Promotion or Prevention? Does CEOs’ Famine Experience Affect Their Digital Transformation Decisions?

IF 5.2 3区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management Pub Date : 2025-07-31 DOI:10.1109/TEM.2025.3594370

Zhenyu Wang;Longwei Wang;Min Zhang

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Abstract

Digital transformation offers firms significant advantages, with CEOs playing a crucial role in shaping strategic initiatives. However, few studies have examined how CEOs’ formative experiences influence their decision-making. Drawing on imprinting theory and regulatory focus theory, this study investigates the impact of CEOs’ early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine on digital transformation decisions, and identifies boundary conditions that shape this relationship. Using a dataset of Chinese listed companies, we find that 1) CEOs’ famine experiences activate a prevention focus, leading to a significantly negative impact on firm’s digital transformation effects; 2) CEO compensation strengthens the negative imprinting effect, while the marketisation level weakens it; and 3) the moderating effect of insignificant. The findings provide empirical evidence on the impact of CEOs’ early-life traumatic events on companies’ adoption of digital technologies and highlight the critical role of managerial incentives and institutional environments in moderating imprint effects.

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促进还是预防？ceo们的饥荒经历会影响他们的数字化转型决策吗？

数字化转型为企业提供了显著优势，ceo在制定战略计划方面发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，很少有研究考察ceo的形成经历如何影响他们的决策。利用印迹理论和监管焦点理论，本研究探讨了ceo早年经历“中国大饥荒”对数字化转型决策的影响，并确定了形成这种关系的边界条件。利用中国上市公司数据，我们发现：(1)ceo的饥荒经历激活了预防焦点，对企业的数字化转型效果产生了显著的负面影响；(2) CEO薪酬强化了负面印记效应，市场化程度削弱了负面印记效应；3)调节效应不显著。研究结果为ceo早年创伤事件对企业采用数字技术的影响提供了实证证据，并强调了管理激励和制度环境在调节印记效应中的关键作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management 管理科学-工程：工业

CiteScore

10.30

自引率

19.00%

发文量

604

审稿时长

5.3 months

期刊介绍： Management of technical functions such as research, development, and engineering in industry, government, university, and other settings. Emphasis is on studies carried on within an organization to help in decision making or policy formation for RD&E.