term stable growth, proving more comprehensive compared to other policy tools. Second, in terms of policy interaction effects, the implementation of “carbon reduction loan” enhances the carbon reduction effect of carbon taxes, strengthens the output-boosting effects of government environmental investment expenditures and end-of-pipe reduction subsidies, and amplifies the green technology innovation inducement effect of green R&D subsidies. Third, with respect to policy combinations, the mix of “carbon reduction loans” and carbon taxes is more advantageous for achieving both carbon reduction and stable growth. Under both the “carbon reduction-oriented” and “growth-oriented” policy evaluation frameworks, the combination of “carbon reduction loans” and carbon taxes, when coordinated with a “tax and fee reduction” type of proactive fiscal policy, yields higher evaluation scores than when coordinated with an expansion of green fiscal expenditures. This conclusion holds even when further combined with loose monetary policy. Fourth, the government can further optimize the macroeconomic regulation effects of policy combinations by adjusting the carbon tax rate and the interest reduction coefficient of “carbon reduction loan”, thereby achieving a “Pareto improvement” in social welfare.

Network community is an important structural feature of social networks, and the changes in its members and structure have a significant impact on the access and acquisition of network resources. Based on social network theory and the knowledge-based view, we use Chinese A-share listed companies as samples to construct director networks at the corporate level and detect community structure. Then, we establish proxy variables for community evolution, divide different stages of community evolution, and empirically examine the impact of community evolution on green innovation. The results indicate that community evolution can significantly promote corporate green innovation, and the promoting effect of community evolution on green innovation is more significant during the decline stage than during the growth and stability stages,. The mechanism test finds that knowledge heterogeneity is a potential mediating mechanism between community evolution and green innovation. Further research shows that both the entry of new members and the exit of existing members have a positive impact on green innovation. Additionally, the promoting effect of community evolution on green innovation is more significant when the network community has a small size and a high density. This study not only enriches the research on social networks and green innovation from the meso-level network community perspective but also provides management insights for promoting knowledge sharing, collaborative innovation, and enhancing the quality and quantity of green innovation.

Regional innovation is a core driver of national economic development and technological self-reliance. However, weak linkages between R&D and technology commercialization still constrain overall innovation performance. From a complex economics perspective, this study constructs a systemic and structural framework of the digital ecosystem, distinguishing digital infrastructure, digital capabilities, and digital applications. Using a two-stage DEA and a two-step fsQCA, we conduct a configurational analysis of digital ecosystems and regional innovation efficiency across 30 Chinese provinces (Excluding the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions of China; Xizang is not included in the statistics due to incomplete data). The findings show that: (1) no single digital ecosystem element is a necessary condition for improving innovation efficiency, but efficiency-enhancing supersets do exist; (2) coordination between digital government and digital society is key to R&D efficiency, while digital government plays a core role in technology commercialization efficiency; (3) shifts in digital application focus and the deepening role of digital government are the two main mechanisms linking R&D and commercialization; (4) innovation efficiency improvement follows a logic of demand-driven restructuring and institution-enabled commercialization. This study enriches the understanding of the relationship between digital ecosystems and innovation efficiency from a systemic and structural perspective and provides references for regionally differentiated digital ecosystem development.

The relationship between enterprises on the US sanction list and their US suppliers plays a critical role in mitigating pressures from technological blockades. However, existing research has yet to sufficiently explore how such sanctions impact the relationships between sanctioned enterprises and their US suppliers, and how sanctioned enterprises leverage their inherent characteristics to maintain these supplier relationships. Drawing on signal theory, this study investigates the dynamics and adjustments in buyer-supplier relationships against the backdrop of the US sanction list, and employs the data of transactions between listed Chinese ICT enterprises and their US suppliers from 2014 to 2023 for empirical validation. The findings reveal that the US sanction list has a significant risk spillover effect that predisposes suppliers to conservative strategies in transaction decisions, as evidenced by much less transactions concluded with sanctioned clients. Yet it is worth noting that the risk spillover effect weakens when sanctioned enterprises are state-owned or pivotal in the market, and strengthens when sanctioned enterprises are heavily reliant on innovations in the US or highly digitalized. These findings broaden the research on the economic consequences of the US sanction list through a perspective of dyadic relationship, and provide strategic guidance for enterprises navigating geopolitical conflicts to enhance their supply chain management.

