IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v97y2025ics1059056024006063.html

How does digital transformation affect corporate risk-taking? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Feng, Xiaocui
  • Yu, Ruiqing

Abstract

We investigate how digital transformation affects corporate risk-taking by using the data of China's A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2021, and examines the mediating role of managerial ability. The results demonstrate that digital transformation is significantly and positively related to managerial ability, which promotes corporate risk-taking. We also provide further evidence that the impact of digital transformation on corporate risk-taking becomes more pronounced as economic policy uncertainty increases. Additionally, the results indicate that the role of digital transformation in improving corporate risk-taking is more significant in high-tech firms. Furthermore, we discover that by increasing corporate risk-taking, digital transformation further promotes firms' total factor productivity (TFP). Our findings supplement the literature on the influencing mechanism between digital transformation and corporate risk-taking from the perspective of managerial initiatives and provide more specific and feasible recommendations for firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Feng, Xiaocui & Yu, Ruiqing, 2025. "How does digital transformation affect corporate risk-taking? Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:97:y:2025:i:c:s1059056024006063
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2024.103614
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056024006063
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2024.103614?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Yufeng & Xu, Jing, 2023. "Digital transformation and firm cost stickiness: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    2. Atif Ikram & Zhichuan (Frank) Li & Travis MacDonald, 2020. "CEO Pay Sensitivity (Delta and Vega) and Corporate Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, September.
    3. Huang, Zhi-xiong & Li, Xiaozhong & Zhao, Yuheng, 2022. "Stock pledge restrictions and investment efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    4. Nathan Nunn & Nancy Qian, 2014. "US Food Aid and Civil Conflict," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(6), pages 1630-1666, June.
    5. Dunbar, Craig & Li, Zhichuan (Frank) & Shi, Yaqi, 2020. "CEO risk-taking incentives and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    6. Yang Liu & Connor Greene, 2020. "The Dark Side of Big Data: Personal Privacy, Data Security, and Price Discrimination," Springer Books, in: Babu George & Justin Paul (ed.), Digital Transformation in Business and Society, chapter 0, pages 145-153, Springer.
    7. Ingersoll, Alicia R. & Cook, Alison & Glass, Christy, 2023. "A free solo in heels: Corporate risk taking among women executives and directors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    8. Olley, G Steven & Pakes, Ariel, 1996. "The Dynamics of Productivity in the Telecommunications Equipment Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(6), pages 1263-1297, November.
    9. Narjess Boubakri & Sattar A Mansi & Walid Saffar, 2013. "Political institutions, connectedness, and corporate risk-taking," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(3), pages 195-215, April.
    10. Troise, Ciro & Corvello, Vincenzo & Ghobadian, Abby & O'Regan, Nicholas, 2022. "How can SMEs successfully navigate VUCA environment: The role of agility in the digital transformation era," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    11. Tian, Guangning & Li, Bo & Cheng, Yue, 2022. "Does digital transformation matter for corporate risk-taking?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    12. Huang, Shoujun & Liu, Hezhe, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on stock price crash risk: Evidence from Chinese energy firms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    13. Xue, Yan & Tang, Chang & Wu, Haitao & Liu, Jianmin & Hao, Yu, 2022. "The emerging driving force of energy consumption in China: Does digital economy development matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    14. Akdoğu, Evrim & MacKay, Peter, 2008. "Investment and Competition," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(2), pages 299-330, June.
    15. Patrick Kreiser & Louis Marino & Donald Kuratko & K. Weaver, 2013. "Disaggregating entrepreneurial orientation: the non-linear impact of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking on SME performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 273-291, February.
    16. Filippo Bertani & Marco Raberto & Andrea Teglio, 2020. "The productivity and unemployment effects of the digital transformation: an empirical and modelling assessment," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 329-355, November.
    17. Jiang, Jie & Hou, Jack & Wang, Cangyu & Liu, HaiYue, 2021. "COVID-19 impact on firm investment—Evidence from Chinese publicly listed firms," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    18. Zhang, Yixiang & Liu, Meiling & Fu, Bowen, 2024. "Can digital technology application promote energy saving and emission reduction practices in enterprise? An empirical study based on the awareness-motivation-capability perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    19. Jiménez, Gabriel & Lopez, Jose A. & Saurina, Jesús, 2013. "How does competition affect bank risk-taking?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 185-195.
    20. Kose John & Lubomir Litov & Bernard Yeung, 2008. "Corporate Governance and Risk‐Taking," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(4), pages 1679-1728, August.
    21. Pu, Guifang & Xie, Yanxiang & Wang, Kai, 2023. "Board faultlines and risk-taking," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    22. Alexandru W. A. POPP, 2012. "Foundations of Team and Cooperation Management," Economia. Seria Management, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 15(1), pages 5-18, June.
    23. Liu, Zixu & Zhou, Jianghua & Li, Jizhen, 2023. "How do family firms respond strategically to the digital transformation trend: Disclosing symbolic cues or making substantive changes?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PA).
