IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/pacfin/v87y2024ics0927538x24002592.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Increase or decrease: Customer digital transformation and supplier cost stickiness

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Mengzhe
  • Guo, Siyuan
  • Wang, Xizi
  • Liu, Yingqi

Abstract

Customer digital transformation plays a crucial role in shaping supply chain management, particularly affecting the cost stickiness of supplier firms. By analyzing textual data from the top five customers of Chinese listed firms, this study investigates the impact of customer digital transformation on supplier cost stickiness. The findings demonstrate that the spillover effects of customer digital transformation substantially decrease supplier cost stickiness. This decrease is due to decreased adjustment costs, alleviated agency problems, and mitigated management optimism. Additionally, cross-sectional analysis reveals that these effects are more pronounced in suppliers with greater geographic distances from their customers, those within less competitive industries, and those audited by Non-Big Eight accounting firms. This research provides valuable insights for digital initiatives, supply chain management, and cost-related decision-making processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Mengzhe & Guo, Siyuan & Wang, Xizi & Liu, Yingqi, 2024. "Increase or decrease: Customer digital transformation and supplier cost stickiness," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:87:y:2024:i:c:s0927538x24002592
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2024.102507
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927538X24002592
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.pacfin.2024.102507?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. Lijun Ma & Xin Wang & Che Zhang, 2021. "Does Religion Shape Corporate Cost Behavior?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(4), pages 835-855, May.
    2. Adhikari, Binay K. & Agrawal, Anup, 2018. "Peer influence on payout policies," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 615-637.
    3. Jiang, Wei & Yang, Wenbin, 2024. "ESG disclosure and corporate cost stickiness: Evidence from supply-chain relationships," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    4. Changling Sun & Zixi Zhang & Marek Vochozka & Iveta Vozòáková, 2022. "Enterprise digital transformation and debt financing cost in China’s A-share listed companies," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 13(3), pages 783-829, September.
    5. Kong, Dongmin & Pan, Yue & Tian, Gary Gang & Zhang, Pengdong, 2020. "CEOs' hometown connections and access to trade credit: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Wanyi Chen & Liguang Zhang & Pinyan Jiang & Fanli Meng & Qianyi Sun, 2022. "Can digital transformation improve the information environment of the capital market? Evidence from the analysts' prediction behaviour," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2543-2578, June.
    7. Itay Kama & Dan Weiss, 2013. "Do Earnings Targets and Managerial Incentives Affect Sticky Costs?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 201-224, March.
    8. Mark C. Anderson & Rajiv D. Banker & Surya N. Janakiraman, 2003. "Are Selling, General, and Administrative Costs “Sticky”?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(1), pages 47-63, March.
    9. Yu Gao & Kil-Seok Han, 2022. "Managerial overconfidence, CSR and firm value," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(6), pages 1600-1618, November.
    10. Wanyi Chen & Weiyu Cai & Yingfan Hu & Yuke Zhang & Qinyuan Yu, 2022. "Gimmick or revolution: can corporate digital transformation improve accounting information quality?," International Journal of Emerging Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 19(10), pages 2966-2990, December.
    11. Dmitry Ivanov, 2024. "Transformation of supply chain resilience research through the COVID-19 pandemic," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(23), pages 8217-8238, December.
    12. Xiaotao (Kelvin) Liu & Xiaoxia Liu & Colin D. Reid, 2019. "Stakeholder Orientations and Cost Management," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(1), pages 486-512, March.
    13. Nambisan, Satish & Wright, Mike & Feldman, Maryann, 2019. "The digital transformation of innovation and entrepreneurship: Progress, challenges and key themes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(8), pages 1-1.
    14. Clara Xiaoling Chen & Hai Lu & Theodore Sougiannis, 2012. "The Agency Problem, Corporate Governance, and the Asymmetrical Behavior of Selling, General, and Administrative Costs," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(1), pages 252-282, March.
    15. Brito, Luiz Artur Ledur & Brito, Eliane Pereira Zamith & Hashiba, Luciana Harumi, 2014. "What type of cooperation with suppliers and customers leads to superior performance?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(5), pages 952-959.
    16. Guo, Chenhao & Ke, Yun & Zhang, Jinkang, 2023. "Digital transformation along the supply chain," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    17. Chen, Yufeng & Xu, Jing, 2023. "Digital transformation and firm cost stickiness: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    18. Hui, Kai Wai & Klasa, Sandy & Yeung, P. Eric, 2012. "Corporate suppliers and customers and accounting conservatism," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 115-135.
    19. Prajogo, Daniel & Chowdhury, Mesbahuddin & Yeung, Andy C.L. & Cheng, T.C.E., 2012. "The relationship between supplier management and firm's operational performance: A multi-dimensional perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 123-130.
    20. Hutton, Amy P. & Marcus, Alan J. & Tehranian, Hassan, 2009. "Opaque financial reports, R2, and crash risk," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1), pages 67-86, October.
