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ESG & Social Innovation

Driving Impactful ESG Research

At CKGSB, our professors are at the forefront of ESG research, contributing to leading academic journals with groundbreaking insights. Their work not only advances knowledge but also shapes business practices and influences public policy, paving the way for more sustainable and responsible decision-making.

Our ESG Research

Paper

Effects of Nudging and Privacy Control on Online Physician Reviews: Evidence from a Field Experiment

SUN Tianshu, Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor of Information Systems, CKGSB

Patients using healthcare services have substantial privacy concerns when writing online reviews of their physicians that may deter them from sharing information potentially helpful for others. This paper looks into how nudging strategies together with privacy control affect reviewers’ decisions related to the provision of reviews, disclosure of sensitive information, and identity revelation.

Paper

AI’s Invisible Hand: How Algorithms and Personal Data Shape Consumers and Competition

SUN Tianshu, Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor of Information Systems, CKGSB

This paper illustrates how artificial intelligence acts as an invisible hand, using algorithms and personal data to shape consumers’ behavior and the dynamics of competition. This research offers a roadmap for managers to use AI to build a sustainable competitive advantage through ongoing innovation.

Paper

Getting back a level playing field under state-guided market economy: Evidence from quake donations by non-state-controlled companies in China

Tao Zhigang, Professor of Strategy and Economics, CKGSB

In China’s state-guided market economy, non-state-controlled firms donate to government-favored causes to counter ownership-based discrimination. Examining donations to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake relief campaign, this paper finds strong positive market reactions, particularly for previously inefficient firms in regions with greater government intervention, where discrimination is more severe and donations can help restore a level playing field.

Paper

Foreign Ownership and Corporate Social Responsibility in an Emerging Market: Impacts and Mechanisms

Brian VIARD, Associate Professor of Strategy and Economics, CKGSB
ZHANG Gang, Assistant Professor of Economics, CKGSB

A paper based on a study to investigate the impact of foreign ownership on the environmental and social (ES) performance of publicly listed firms in an emerging market.

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Paper

Alive but Not Well: The Neglected Cost of Air Pollution

TAO Zhigang, Professor of Strategy and Economics, CKGSB

Besides medical expenses, hospitalizations due to air pollution result in welfare loss from activity restrictions and wage loss from the inability to work. This paper addressed a gap in the literature by examining the impact of air pollution on both the volume and intensity of hospitalizations, offering a comprehensive understanding of welfare and wage loss.

Paper

Does Concealing Gender Identity Help Women Win the Competition? An Empirical Investigation into Online Video Games

CHEN Xinlei, Professor of Marketing, CKGSB

How are gender stereotypes associated with competition? By studying behaviors in online video games, this paper found when men perceive their opponent as female, they exert increased effort in competition, but women seem unaffected by their opponent’s gender, which leads to poorer performance for women when competing against men, unless women conceal their gender.

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Paper

Worker Experience and Donor Heterogeneity: The Impact of Charitable Workers on Donors’ Blood Donation Decisions

SUN Tianshu, Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor of Information Systems, CKGSB

Charitable organizations face the challenge of retaining a steady supply of donations to deliver upon their mission. To secure a reliable donation flow and maintain their operations, charitable organizations spend significant efforts on donor recruitment and retention. This paper studied how charitable organizations can use microlevel data on worker-donor interactions to improve donation outcomes, by understanding workers’ experiences and donors’ characteristics.

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Paper

Evaluating Air Pollution Regulation: Separating Firm Competitiveness and Ambient Effects

Brian VIARD, Associate Professor of Strategy and Economics, CKGSB

A paper with an innovative approach to measure the environmental regulation’s effect on a firm’s competitiveness.

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Paper

The Shaping of a Gender Norm: Marriage, Labor, and Foot-binding in Historical China

FAN Xinyu, Assistant Professor of Economics, CKGSB

Foot-binding was a practice in historical China that had profound impacts on women’s well-being. This paper explored the motives behind foot-binding during the Song Dynasty by examining the marriage market and labor incentives. They provided insights into the economic origins of this gender norm.

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Paper

Welfare Consequences of Sustainable Finance

WANG Neng, Dean's Distinguished Chair Professor of Finance, CKGSB

A paper that modeled the consequences of sustainable finance portfolio mandates that restrict investors to hold firms with net-zero carbon emissions.

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Paper

Mitigating Disaster Risks in the Age of Climate Change

WANG Neng, Dean's Distinguished Chair Professor of Finance, CKGSB

A paper to study the necessity of adaptation strategies alongside emission reduction to mitigate climate-change-induced weather disasters. It introduces a model incorporating learning and adaptation into a general equilibrium framework, emphasizing the importance of both firm-level and collective efforts in disaster risk management.

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Paper

A Mayor’s Perspective on Tackling Air Pollution

Brian VIARD, Associate Professor of Strategy and Economics, CKGSB

A paper that reviewed recent empirical economic studies on urban ambient air pollution from a mayor’s perspective and discussed the sources of urban air pollution, the economic costs that it imposes, and the policy tools available to a mayor to alleviate it.

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Paper

The Effects of Advanced Degrees on the Wage Rates, Hours, Earnings and Job Satisfaction of Women and Men

ZHONG Ling, Assistant Professor of Economics, CKGSB

Over the last several decades, the number of individuals pursuing graduate degrees has grown rapidly, especially among women. Yet, there is limited evidence about the returns of graduate degrees for men and women, and how this varies by type of graduate degree. Even less is known about the impact of graduate degrees on other aspects of work life, such as hours worked and job satisfaction. This paper estimated the causal effects of specific graduate fields on earnings, the occupational component of earnings, the hourly wage, and hours worked.

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