    24. Sylvester Senyo Horvey & Jacob Ankamah & David McMillan, 2020. "Enterprise risk management and firm performance: Empirical evidence from Ghana equity market," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 1840102-184, January.
    25. Hisham Farag & Chris Mallin, 2018. "The influence of CEO demographic characteristics on corporate risk-taking: evidence from Chinese IPOs," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(16), pages 1528-1551, November.
    26. Colleen M. Boland & Corinna Ewelt-Knauer & Julia Schneider, 2022. "The gift that keeps on giving: corporate giving and excessive risk-taking," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 355-396, April.
    27. Wen, Fenghua & Li, Cui & Sha, Han & Shao, Liuguo, 2021. "How does economic policy uncertainty affect corporate risk-taking? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    28. Faccio, Mara & Marchica, Maria-Teresa & Mura, Roberto, 2016. "CEO gender, corporate risk-taking, and the efficiency of capital allocation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 193-209.
    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. Tao, Jiayi & Zhang, Xinhe & Wu, Xiaofei & Zhou, Qin, 2026. "Rethinking corporate diversification in emerging markets: How digital transformation reshapes strategies in China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Zhong, Linfei & He, Yuanqiong, 2025. "The impact of rookie CEOs on corporate risk-taking," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    3. Liu, Sihan, 2025. "Digital transformation–productivity nexus: Platform integration and enterprise performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    4. Zhang, Yuanchao & Huang, Xinlei & Ji, Ying, 2025. "Cocoon breaking: A dual-path exploration of occupational stigma in China’s insurance industry using grounded theory and structural equation model verification," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    5. Chai, Limeng & Lai, Kee-hung & Zong, Longyu, 2025. "How digital transformation enhances supply chain transparency? Based on the perspective of information improvement and resource optimization," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 201(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. Ding, Yibing & Sun, Yining & Zhang, Xiaoou, 2025. "Customer digital transformation and enterprise risk-taking: Evidence from Chinese supply chains," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    2. Yin, Libo & Lu, Man, 2022. "Oil uncertainty and firms' risk-taking," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    3. Du, Qunyang & Sun, Zhennan & Goodell, John W. & Du, Anna Min & Yang, Tianle, 2024. "Ecological risk and corporate sustainability: Examining ESG performance, risk management, and productivity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    4. Zhong, Linfei & He, Yuanqiong, 2025. "The impact of rookie CEOs on corporate risk-taking," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    5. He, Feng & Ding, Cong & Yue, Wei & Liu, Guanchun, 2023. "ESG performance and corporate risk-taking: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    6. Lan, Ge & Gao, Xin & Zheng, Xiaolan & Zhou, Hang & Li, Donghui, 2025. "Does short-selling threat potentially influence corporate risk-taking? Evidence from equity lending supply," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    7. Zhu, Danyu & Gao, Xin & Luo, Zijun & Xu, Weidong, 2022. "Environmental performance and corporate risk-taking: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Fu, Fanjie & Fang, Jing & Zhang, Fan & Yao, Shujie & Ou, Jinghua, 2024. "CEOs' hometown connections and corporate risk-taking: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    9. Cao, Xiyang & Ni, Jian & Wang, Fei & Xu, Yue, 2023. "Does customer concentration affect corporate risk-taking? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PA).
    10. Li, Gang & Ma, Yan, 2025. "Labor contract law, labor income share, and corporate risk-taking," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PC).
    11. Tran, Quoc Trung, 2023. "Employment protection and corporate risk-taking," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    12. Deng, Hong & Li, You & Lin, Yongjia, 2023. "Green financial policy and corporate risk-taking: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PB).
    13. Jin, Yige & Dong, Nanyan & Tian, Gaoliang & Zhang, Junrui, 2023. "Wisdom of the masses: Employee education and corporate risk taking," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    14. Suo, Xuekun & Zhang, Longting & Guo, Rong & Lin, Han & Yu, Mingchuan & Du, Xiuhong, 2024. "The inverted U-shaped association between digital economy and corporate total factor productivity: A knowledge-based perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    15. Sun, Zixiong & Anderson, Hamish & Chi, Jing, 2023. "Managerial foreign experience and corporate risk-taking: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    16. Guo, Jintong & Ding, Rui & Zhang, Ziyi & Zhang, Min, 2025. "Top executives' emotional stability and firm risk-taking: A machine learning-based study," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    17. Setianto, Rahmat Heru & Azman-Saini, W.N.W. & Law, Siong Hook, 2025. "Does financial inclusion affect corporate risk-taking?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    18. Mohamad Husam Helmi & Marwa Elnahass & Mohamed Shaker Ahmed, 2026. "From campus to boardroom: CEO education and its influence on corporate policies," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    19. Tran, Quoc Trung, 2019. "Economic policy uncertainty and corporate risk-taking: International evidence," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 52.
    20. Tan, Xiujie & Liu, Gufeng & Cheng, Si, 2024. "How does ESG performance affect green transformation of resource-based enterprises: Evidence from Chinese listed enterprises," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:reveco:v:97:y:2025:i:c:s1059056024006063. 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/inca/620165 .

    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.