ICT Utilization in Supply Chain Environmental Collaboration Practices as the Moderator of Firms’ Financial Performance

The purpose of this study is to verify whether increasing the intensity of ICT utilization in environmental collaboration practices (ECPs) in the supply chain has a positive impact on firms’ financial performance (FP). As such, it answers the call for investigating the moderators of firms’ FP in their environmental supply chain management. The paper presents the results of a study conducted among 500 firms located in Poland with the use of the CATI technique. The research results show that increasing the intensity of ICT utilization in ECPs, in most cases, does not affect the firms’ FP. Statistically significant relations were observed only in green design ECPs, which shows that increasing the intensity of ICT utilization in green design ECPs reduces the likelihood of revenue growth thanks to ECPs implementation. The paper fills a research gap in the moderating role of the intensity of ICT utilization in increasing financial benefits thanks to the implementation of ECPs in the supply chain. As such, it contributes to the environmental supply chain management literature. The results highlight the need for further research on the moderators of firms’ financial benefits from ECPs implementation, which should be studies in isolation but also jointly, to verify their combined effect. Also, the character of different ECPs categories should be studied to link them with the most appropriate ICT.

Further Developments of the Financially-ESG Sustainable Growth Matrix

Bellandi (20212022) has developed a matrix to assess the consistency between sustainable financial growth and sustainable ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance, hereafter ESG) growth, and how this may impact shareholders versus other stakeholders. This article further builds on that matrix, to link the product life cycle approach and the BCG matrix to the sales growth axis of the matrix and determine both the actual revenue growth and the financially sustainable revenue growth associated to each stage of a product life cycle and each quadrant of the BCG matrix. The article also illustrates how the Life Cycle Assessment methodology can be linked to the product life cycle model, and better quantify the ESG impact of each product life cycle stage on the ESG axis of the financially-ESG sustainable growth matrix. The article shows how the reading of both product life cycle and BCG matrix can be expanded from a proprietory (shareholders) to a societal (other stakeholders) perspective. This opens a new direction of research to evidence alternative ESG improvements in each stage of the life cycle model that may make a product more ESG compliant, therefore suggesting strategies to improve the ESG rating of a business or a company. This article is also a methodological step forward to create an index of ESG sustainable growth, which is currently missing.

Market-based pricing for road freight transportation

The specifics of market pricing in the Russian road freight transport market by means of correlation and regression analysis have been studied. Statistically significant factors have been highlighted, and mathematical models have been constructed. The influence of fictitious variables (body type) that improve the quality of the calculated values has been noted. Regression equations useful for determining the average market value of tariffs have been drawn up, which, when compared to actual tariffs, may indicate the adequacy of freight transactions. The results of transport companies registered in the Krasnodar region have been considered. A differentiated approach has been justified, requiring enterprises to be divided into revenue growth groups in order to identify differences in profitability and its sustainability. The limitations and shortcomings of the mathematical model, which do not allow us to make an unambiguous conclusion about the unprofitable and low-margin nature of the industry, have been considered. Areas for future research have been suggested.

Why companies succeed or fail: corporate cycles and firm function in tandem

Purpose This paper aims to underscore the need for developing a model of corporate cycles, which can explain how corporations rise, decline and fall in the marketplace. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual study that draws on prior theoretical and empirical insights of the entrepreneurial, managerial and social functions of the firm to develop a model of corporate cycles. Findings Firms that pass the test of the market and live for a long time, undergo cycles, expansions and contractions, driven by successes and failures in the way they configure and execute their entrepreneurial, managerial and social, functions. Practical implications A model of corporate cycles can explain how momentum rises and falls on Wall Street. It can also help predict revenue growth, a key variable in equity valuation models. Originality/value The originality of this study stems from a constructive synthesis of different concepts and theories of the firm to explain firms’ growth, decline and fall in the marketplace.