This paper constructs a theoretical model that incorporates firms’ internal and external product networks and innovations with different technological levels to explore how product networks influence firms’ heterogeneous innovation patterns. The findings reveal that firms with product structures closer to external network centers (market-central products) achieve higher horizontal and vertical innovation outputs. Meanwhile, firms closer to internal network cores (core products) have lower horizontal innovation outputs, with unclear effects on vertical innovation. However, the impact on horizontal innovation only holds under low market competition intensity. Mechanism analysis shows that proximity to external network centers facilitates access to diverse knowledge, enhancing the positive role of quality differentiation in innovation. Conversely, proximity to internal network cores reduces information processing capacity and amplifies the negative impact of production costs on horizontal innovation. Nevertheless, internal network core proximity represents a form of internal governance, and its negative effect on horizontal innovation is mitigated by high market competition. This study reveals the relationship between firms’ product networks and innovation performance, and provides rich implications for the optimization of innovation policy design.

Corporate green transformation is a crucial driver of high-quality economic development and the construction of a “Beautiful China.” As a key “barometer” reflecting macroeconomic dynamics, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises(MSMEs) have attracted increasing attention toward the role of entrepreneurs in shaping green development. Based on data from the Enterprise Survey for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in China (ESIEC) for 2018 and 2023, this study empirically examines the impact of micro-, small-, and medium-sized entrepreneurs’“rural imprint” on corporate green behavior and the underlying mechanisms. The results show that entrepreneurs’ rural imprint significantly promotes corporate green behavior. Mechanism analysis indicates that entrepreneurs with a rural imprint tend to exhibit stronger social responsibility awareness, which indirectly fosters corporate green behavior. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive effect is more pronounced among firms in the secondary and tertiary sectors. Improvements in human capital induced by formal education, vocational training, industry association participation, and migrant work experience can strengthen the positive impact. This study provides important decision-making references for governments to encourage public engagement with farming culture and to promote the concept of ecological civilization, while also enriching the literature on corporate green behavior by offering Chinese perspectives and solutions.

Cross-regional innovation cooperation is an important way to enhance the scientific and technological innovation capacity of the Yellow River Basin and promote the strategy of western development. By collecting the paper data and patent data of 48 prefecture-level cities (prefectures and leagues) along the Yellow River from 2015 to 2020, this paper constructs cross-regional scientific cooperation networks and technical cooperation networks in the Yellow River Basin, and analyzes the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of different innovation networks. Then, the QAP model is used to identify the mechanism of how multi-dimensional distance influences the cross-regional scientific and technical knowledge spillover in the Yellow River Basin. The findings are as follows: First, although the cross-regional innovation links in the Yellow River Basin have strengthened, the internal cooperation is still outshone by the cooperation with external cities. Second, the cross-regional innovation network structure of the cities along the Yellow River has evolved from the early “single core” to a “multi-center and multi-level” innovation pattern, and the cross-regional connection has changed from the “single link” dominated by a core city to the “multiple links” that contribute to the joint efforts of multiple cities. Third, geographical and administrative distances are important factors hindering cross-regional science and technology cooperation in the Yellow River Basin, and knowledge complementarity has a positive role in promoting cross-regional science and technology innovation cooperation in the Yellow River Basin. This paper expands the research on the distance effect of cross-regional science and technology innovation cooperation, and plays an important guiding role in promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.

In the era of digital economy, the application of data assets is extremely complex, which undoubtedly requires the coordination of human capital and data assets, so as to drive the strategic change of enterprises. The research sample of this paper is the A-share listed enterprises in China from 2010 to 2022. Theoretical analysis and empirical test are conducted to examine how the synergy between data assets and human capital affects the strategic transformation of enterprises. The results show that the collaboration of data assets and human capital can significantly promote the strategic change of enterprises, and this conclusion is verified by a series of endogenous analysis and robustness tests. The test of the mechanism of action shows that data assets and human capital cooperate through the opportunity utilization mechanism, resource management mechanism and risk response mechanism (or, to be specific, by improving the absorption and innovation ability, the resource acquisition and allocation ability, and the financial management and risk bearing ability of enterprises) to promote the strategic change of enterprises. The expansion study finds that for enterprises in the growth stage, enterprises with low organizational inertia, and when the industry competition is high and the economic policy uncertainty is low, the synergistic effect of data assets and human capital on the strategic change of enterprises is more significant. The collaboration between data assets and human capital can promote the strategic change of enterprises, ultimately realize the increase of market value of enterprises, and promote the sustainable development of enterprises. This paper expands the research on the collaboration between data assets and human capital, and provides a new way for enterprises to carry out strategic reform.

