IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v178y2024ics0148296324001553.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How does competition policy affect enterprise digitization? Dual perspectives of digital commitment and digital innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Xie, Yu
  • Wu, Desheng

Abstract

Competition policy profoundly impacts enterprise digitalization, yet it remains an underexplored area in previous work. Utilizing China’s Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) as a quasi-natural experiment, we investigate the impact of competition policy on firm digital commitment and digital innovation leveraging Chinese-listed company data from 2004 to 2020. The results demonstrate that for business exposed to AML, their digital commitment and digital innovation have achieved considerable enhancements. However, digitalization remains a strategic endeavor for some enterprises without substantial enhancements in digital innovation capacity. Dynamic effects document that while the short-term digitization effect of AML is prominent, there are long-term risks of failure. Moreover, the benefits are more pronounced in non-internet, state-owned enterprises, and enterprises in the growth and maturity stage. While compliance costs challenge enterprise digitization, AML mitigates it by curbing market power and facilitating talent mobility. Our findings provide valuable managerial insights for sustainable digitization performance by emphasizing establishing internal digital ethics guidelines, proactively embracing social responsibility, and promoting inter-enterprise collaboration.

Suggested Citation

  • Xie, Yu & Wu, Desheng, 2024. "How does competition policy affect enterprise digitization? Dual perspectives of digital commitment and digital innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:178:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324001553
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114651
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324001553
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114651?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. J. Gregory Sidak & David J. Teece, 2009. "Dynamic Competition In Antitrust Law," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 5(4), pages 581-631.
    2. Jullien, Bruno & Sand-Zantman, Wilfried, 2021. "The Economics of Platforms: A Theory Guide for Competition Policy," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    3. Annarelli, Alessandro & Battistella, Cinzia & Nonino, Fabio & Parida, Vinit & Pessot, Elena, 2021. "Literature review on digitalization capabilities: Co-citation analysis of antecedents, conceptualization and consequences," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Vincent Laferrière & David Staubli & Christian Thöni, 2023. "Explaining Excess Entry in Winner-Take-All Markets," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(2), pages 1050-1069, February.
    5. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    6. Wang, Nan & Wan, Jiahao & Ma, Zhenzhong & Zhou, Yan & Chen, Jin, 2023. "How digital platform capabilities improve sustainable innovation performance of firms: The mediating role of open innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    7. Jean-Charles Rochet & Jean Tirole, 2003. "Platform Competition in Two-Sided Markets," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(4), pages 990-1029, June.
    8. 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.
    9. Feliciano-Cestero, María M. & Ameen, Nisreen & Kotabe, Masaaki & Paul, Justin & Signoret, Mario, 2023. "Is digital transformation threatened? A systematic literature review of the factors influencing firms’ digital transformation and internationalization," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    10. Shang, Yuping & Raza, Syed Ali & Huo, Zhe & Shahzad, Umer & Zhao, Xin, 2023. "Does enterprise digital transformation contribute to the carbon emission reduction? Micro-level evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 1-13.
    11. Jean Tirole, 1988. "The Theory of Industrial Organization," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262200716, December.
    12. Paolo Buccirossi & Lorenzo Ciari & Tomaso Duso & Giancarlo Spagnolo & Cristiana Vitale, 2013. "Competition Policy and Productivity Growth: An Empirical Assessment," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(4), pages 1324-1336, October.
    13. Ping Lin & Jingjing Zhao, 2012. "Merger Control Policy Under China’s Anti-Monopoly Law," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 41(1), pages 109-132, August.
    14. Wu, Keping & Fu, Yumei & Kong, Dongmin, 2022. "Does the digital transformation of enterprises affect stock price crash risk?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    15. Audretsch, David B. & Baumol, William J. & Burke, Andrew E., 2001. "Competition policy in dynamic markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 613-634, April.
    16. Philippe Aghion & Christopher Harris & Peter Howitt & John Vickers, 2001. "Competition, Imitation and Growth with Step-by-Step Innovation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 68(3), pages 467-492.
    17. 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.
    18. Gong, Cheng & Ribiere, Vincent, 2021. "Developing a unified definition of digital transformation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    19. Minggui Yu & Yujing Huang & Huijie Zhong & Qing Zhang, 2021. "Monopoly and corporate innovation: evidence from antitrust law," Nankai Business Review International, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(1), pages 58-78, October.
