Research on the Impact of Executives with Overseas Backgrounds on Corporate ESG Performance: Evidence from Chinese A-Share Listed Companies
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: As sustainable development gains importance, corporate ESG performance has become a key factor in investment decisions and long-term business growth. Drawing on upper echelon theory and stakeholder theory, this study examines the impact of executives with overseas backgrounds on ESG performance using data from A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2010 to 2022. The findings show that: (1) Executives with overseas backgrounds significantly enhance ESG performance; (2) this effect operates through three main channels—promoting corporate green technology innovation, improving the quality of corporate internal control, and enhancing the level of corporate risk-taking—while digital transformation positively moderates the relationship; (3) the effect is more pronounced in non-polluting, manufacturing, capital-intensive, and technology-intensive firms. This study clarifies the internal mechanisms by which executive backgrounds influence ESG outcomes and offers insights into enhancing ESG practices to support China’s “dual carbon” goals.
Source: Sustainability
DOI: 10.3390/su17177683
Authors: Lele Feng, Zhiqiang Ma
Institution: Jiangsu University
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W4413683179