IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i7p6216-d1115906.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Relationship between Diversification, Institutional Environment and Growth: A Study of Agricultural Companies in China

Author

Listed:
  • Haixia Zuo

    (School of Economics and Management, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China)

  • Wanming Li

    (School of Economics and Management, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China)

  • Syed Shah Alam

    (Graduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

Abstract

China’s economic growth has been heavily driven by its agriculture-related industries. This growth has been attributed to several factors, including government policies, technological advancements, and changing consumer preferences. This research aims to shed light on the underlying mechanisms that have enabled agriculture-related listed companies to thrive in China’s rapidly evolving economic landscape. Specifically, this study examines the role of the institutional environment, diversification strategy, and Confucian culture in the growth of these companies. Based on the institutional basic view theory, transaction cost theory, principal–agent theory, brand theory, and enterprise growth theory, this study uses empirical research to analyse the diversification strategy and growth of 204 agriculture-related listed companies from 2010 to 2019. The study selected companies listed as Class A in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery with complete data and more than three years of history. The selection also covered those whose income from agriculture accounted for more than 50% of the total in 2021, or those with the highest income related to agriculture accounting for over 30% of the total income. The collected data is analysed with SPSS and Stata. The results showed that the formal institutional environment significantly suppresses the diversification strategy of agriculture-related listed companies, while the Confucian culture in the informal institutional environment significantly promotes it. The interaction between the formal and informal institutional environments has a complementary effect on the choice of diversification strategy. The study also finds that diversification strategy significantly suppresses the growth of agriculture-related listed companies, and the formal institutional environment has a more significant inhibitory effect on the diversification strategy of agriculture-related listed companies. In the informal institutional environment, Confucian culture plays a more significant role in promoting the diversification strategy of agriculture-related listed companies. The output of this study is an empirical investigation of the level of institutional setting and diversity production, which could aid in sustainable development and revitalisation of rural communities. Applying the results of this study could help managers anticipate future policy changes and adjust their strategies accordingly, while also assisting companies in developing new products and services that meet changing demand.

