The Impact of New Energy Enterprises’ Digital Transformation on Their Total Factor Productivity: Empirical Evidence from China

Yangjun Ren (), Xin Zhang and Hui Chen
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Yangjun Ren: School of Economics and Trade, Changzhou Vocational Institute of Textile and Garment, Changzhou 213164, China
Xin Zhang: Business School, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
Hui Chen: Department of Education, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: As digital technologies disrupt one sector after another, an increasing number of new energy enterprises are positively embracing digital transformation. However, it remains unclear whether digital transformation drives enterprise total factor productivity. To fill this gap, using a dataset of Chinese A-share listed new energy enterprises from 2009 to 2021, we investigate theimpact of digital transformation on a firm’s total factor productivity. The results show that there is a promoting effect of digital transformation on new energy enterprises’ total factor productivity. The promoting effect is significant only in the state-owned firms and the eastern region. Further, we demonstrate that when a firm has digital transformation, it has a higher operating efficiency, lower cost, and greater innovation power leading to higher total factor productivity. This research elucidates the role of digital transformation in fostering the new energy industry’s growth and provides meaningful suggestions for improving the effectiveness of digital transformation in new energy enterprises.

Keywords: digital transformation; total factor productivity; new energy enterprises; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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