    21. Bizjak, John M. & Lemmon, Michael L. & Naveen, Lalitha, 2008. "Does the use of peer groups contribute to higher pay and less efficient compensation?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 152-168, November.
    22. Tolstoy, Daniel & Nordman, Emilia Rovira & Hånell, Sara Melén & Özbek, Nurgül, 2021. "The development of international e-commerce in retail SMEs: An effectuation perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(3).
    23. Verhoef, Peter C. & Broekhuizen, Thijs & Bart, Yakov & Bhattacharya, Abhi & Qi Dong, John & Fabian, Nicolai & Haenlein, Michael, 2021. "Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 889-901.
    24. Mabel D Costa & Ahsan Habib, 2023. "Cost stickiness and firm value," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 235-273, June.
    25. Hsihui Chang & Sheng Liu & Raj Mashruwala, 2022. "Customer Bargaining Power, Strategic Fit, and Supplier Performance," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(4), pages 1492-1509, April.
    26. Itzkowitz, Jennifer, 2015. "Buyers as stakeholders: How relationships affect suppliers' financial constraints," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 54-66.
    27. Wei Jiang & Wentao Yao & Yuming Hu, 2016. "The enforcement of the Minimum Wage Policy in China and firm cost stickiness," China Journal of Accounting Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(3), pages 339-355, July.
    28. Huang, Yuhong & Gao, Yajia, 2023. "Labor protection and the digital transformation of enterprises: Empirical evidence from China's social insurance law," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    29. Matray, Adrien, 2021. "The local innovation spillovers of listed firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 395-412.
    30. Banker, Rajiv D. & Byzalov, Dmitri & Chen, Lei (Tony), 2013. "Employment protection legislation, adjustment costs and cross-country differences in cost behavior," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 111-127.
    31. Jason V. Chen & Itay Kama & Reuven Lehavy, 2019. "A contextual analysis of the impact of managerial expectations on asymmetric cost behavior," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 665-693, June.
    32. Isaksson, Olov H.D. & Simeth, Markus & Seifert, Ralf W., 2016. "Knowledge spillovers in the supply chain: Evidence from the high tech sectors," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 699-706.
    33. He, Chengying & Geng, Xiaoxu & Tan, Chunzhi & Guo, Ruijin, 2023. "Fintech and corporate debt default risk: Influencing mechanisms and heterogeneity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    34. Wei Tu & Juan He, 2023. "Can Digital Transformation Facilitate Firms’ M&A: Empirical Discovery Based on Machine Learning," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(1), pages 113-128, January.
    35. Xianjie He & Jeffrey Pittman & Oliver Rui, 2016. "Reputational Implications for Partners After a Major Audit Failure: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(4), pages 703-722, November.
    36. Liu, Guangqiang & Liu, Boyang, 2023. "How digital technology improves the high-quality development of enterprises and capital markets: A liquidity perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    37. Kim, Hyemin, 2024. "Effects of customer unionization on supplier relationships and supplier value," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    38. Yongqiang Chu & Xuan Tian & Wenyu Wang, 2019. "Corporate Innovation Along the Supply Chain," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(6), pages 2445-2466, June.
    39. Chod, Jiri & Lyandres, Evgeny & Yang, S. Alex, 2019. "Trade credit and supplier competition," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(2), pages 484-505.
    40. Carlsson, Bo, 2004. "The Digital Economy: what is new and what is not?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 245-264, September.
    41. Zhai, Huayun & Yang, Min & Chan, Kam C., 2022. "Does digital transformation enhance a firm's performance? Evidence from China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    42. Kitching, Karen & Mashruwala, Raj & Pevzner, Mikhail, 2016. "Culture and Cost Stickiness: A Cross-country Study," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 402-417.
    43. Guochao Yang & Yize Hu, 2022. "Manufacturing background CEOs and corporate cost management: evidence from listed manufacturing firms," China Journal of Accounting Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 274-300, April.
    44. Ji, Yu & Shi, Lina & Zhang, Shunming, 2022. "Digital finance and corporate bankruptcy risk: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    45. Zhong, Rong (Irene), 2018. "Transparency and firm innovation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 67-93.
    46. Wen, Huwei & Zhong, Qiming & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "Digitalization, competition strategy and corporate innovation: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing listed companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    47. Erik Brynjolfsson & Lorin Hitt, 1996. "Paradox Lost? Firm-Level Evidence on the Returns to Information Systems Spending," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(4), pages 541-558, April.
    48. Jia Li & Zhoutianyang Sun, 2023. "Cost stickiness, earnings forecast accuracy, and the informativeness of stock prices about future earnings: evidence from China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    49. Tang, Jinghua & Wang, Xiaoming & Liu, Qigui, 2023. "The spillover effect of customers' ESG to suppliers," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    50. Steven N. Kaplan & Luigi Zingales, 1997. "Do Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivities Provide Useful Measures of Financing Constraints?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(1), pages 169-215.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jinxiang Zang & Neilson Teruki & Sharon Yong Yee Ong & Yan Wang, 2025. "Can Enterprise Digitalization Promote Green Technological Innovation? Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-18, February.