It is not unusual for subordinates to be superior to their supervisor in terms of competence, but the academic circle pays little attention to how supervisors respond to such superiority. Based on self-evaluation maintenance theory, this research explores the strategies, mechanism and boundary condition of supervisors’ response to the superiority. The data from 289 supervisor-subordinate dyads are selected by using the time-lagged and multi-source method, and hierarchical regression analysis is used to analyze the data. The research results show that facing the subordinates who have competence advantage, some supervisors choose to suppress the subordinates, others choose to learn from the subordinates. The self-esteem level plays a partially mediating role between subordinates’ competence advantage and supervisors’ suppressing or learning behavior. Supervisor-subordinate relationship negatively moderates the relationship between subordinates’ competence advantage and supervisors’ self-esteem level. And supervisor-subordinate relationship also has a negative effect on supervisors’ suppressing or learning behavior through self-esteem level.

Based on institutional theory, this paper constructs a conditional process effect model with social enterprises as the research object, aiming at exploring the internal mechanism and boundary conditions of informal institutional embeddedness affecting their performance. The results of analyzing the survey data of 169 social enterprises show that informal institutional embeddedness helps to enhance the social and economic performance of social enterprises, and dual identity plays a mediating role between informal institutional embeddedness and social enterprise performance. Further analysis shows that hybrid work experience of founders negatively moderates the relationship between informal institutional embeddedness and dual identity, while the completeness of organizational governance structure positively moderates the relationship. These two moderators also negatively and positively moderate the mediating role of dual identity between informal institutional embeddedness and social enterprise performance, respectively. The findings of this paper provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for social enterprises to consciously shape and utilize the institutional environment in which they are embedded in order to explore the best institutional paradigm.

Regulatory inquiry letters serve as an essential tool for exchanges to regulate the quality of information disclosure by companies under the registration-based IPO system. This paper employs a LDA topic model to quantify the extent of “irrelevant responses” in IPO regulatory inquiries and explores their impact on IPO pricing efficiency. The findings are as follows: First, the more severe the phenomenon of “irrelevant responses” in regulatory inquiry letters, the lower the IPO pricing efficiency. Second, “irrelevant responses” reduce pricing efficiency by influencing the pricing behavior of institutional investors in the primary market and investors in the secondary market. Third, the effect of “irrelevant responses” on pricing efficiency is moderated by the underwriter’s reputation and the development of factor markets. Fourth, the intensification of the “irrelevant responses” phenomenon leads to the expansion of information asymmetry and an increase in investors’ speculative transactions. Concurrently, companies with severe “irrelevant responses” issues exhibit significantly higher probabilities of financial restatements and elevated operational risks post-IPO, while demonstrating reduced R&D intensity. This paper, from the perspective of the quality of responses to regulatory inquiries, demonstrates that “irrelevant responses” during the IPO stage carry valuable market information. This finding offers a theoretical foundation for optimizing the inquiry supervision framework employed by exchanges under the registration-based IPO system.

This paper analyzes the relationship between digital transformation and the quality of internal control based on data from Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed enterprises from 2007 to 2022, deeply exploring the mechanism under the perspective of goal alignment. It is found that digital transformation significantly enhances the quality of internal control, and when the level of strategic aggressiveness is low, internal control costs are low, and the level of information disclosure is low, digital transformation and internal control are more aligned in their objectives, resulting in a more pronounced synergistic effect between the two. Further research reveals: (1) The impact of digital transformation on internal control quality is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and non-high-tech enterprises; (2) When industry concentration is low, industry profitability is high, and the local intellectual property protection and legal governance are inadequate, digital transformation has a more pronounced effect on improving the quality of internal control; (3) Different metrics and dimensions of digital transformation, as well as management’s emphasis on digital initiatives, have varying effects on internal control quality; (4) Digital transformation has a heterogeneous impact on the quality of different elements of internal control. This paper provides empirical evidence for understanding the causal relationship between digital transformation and internal control quality, its mechanisms and constraints.

Based on the innovative practice of work safety governance in the new era, this paper selects 16 typical manufacturing enterprises as the research objects, and refines a theoretical model of work safety governance mode of supply chain network for optimal efficiency by adopting the grounded theory method. Then the internal logic of key elements, relationship structure, behavior strategy and efficiency performance that enable the formation of work safety governance mode of supply chain network for optimal efficiency is revealed. This paper reaches the following conclusions: (1) In terms of the work safety governance of supply chain network for optimal efficiency, the external stakeholders led by the government and the enterprises with two-way efforts in the supply chain network respectively play the role of driving force and main engine. (2) Under the influence of informal relations among core enterprises, formal relations between core enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and informal relations among SMES, the horizontal linkage, vertical collaboration and penetration in the horizontal and vertical directions of work safety governance of supply chain network are promoted. Therefore, core enterprises take the initiative to carry out whole-process and dynamic work safety control for SMEs, while SMEs actively respond and comprehensively conduct multi-level and systematic work safety management. (3) Finally, under the dual pressure of external legitimacy and internal efficiency, core enterprises and SMEs in the supply chain network actively choose to join efforts in a coordinated manner for effective work safety governance, thus contributing to the compliant operation, risk control, resilience management and sustainable development of supply chain network’s work safety governance. This paper enriches the theoretical results of government work safety control, deepens the research on work safety governance of supply chain network, and also provides management enlightenment for the sustainable development of SMEs.