Suggested Citation

  • Haixia Zuo & Wanming Li & Syed Shah Alam, 2023. "Relationship between Diversification, Institutional Environment and Growth: A Study of Agricultural Companies in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-25, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:7:p:6216-:d:1115906
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/7/6216/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/7/6216/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kirsten A. Cook & Andrea M. Romi & Daniela Sánchez & Juan Manuel Sánchez, 2019. "The influence of corporate social responsibility on investment efficiency and innovation," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3-4), pages 494-537, March.
    2. Li Liu & Gary Gang Tian, 2021. "Mandatory CSR disclosure, monitoring and investment efficiency: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(1), pages 595-644, March.
    3. Chao, Mike Chen-Ho & Kumar, Vikas, 2010. "The impact of institutional distance on the international diversity-performance relationship," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 93-103, January.
    4. Pingui Rao & Heng Yue & Xin Zhou, 2018. "Return predictability and the real option value of segments," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 167-199, March.
    5. Lei Chen & Zhi Jin & Yongqiang Ma & Hui Xu, 2019. "Confucianism, openness to the West, and corporate investment efficiency," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 25(3), pages 554-590, June.
    6. Kearsley, Aaron & Riddel, Mary, 2010. "A further inquiry into the Pollution Haven Hypothesis and the Environmental Kuznets Curve," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 905-919, February.
    7. Jikun Huang & Xiaobing Wang & Huayong Zhi & Zhurong Huang & Scott Rozelle, 2011. "Subsidies and distortions in China’s agriculture: evidence from producer‐level data," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 55(1), pages 53-71, January.
    8. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    9. Chen Lin & Wei Shen & Dongwei Su, 2011. "Executive Pay at Publicly Listed Firms in China," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(2), pages 417-436.
    10. Jikun Huang & Jun Yang & Scott Rozelle, 2010. "China's agriculture: drivers of change and implications for China and the rest of world," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 41(s1), pages 47-55, November.
    11. Yang, Dan & Liu, Zimin, 2012. "Does farmer economic organization and agricultural specialization improve rural income? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 990-993.
    12. Hongyun Han & Hui Lin, 2021. "Patterns of Agricultural Diversification in China and Its Policy Implications for Agricultural Modernization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-22, May.
    13. Busenitz, Lowell W. & Barney, Jay B., 1997. "Differences between entrepreneurs and managers in large organizations: Biases and heuristics in strategic decision-making," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 9-30, January.
    14. Raymond Fisman, 2001. "Estimating the Value of Political Connections," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 1095-1102, 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. Ilhan-Nas, Tulay & Okan, Tarhan & Tatoglu, Ekrem & Demirbag, Mehmet & Wood, Geoffrey & Glaister, Keith W., 2018. "Board composition, family ownership, institutional distance and the foreign equity ownership strategies of Turkish MNEs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(6), pages 862-879.
    2. Shujun Chao & Shanyong Wang & Haidong Li & Shu Yang, 2023. "The power of culture: Does Confucian culture contribute to corporate environmental information disclosure?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2435-2456, September.
    3. Gorman, Gary G. & Rosa, Peter J. & Faseruk, Alex, 2005. "Institutional lending to knowledge-based businesses," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 793-819, November.
    4. Cheng, Louis T.W. & Leung, T.Y., 2016. "Government protection, political connection and management turnover in China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 160-176.
    5. Randall Morck, 2011. "Finance and Governance in Developing Economies," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 3(1), pages 375-406, December.
    6. Lindner, Thomas & Muellner, Jakob & Puck, Jonas, 2016. "Cost of Capital in an International Context: Institutional Distance, Quality, and Dynamics," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 234-248.
    7. Zhe An & Wenlian Gao & Donghui Li & Dezhu Ye, 2022. "Dividend payouts, cash‐flow uncertainty and the role of institutions," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(7-8), pages 1356-1390, July.
    8. Alvaro CUERVO-CAZURRA & Luis Alfonso DAU, 2008. "Structural Reform And Firm Profitability In Developing Countries," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series wp940, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    9. João José M. Ferreira & Cristina I. Fernandes & Vanessa Ratten, 2016. "A co-citation bibliometric analysis of strategic management research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(1), pages 1-32, October.
    10. Alessandra Luzzi & Amir Sasson, 2016. "Individual Entrepreneurial Exit and Earnings in Subsequent Paid Employment," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(2), pages 401-420, March.
    11. Adetoun Adedotun Amubode & Hassanat Motunrayo Rauf-Lawal & Boiso Maria Owodiong-Idemeko, 2016. "Attitude of Couples and Marrigeable Singles in Establishing Joint Fashion Business," Journal of Management and Sustainability, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 6(1), pages 192-205, March.
    12. Chung, Chi-Nien & Mahmood, Ishtiaq & Mitchell, Will, 2009. "Political Connections and Business Strategy: The Impact of Types and Destinations of Political Ties on Business Diversification in Closed and Open Political Economic," CEI Working Paper Series 2008-24, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    13. Dhruv Chand Aggarwal, 2023. "The market for general counsel," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(4), pages 895-940, December.
    14. Aflatooni, Abbas & Ghaderi, Kaveh & Mansouri, Kefsan, 2022. "Sanctions against Iran, political connections and speed of adjustment," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(PB).
    15. Jing You, 2014. "Dietary change, nutrient transition and food security in fast-growing China," Chapters, in: Raghbendra Jha & Raghav Gaiha & Anil B. Deolalikar (ed.), Handbook on Food, chapter 9, pages 204-245, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. Michael Mayberry, 2020. "Good for managers, bad for society? Causal evidence on the association between risk‐taking incentives and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(9-10), pages 1182-1214, October.
    17. John Ahlquist & Aseem Prakash, 2010. "FDI and the costs of contract enforcement in developing countries," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 43(2), pages 181-200, June.
    18. Santiago Kopoboru & Gloria Cuevas-Rodríguez & Leticia Pérez-Calero, 2020. "Boards that Make a Difference in Firm’s Acquisitions: The Role of Interlocks and Former Politicians in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
    19. Zhen Cao & Yulin Chen & Jianyu Zeng & Qunzi Zhang, 2022. "Political connection, family involvement, and IPO underpricing: Evidence from the listed non‐state‐owned enterprises of China," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 105-130, May.
    20. Xu, Nianhang & Chen, Qinyuan & Xu, Yan & Chan, Kam C., 2016. "Political uncertainty and cash holdings: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 276-295.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:7:p:6216-:d:1115906. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.