    20. Tang, Maogang & Liu, Yinlin & Hu, Fengxia & Wu, Baijun, 2023. "Effect of digital transformation on enterprises' green innovation: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    21. Changqi Wu & Zhicheng Liu, 2012. "A Tiger Without Teeth? Regulation of Administrative Monopoly Under China’s Anti-Monopoly Law," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 41(1), pages 133-155, August.
    22. Forgione, Antonio Fabio & Migliardo, Carlo, 2020. "CSR engagement and market structure: Evidence from listed banks," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    23. Zhiyong Liu & Yue Qiao, 2012. "Abuse of Market Dominance Under China’s 2007 Anti-monopoly Law: A Preliminary Assessment," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 41(1), pages 77-107, August.
    24. Dissanaike, Gishan & Drobetz, Wolfgang & Momtaz, Paul P., 2020. "Competition Policy and the Profitability of Corporate Acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    25. Carl Shapiro, 2019. "Protecting Competition in the American Economy: Merger Control, Tech Titans, Labor Markets," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 33(3), pages 69-93, Summer.
    26. Hart, David M., 2001. "Antitrust and technological innovation in the US: ideas, institutions, decisions, and impacts, 1890-2000," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 923-936, June.
    27. Timothy J. Muris & Jonathan E. Nuechterlein, 2019. "Antitrust in the Internet Era: The Legacy of United States v. A&P," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 54(4), pages 651-681, June.
    28. Steven Van Uytsel, 2021. "The Digital Economy and Asian Competition Law: An Introduction," Perspectives in Law, Business and Innovation, in: Steven Van Uytsel (ed.), The Digital Economy and Competition Law in Asia, pages 1-23, Springer.
    29. Gautier, Axel & Lamesch, Joe, 2021. "Mergers in the digital economy," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    30. Wu, Desheng & Xie, Yu & Liu, Dingjie, 2023. "Rethinking the complex effects of the clean energy transition on air pollution abatement: Evidence from China's coal-to-gas policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    31. Oliver Budzinski & Annika Stöhr, 2019. "Competition policy reform in Europe and Germany – institutional change in the light of digitization," European Competition Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 15-54, January.
    32. Mariotti, Sergio & Marzano, Riccardo, 2021. "The effects of competition policy, regulatory quality and trust on inward FDI in host countries," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6).
    33. Dennis L. Weisman, 2023. "Measuring the Power of Regulatory Regimes," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 62(1), pages 19-32, February.
    34. 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).
    35. Malodia, Suresh & Mishra, Mahima & Fait, Monica & Papa, Armando & Dezi, Luca, 2023. "To digit or to head? Designing digital transformation journey of SMEs among digital self-efficacy and professional leadership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    36. Colleen Cunningham & Florian Ederer & Song Ma, 2021. "Killer Acquisitions," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(3), pages 649-702.
    37. Elmawazini, Khaled & Atallah, Gamal & Rafiquzzaman, Mohammed & Guesmi, Khaled, 2022. "Do regulatory policies matter to corporate innovation?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    38. 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).
    39. 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).
    40. Xiaoye Wang, 2008. "Highlights of China’s New Antimonopoly Law," Antitrust Chronicle, Competition Policy International, vol. 8.
    41. Pingali, Srinivas R. & Singha, Sumanta & Arunachalam, S. & Pedada, Kiran, 2023. "Digital readiness of small and medium enterprises in emerging markets: The construct, propositions, measurement, and implications," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    42. Xingqiang Du, 2015. "How the Market Values Greenwashing? Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 547-574, May.
    43. Li, Ganglei & Shao, Yunfei, 2023. "How do top management team characteristics affect digital orientation? Exploring the internal driving forces of firm digitalization," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    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. Ruiyi Zhao & Ling Li, 2024. "Does digitalization always benefit cultural, sports, and tourism enterprises quality? Unveiling the inverted U-shaped relationship from a resource and capability perspective," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Wang, Xiaofen & Yu, Jing & Di, Jing, 2025. "Effects of digital economic antitrust policy on enhancing corporate innovation performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Wu, Desheng & Xie, Yu, 2024. "Unveiling the impact of public data access on collaborative reduction of pollutants and carbon emissions: Evidence from open government data policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    4. Tang, Ryan W. & Wang, Yi, 2025. "The length of historical path and the digitalization speed of record labels: A path dependence perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).