    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. Guo, Chenhao & Ke, Yun & Zhang, Jinkang, 2023. "Digital transformation along the supply chain," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. Wei Huang & Jaehyeon Kim, 2020. "Linguistically Induced Time Perception and Asymmetric Cost Behavior," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(5), pages 755-785, October.
    3. Ibrahim, Awad Elsayed Awad & Ali, Hesham & Aboelkheir, Heba, 2022. "Cost stickiness: A systematic literature review of 27 years of research and a future research agenda," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    4. Naoum, Vasilios-Christos & Ntounis, Dimitrios & Papanastasopoulos, Georgios & Vlismas, Orestes, 2023. "Asymmetric cost behavior: Theory, meta-analysis, and implications," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    5. Jiang, Yan & Wang, Jiaxin & Huang, Yibo, 2024. "Does religious atmosphere affect enterprise digital transformation? Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PB).
    6. Li, Longda, 2024. "The environmental spillovers of buyers' digital transformation: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    7. Li, Tongxia & Lu, Chun, 2022. "Stakeholder orientation and cost stickiness: Evidence from a natural experiment," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    8. Li, Tongxia & Lu, Chun & Chen, Zhihua, 2023. "The unintended consequence of collateral-based financing: Evidence from corporate cost behavior," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1).
    9. Peng Liang & Hasan Cavusoglu & Nan Hu, 2023. "Customers’ managerial expectations and suppliers’ asymmetric cost management," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 32(6), pages 1975-1993, June.
    10. Yu Li & Panpan Feng & Tiange Qi & Jiale Yan & Yongjian Huang, 2024. "Enterprise digital transformation, managerial myopia and cost stickiness," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    11. Long, Zhineng & Xuan, Wenshuang & Zhang, Yanyu, 2023. "The dilemma of hometown identity: Evidence from Chinese corporate cost behavior," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Mabel D. Costa & Ahsan Habib & Md. Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan, 2021. "Financial constraints and asymmetric cost behavior," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 33-83, March.
    13. Xinyi Du & Kangqi Jiang & Xian Zheng, 2024. "Reducing asymmetric cost behaviors: Evidence from digital innovation," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.
    14. Yuwen Cai & Nijat Hajikhanov & Thomas Kaspereit & Anke Müßig, 2024. "Local party committee and labor cost asymmetry," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 371-403, September.
    15. Zhou, Zhongsheng & Li, Zhuo, 2023. "Corporate digital transformation and trade credit financing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    16. Kerstin Lopatta & Thomas Kaspereit & Laura‐Maria Gastone, 2020. "Managerial style in cost asymmetry and shareholder value," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(5), pages 800-826, July.
    17. Hendijani Zadeh, Mohammad & Jalali, Zahra, 2024. "Do options trading activities affect underlying firms' asymmetric cost behavior?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    18. Cao, Feng & Zhang, Xueyan & Yuan, Rongli, 2022. "Do geographically nearby major customers mitigate suppliers’ stock price crash risk?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(6).
    19. Gu, Yuqi & Ouyang, Bo, 2024. "Debt covenant violations and corporate cost management," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    20. Chen, Yufeng & Xu, Jing, 2023. "Digital transformation and firm cost stickiness: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Supplier cost stickiness; Customer digital transformation; Spillover effect; Supply chain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M20 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:pacfin:v:87:y:2024:i:c:s0927538x24002592. 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/pacfin .

    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.