IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v56y2023ics1544612323004907.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Leading the charge: The impact of executives with R&D backgrounds on corporate digital transformation

Author

Listed:
  • Yan, Weichen
  • Cai, Zhipeng
  • Yang, Aishu

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of executives with research and development (R&D) backgrounds on corporate digital transformation. Our findings suggest that they can significantly improve the level of digital transformation, which remains valid after performing a series of rigorous robustness tests. Additional analysis demonstrates that this relationship is more pronounced in firms where executives hold greater authority, receive higher compensation, and operate within the manufacturing sector. We also document that recruiting more R&D personnel and curbing managerial myopia are potential channels. This paper contributes to the literature on digital transformation and the heterogeneity of executives’ backgrounds.

Suggested Citation

  • Yan, Weichen & Cai, Zhipeng & Yang, Aishu, 2023. "Leading the charge: The impact of executives with R&D backgrounds on corporate digital transformation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:56:y:2023:i:c:s1544612323004907
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2023.104118
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612323004907
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2023.104118?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mikalef, Patrick & Pateli, Adamantia, 2017. "Information technology-enabled dynamic capabilities and their indirect effect on competitive performance: Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1-16.
    2. Dirk Jenter & Katharina Lewellen, 2015. "CEO Preferences and Acquisitions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 70(6), pages 2813-2852, December.
    3. Vincent L. Barker , III & George C. Mueller, 2002. "CEO Characteristics and Firm R&D Spending," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 782-801, June.
    4. Marianne Bertrand & Antoinette Schoar, 2003. "Managing with Style: The Effect of Managers on Firm Policies," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(4), pages 1169-1208.
    5. Guoyan Zeng & Linxing Lei & Ahmed Farouk, 2021. "Digital Transformation and Corporate Total Factor Productivity: Empirical Evidence Based on Listed Enterprises," Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, Hindawi, vol. 2021, pages 1-6, July.
    6. Ju, Xiaosheng & Jiang, Shengjun & Zhao, Qifeng, 2023. "Innovation effects of academic executives: Evidence from China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(3).
    7. Byun, SeongK. & Fuller, Kathleen & Lin, Zhilu, 2021. "The costs and benefits associated with inventor CEOs," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    8. Xu, Guiyang & Li, Guanggui & Sun, Peibo & Peng, Dan, 2023. "Inefficient investment and digital transformation: What is the role of financing constraints?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    9. Bill Francis & Iftekhar Hasan & Qiang Wu, 2015. "Professors in the Boardroom and Their Impact on Corporate Governance and Firm Performance," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 44(3), pages 547-581, September.
    10. Li, Shibin & Wang, Qian, 2023. "Green finance policy and digital transformation of heavily polluting firms: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    11. Matthew R. Marvel & G.T. Lumpkin, 2007. "Technology Entrepreneurs’ Human Capital and Its Effects on Innovation Radicalness," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(6), pages 807-828, November.
    12. Lin, Chen & Lin, Ping & Song, Frank M. & Li, Chuntao, 2011. "Managerial incentives, CEO characteristics and corporate innovation in China's private sector," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 176-190, June.
    13. André Hanelt & René Bohnsack & David Marz & Cláudia Antunes Marante, 2021. "A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1159-1197, July.
    14. Wang, Liang & Wang, Qikai & Jiang, Fan, 2023. "Booster or stabilizer? Economic policy uncertainty: New firm-specific measurement and impacts on stock price crash risk," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    15. Bin Ke & Xinshu Mao & Bin Wang & Luo Zuo, 2021. "Top Management Team Power in China: Measurement and Validation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(10), pages 6602-6627, October.
    16. Muzhi Wang & Weichen Yan, 2022. "Brain Gain: The Effect of Employee Quality on Corporate Social Responsibility," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 58(4), pages 679-713, December.
    17. Fan, Gang & Ma, Guangrong & Wang, Xiaolu, 2019. "Institutional Reform and Economic Growth of China: 40-year Progress Toward Marketization," Acta Oeconomica, Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary, vol. 69(supplemen), pages 7-20, January.