    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. Cavenaile, Laurent & Celik, Murat Alp & Tian, Xu, 2021. "The Dynamic Effects of Antitrust Policy on Growth and Welfare," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 42-59.
    2. Zhao, Shuang & Zhang, Liqun & Peng, Lin & Zhou, Haiyan & Hu, Feng, 2024. "Enterprise pollution reduction through digital transformation? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing enterprises," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    3. Zhou, Zhongsheng & Li, Zhuo, 2023. "Corporate digital transformation and trade credit financing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    4. Ma, Dechao & Wu, Weiwei, 2024. "Does artificial intelligence drive technology convergence? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing companies," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Li, Hemei & Liu, Zhenya & Hachard, Virginie, 2024. "Digital transformation driving green innovation: Evidence from Chinese A-Share firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    6. Jin, Huanhuan & Jiang, Nanyue & Su, Weihua & Dalia, Streimikiene, 2025. "How does customer enterprise digitalization improve the green total factor productivity of state-owned suppliers: From the supply chain perspective," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    7. Chen, Gaocai & Liu, Peng & Jiang, Aiying, 2024. "Does digital transformation in enterprises reduce debt default risk?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    8. Guo, Chenhao & Ke, Yun & Zhang, Jinkang, 2023. "Digital transformation along the supply chain," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    9. 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).
    10. Weilong Wang & Deheng Xiao & Jianlong Wang, 2025. "The Construction of Free Trade Zones Drives Digital Transformation: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Listed Enterprises," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(1), pages 1204-1235, March.
    11. Jiajia Liu & Kexin Zhou & Ye Zhang & Fangcheng Tang, 2023. "The Effect of Financial Digital Transformation on Financial Performance: The Intermediary Effect of Information Symmetry and Operating Costs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-22, March.
    12. Bennich, Amelie, 2024. "The digital imperative: Institutional pressures to digitalise," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    13. Yang (Eric) Zhou & Jingjun (David) Xu & Zhiying Liu, 2024. "The impact of digital transformation on corporate innovation: Roles of analyst coverage and internal control," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 45(1), pages 373-393, January.
    14. Broccardo, Laura & Tenucci, Andrea & Agarwal, Reeti & Alshibani, Safiya Mukhtar, 2024. "Steering digitalization and management control maturity in small and medium enterprises (SMEs)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    15. Xiao, Zhongyi & Li, Yuanling & Xiang, Cheng, 2025. "Do suppliers value customer firms' digital transformation? Evidence from trade credit provision," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    16. Du, Juntao & Shen, Zhiyang & Song, Malin & Zhang, Linda, 2023. "Nexus between digital transformation and energy technology innovation: An empirical test of A-share listed enterprises," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    17. Yuan, Sai & Zhou, Ran & Li, Mengna & Lv, Chengchao, 2023. "Investigating the influence of digital technology application on employee compensation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    18. Shi, Peihao & Huang, Qinghua, 2025. "Alignment of words and actions? Government environmental attention and enterprise digital transformation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    19. Wang, Qun & Zhao, Xiangfang & Zeng, Yongliang & Weng, Jiamin, 2024. "Executive equity incentives and corporate digital transformation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    20. Zheng, Deyuan & Song, Hang & Zhao, Chunguang & Liu, Yujiao & Zhao, Wenhao, 2024. "Is it possible for semiconductor companies to reduce carbon emissions through digital transformation? Evidence from China," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).

    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:jbrese:v:178:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324001553. 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/jbusres .

    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.