CEO’s IT background and continuous green innovation of enterprises: evidence from China
Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal
ISSN: 2040-8021
Article publication date: 9 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine whether chief executive officer’s (CEO) information technology (IT) background can affect enterprises’ continuous green innovation (CGI).
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the data of China’s listed enterprises from 2011 to 2019.
Findings
The statistical results reveal that when a company hires a CEO with an IT background, its CGI can be higher. Firm ownership, firm digitization and industry bias alter the impact of CEO’s IT background on firms’ CGI. This effect is most pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs), high-digitalized enterprises and skill-biased industries, while not in SOEs, low-digitalized enterprises and labor-biased industries.
Practical implications
This study has practical implications, as it measures CGI of enterprises. It also points to the necessity for a CEO’s IT background to enhance CGI.
Social implications
The findings provide new strategies for incentivizing sustainable development and green innovation.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to discuss the association between CEO’s IT background and enterprises’ CGI. The conclusions enrich both upper echelons theory and enterprise green innovation literature.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work was supported by the National Social Science Fund of China (21FJLA001).
Citation
Pan, J., Bao, H., Cifuentes-Faura, J. and Liu, X. (2024), "CEO’s IT background and continuous green innovation of enterprises: evidence from China", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-07-2023-0497
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited