Asia Pacific Journal of Management最新文献

This research examined whether, how, and when being envied by coworkers influences employee service outcomes in the service context. Drawing upon self-determination theory (SDT), we tested a moderated-mediation model using a sample of 217 frontline service employees in two Chinese hotels. By focusing on the envied targets, our research demonstrates that being envied by coworkers negatively influences the targets’ service performance and proactive customer service performance (PCSP). Moreover, relatedness need satisfaction mediates the influence of being envied by coworkers on service performance and PCSP. Furthermore, employee interpersonal sensitivity strengthens the direct effect of being envied by coworkers on relatedness need satisfaction, and the indirect effects of being envied by coworkers on service performance and PCSP through relatedness need satisfaction. The present study provides new theoretical insights for future studies and managerial implications for service organizations.

This study investigates whether sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) funds can serve as “social responsibility mentors” of focal firms in a Chinese context. On this basis, we posit that firms’ greenwashing motives may lead to a bias between information disclosure and actual performance in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Using data from China’s publicly listed companies, we find a U-shaped relationship between SRI fund ownership and CSR disclosure quality; intrinsic and extrinsic greenwashing motives can weaken this curvilinear relationship. Furthermore, we examine the influence mechanism and prove that SRI funds use social screening strategies as an indirect channel to affect CSR disclosure. This mechanism is also verified when we consider SRI funds’ number and investment portfolio. We conclude that SRI funds have a multifaceted influence on the CSR disclosure of focal firms, enriching the understanding of SRI funds and corporate sustainability in the capital markets of emerging economies.

Based on institutional and resource-dependence perspectives, this article identified the research trends by using bibliometric analysis and explored whether and how legitimacy affects the enterprises' financial and non-financial performance by adopting a three-level random-effects meta-analytic model. A total of 15,696 observations included in 32 studies spanning 2004–2021 revealed a positive association between legitimacy and performance with a close to medium effect size. We found that enterprises in Asia and Africa were more inclined than those in North America and Europe to utilize legitimacy to direct performance. In addition, innovative industries and industries adopting innovative strategies significantly moderate the association between legitimacy and performance. Regarding different dimensions of legitimacy, the results demonstrated that general, regulatory, and environmental legitimacy play vital roles in moderating the legitimacy-performance relationship. This article is the first review to combine bibliometric analysis and meta-analysis to synthetically prove that legitimacy positively correlates with the performance of enterprises.

Although negative feedback is a dynamic phenomenon that changes over time, most research has taken a static approach to its analysis. In this study, we address this gap by applying goal-setting theory and taking a dynamic approach to negative feedback. Using a three-wave survey design, we examined whether, why, and when negative feedback change influences employees’ task performance. Our analysis of multi-source and multi-wave data (n = 127) shows that increase of negative feedback over time negatively influences employees’ task performance by reducing their goal commitment. We also find that the indirect negative effect is weakened when employees have a high growth mindset. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of negative feedback and thus open up a new and promising research direction.

Are business groups more likely to commit financial fraud when they are politically connected? Many past studies and anecdotal evidence have pointed out that business groups may behave more opportunistically when they are politically connected. However, the nature of the business group-government relationship evolves amid governance reform in many countries, making it difficult for business groups to abuse their political connections. In this research, we examine the business group-government relationship through the lens of social exchange and find a deterring effect of political connections on a connected business group’s propensity to commit fraud. Our results indicate that business groups are less likely to commit financial fraud when the extent of their political connection is high. By doing so, politically connected firms can prove themselves as legitimate business partners for the government and can more effectively secure a position to leverage their political connections. We additionally find that such an exchange relationship is weakened under a business group-unfriendly government due to their hostile relationships.

This study aims to shed light on the bright and dark sides of government-initiated corporate social responsibility (CSR) on organizational profitability in emerging markets. Building on insights from agency theory, we investigate how a government-initiated campaign targeting poverty alleviation in China influences current profitability (i.e., financial performance) and potential profitability (i.e., innovation intensity) and further examine the moderating effects of slack resources and competition intensity. Based on a sample of 1,125 listed firms in China from 2016 to 2019, our study finds that government-initiated CSR promotes financial performance while decreasing innovation intensity. Moreover, the positive influence of government-initiated CSR on financial performance is weaker for firms with greater levels of slack resources. In addition, in fiercely competitive environments, the negative relationship between government-initiated CSR and innovation intensity becomes more adverse. By demonstrating the double-edged role of government-initiated CSR, our findings contribute to the CSR literature and provide managerial implications for executives.

Drawing on political connection literature, we distinguish two types of political ties, horizontal (i.e., block ties with regions) and vertical (i.e., line ties with departments), and examine their effects on firm innovation. Based on a panel of Chinese public-listed private firms, we find that firms whose executives have block ties innovate much less than those without such ties, particularly when they are located in regions with less developed markets. In contrast, line ties increase firm innovation, particularly when the firms are located in regions with more developed markets. However, it also shows that the effect of line ties is attenuated when regional governments place a greater emphasis on innovation. Our research contributes to the literature on the relationship between political ties and firm innovation, the heterogeneity of political ties, and the interplay between political ties and the institutional environment.