Consumers’ skepticism toward the environmental attributes of green products has become a major barrier preventing the products from being well received, so a very necessary solution is to find out how enterprises can leverage blockchain technology to rebuild consumer trust and enhance competitiveness. For this reason this study develops the decision-making models for a competitive green supply chain under consumer skepticism by considering four possible blockchain adoption scenarios involving two competing green manufacturers. From the perspective of profit optimization, we examine the differences in blockchain adoption preferences between the two green manufacturers and further analyze the environmental and social value brought by blockchain implementation. It is found that two green manufacturers’ decision on blockchain adoption depends on a combination of factors such as consumer skepticism, competition intensity in green design, and the cost of blockchain adoption. The green manufacturer facing a lower level of consumer skepticism has a stronger motivation to adopt blockchain, and there is never a game equilibrium where only the green manufacturer facing a higher level of consumer skepticism adopts blockchain. When the costs of blockchain adoption are relatively low, the retailer prefers both green manufacturers adopt blockchain. However, the green manufacturer himself prefers a scenario where only he adopts blockchain while his competitor does not. Meanwhile, the adoption of blockchain consistently leads to an increase in product prices, but does not necessarily result in an improvement in green design. And only when the environmental impact of blockchain itself is relatively small, can the blockchain adoption by both green manufacturers bring the lowest environmental impact and the highest social welfare. The research conclusion provides decision-making reference for green supply chain enterprises to make rational use of blockchain empowerment and improve the efficiency of green digital operations.

Under the background of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization and revitalizing agriculture through digital business, how fresh produce e-tailers can establish high-quality brand cooperation with agricultural producers has become a critical issue in both academia and industry. Based on the critical mass theory, this paper explores the process mechanism of constructing brand communities through a multi-case study of fresh produce e-tailers pairing up agricultural producers. On this basis, we propose the pro-agriculture and the farmer-reliant paths for fresh produce e-commerce brand communities. The findings show that fresh produce e-tailers, driven by category dominance or instance dominance, can form different paths for brand community construction by choosing different directions of attention. In collective action to build brand communities, fresh produce e-tailers adopt gaining models to improve the legitimacy and advancement of brand communities. Meanwhile, the e-tailers select appropriate rural revitalization strategies to address the productive and transactional constraints faced by agricultural producers and establish coordination mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of rural revitalization strategies. Through the aforementioned process, a bidirectional brand association between the two critical groups is established, and the brand community value is ultimately increased through digital business for rural revitalization. This paper expands the application of critical mass theory in the context of fresh produce e-commerce and deepens the research on brand community at the supply chain level. The conclusions can provide managerial implications for the construction of fresh produce e-commerce branding, the sustainable development of the agricultural industry, and the inclusive development of high-quality fresh produce.

The loss of cognitive legitimacy signifies an organization’s failure to be recognized by stakeholders such as customers, which constitutes a critical strategic issue. This requires rebuilding cognitive legitimacy by adjusting strategic positioning and other means to align with customer preferences. The process involves transformations in various organizational models and actions, achieved through the coordination of numerous conflicting relationships, which entails resolving multiple paradoxical equilibrium issues. Given this, this study adopts the paradoxical equilibrium as a theoretical lens and employs a single-case study approach to explore how organizations reconstruct cognitive legitimacy through strategic change processes. Research reveals that the reconstruction of cognitive legitimacy based on strategic change processes unfolds in three stages: cognitive legitimacy deficit, internal organizational construction of cognitive legitimacy, and external consensus-building of cognitive legitimacy. This involves four critical steps: identifying cognitive legitimacy deficits, establishing new legitimacy thresholds, crossing new legitimacy thresholds, and promoting new legitimacy thresholds; The four steps are based on the successive triggering relationship between the paradox of “profit-responsibility”, the paradox of “exploration-exploitation” and the paradox of “competition-cooperation”, whereby the succession is realized through the change of state “hidden-highlighted-hidden again”; Emerging demands propel paradoxes from latent to manifest states, revealing developmental challenges that organizations must address. Paradox’s transition back from manifest to latent states signifies the resolution of corresponding developmental issues-primarily achieved through paradox equilibrium strategies such as integration, spatial separation, and operational separation.