    18. Hu, Yan & Che, Dexin & Wu, Fei & Chang, Xi, 2023. "Corporate maturity mismatch and enterprise digital transformation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    19. Gong, Qiang & Liu, Chong & Peng, Qianni & Wang, Luying, 2020. "Will CEOs with banking experience lower default risks? Evidence from P2P lending platforms in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    20. Ge-zhi Wu & Da-ming You, 2021. "Will enterprise digital transformation affect diversification strategy?," Papers 2112.06605, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2022.
    21. Andrew M. Bauer & Junxiong Fang & Jeffrey Pittman & Yinqi Zhang & Yuping Zhao, 2020. "How Aggressive Tax Planning Facilitates the Diversion of Corporate Resources: Evidence from Path Analysis†," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(3), pages 1882-1913, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Trabert, Sebastian, 2023. "Do younger CEOs really increase firm risk? Evidence from sudden CEO deaths," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    2. Ji, Mingming & Jiang, Liangliang, 2022. "Aggressive CEOs and bank mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3).
    3. Gaurav Gupta & Jitendra Mahakud & Vivek Verma, 2020. "CEO's education and investment–cash flow sensitivity: an empirical investigation," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(4), pages 589-618, December.
    4. Cui Zhang, 2017. "Top manager characteristics, agglomeration economies and firm performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 543-558, March.
    5. Gaurav Gupta, 2022. "CEO’s educational background, economic policy uncertainty and investment-cash flow sensitivity: evidence from India," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(5), pages 568-579, January.
    6. Xue, Yi & Zhang, Xinzhi, 2024. "Digital transformation and corporate capital structure: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    7. Hua, Zesu & Yu, Yihua, 2023. "Digital transformation and the impact of local tournament incentives: Evidence from publicly listed companies in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    8. Liu, Baohua & Zhou, Wei & Chan, Kam C. & Chen, Yining, 2020. "Corporate executives with financial backgrounds: The crowding-out effect on innovation investment and outcomes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 161-173.
    9. Xu, Jing & Li, Haizheng, 2023. "Managerial human capital and corporate R&D investment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 151-171.
    10. Ahmed, Mohamed Shaker & Kumar, Satish, 2023. "Are MBA CEOs really more risk-averse?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    11. Shen, Huayu & Lan, Fengyun & Xiong, Hao & Lv, Jun & Jian, Jianhui, 2020. "Does top management Team’s academic experience promote corporate innovation? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 464-475.
    12. King, Timothy & Srivastav, Abhishek & Williams, Jonathan, 2016. "What's in an education? Implications of CEO education for bank performance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 287-308.
    13. Zhang, Cui, 2017. "Political connections and corporate environmental responsibility: Adopting or escaping?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 539-547.
    14. Nadia Loukil & Ouidad Yousfi, 2022. "Do CEO’s traits matter in innovation outcomes?," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 375-403, September.
    15. Li, Chengming & Wang, Yilin & Zhou, Zhihan & Wang, Zeyu & Mardani, Abbas, 2023. "Digital finance and enterprise financing constraints: Structural characteristics and mechanism identification," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    16. Fuxia Gao & Chuan Lin & Haomiao Zhai, 2022. "Digital Transformation, Corporate Innovation, and International Strategy: Empirical Evidence from Listed Companies in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-19, July.
    17. Fu, Shuke & Ge, Yingchen & Hao, Yu & Peng, Jiachao & Tian, Jiali, 2024. "Energy supply chain efficiency in the digital era: Evidence from China's listed companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    18. Tutun Mukherjee & Som Sankar Sen, 2022. "Impact of CEO attributes on corporate reputation, financial performance, and corporate sustainable growth: evidence from India," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-50, December.
    19. Sun, Xiuli & Li, Haizheng & Ghosal, Vivek, 2020. "Firm-level human capital and innovation: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    20. Xie, Linlin & Liu, Yangbo & Jiang, Tianhao, 2024. "Executives with business education background and cost of debt financing: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 283-296.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:56:y:2023:i:c:s1544612323004907. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.