Tax Expenditures in Local Taxes - an Effective Instrument of Local Tax Policy? The Example of Poland

This study examines the size and diversity of tax expenditures (TEs) by gminas (municipalities) in Poland between 2007 and 2019. Consequences of gminas' taxing power and the reduction of revenues resulting from statutory tax preferences were taken into account. To analyze the data, we used: scatter graphs (showing the relationship between two selected variables) and plot graphs (showing the course of the values of the studied variables over time, to show the dynamics of the phenomena). The scatter graphs showed, sometimes strong, linear correlative relationships. No clear curvilinear relationships were found, therefore we applied Pearson correlation. Gminas used TEs to a small but also highly variable extent. The factors determining their use involved: the type and potential of the gmina; the type of local tax. The research hypothesis was partially positively verified. The increase in the incremental % of TEs' share in tax revenue has a positive impact on the incremental trend of revenue growth in the following year. The use of TEs in real estate and vehicle taxes may have strengthened the revenue potential of some gminas in the consecutive years.

Priority development areas as a tool for enterprises support in Russian monotowns

This paper aims to estimate the effectiveness of the Priority Development Areas (PDA) program in Russian monotowns at the firm level. Using data from the SPARK-Interfax database on Russian companies in 2014–2018, the authors estimate the effect of the PDA residency on the firms’ revenue growth in monotowns in Russia. The authors test two hypotheses. First, the status of the PDA resident is obtained by firms that have been successful in previous periods. Second, the PDA resident status does not have a positive effect on firm growth. To measure the treatment effect, the authors use the nearest neighbor propensity score matching method, which allows drawing conclusions about causality, as opposed to the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. The regressions consider the firm size, industry, and geographic location of the city. According to the results of the study, both hypotheses are confirmed. Resident status is determined by the gains in the company’s revenue for the two previous periods (the coefficients are significant in all specifications at the 5% level). The influence of residency on the firm’s revenue growth is neglected (becomes insignificant) when comparing enterprises with the same pre-2015 trends. Thus, the authors conclude that the success of the PDA program in Russian monotowns in terms of business support is questionable. The findings of the study are valid for enterprises established before 2015.

Official Tenure, Fiscal Capacity, and PPP Withdrawal of Local Governments: Evidence from China’s PPP Project Platform

PPP withdrawal policy is helpful to reduce over-investment in PPPs leading to sustainable development. However, little is known about the role of local governments on over-investment in PPPs. Using the PPP Project Platform Data, a unique dataset, this article is able to quantify over-investment in PPPs by coding PPP withdrawal for the first time. This research tests the influencing factors of PPP withdrawal at the municipal level, according to the centralized withdrawal policy in late 2017 as an exogenous treatment. Based on the theory of over-investment to rapid economic growth, this study develops a two-pillar framework under the combination of political man and economic man assumptions to explain the PPP withdrawal of local governments. The results show that both official tenure and fiscal capacity are significant factors. In addition, debt partially mediates the mayor tenure on PPP withdrawal, and the land revenue growth can hinder the negative relationship between mayor tenure and PPP withdrawal. It implies that over-investment in PPPs is strongly influenced by official leaders’ personal promotion incentive and official group members’ collective benefit. Thus, our findings indicate that the centralized withdrawal policy is an effective instrument to prevent over-investment in PPPs. Moreover, a match should be formed between local development planning and investment plans to promote sustainable of PPP investment.

Assessing the Prospects of Green Marketing in India

The word “eco-friendly” has become a slogan of today’s marketing practices of different companies throughout the world. Green marketing is gaining noteworthy attention from both marketers and consumers. Given that a cautiously crafted green marketing strategy can earn trustworthiness with customers and provide a stage for revenue growth, it’s an area worthy of additional reflection. This paper is an effort to present a picture of green marketing prospects in India.

The Virtual Enterprise: enterprise transformation enabled by strategic digital acceleration

Purpose The Virtual Enterprise model expands potential for extreme digitalization, extended value chains and intelligent workflows, along with new partnership and ecosystem approaches. Design/methodology/approach Analysis of a new survey of more than 7000 C-suite executives conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) provides new and striking insights into what operational, organizational and cultural environments are most conducive to effective and enduring digital transformation. Findings The Virtual Enterprise re-imagines how and where work is done, re-evaluating the necessity for physical assets, infrastructure and talent. Practical/implications The single most important characteristic of the Virtual Enterprise is “openness”, which brings value at three levels: inside the enterprise, with partners outside the enterprise and with the wider ecosystem. Originality/value The research found that the high technology adopters who focus on “openness” and “ecosystems” enjoy a 40 percent revenue growth performance premium over their advanced competitors.