Corporate transformation toward Industry 4.0 and financial performance: The influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG)

Fadi Alkaraan, Khaldoon Albitar, Khaled Hussainey () and Vg Venkatesh

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2022, vol. 175, issue C

Abstract: Despite the importance of corporate transformation toward Industry 4.0 (CTTI4.0), almost no research exists on how companies communicate CTTI4.0 information in their annual reports and how this affects financial performance. To fill this gap, this paper uses computer-aided textual analysis to explore the current practices of CTTI4.0 in the UK context. It also uses quantitative analysis to examine the impact of CTTI4.0 information on financial performance. The analysis shows that strategic investment decision-making (SIDM) practices for CTTI4.0 have accelerated over the period, and these practices vary in industry sectors. Furthermore, it finds that CTTI4.0 disclosure has a positive impact on financial performance. In addition, it finds that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices moderate the relationship between CTTI4.0 disclosure and financial performance. This indicates that firms with better ESG performance tend to be more engaged in CTTI4.0 disclosure and better financial performance simultaneously. Our findings offer insights to decision-makers and regulatory bodies regarding the current practices of CTTI4.0 and its potential economic impact.

Keywords: Business model; Transformation; Industry 4.0; Financial performance; ESG; Strategic investment; Decision-making; Circular economy; UK, companies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (43)

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Working Paper: Corporate Transformation toward Industry 4.0 and Financial Performance: The Influence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:175:y:2022:i:c:s0040162521008544

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121423

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