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Based on extant theories of the Liability of Foreignness (LOF) and knowledge-based view, this study examines the relationship between the innovation performance of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and CAGE distance, an aggregate indicator of cross-national differences which includes cultural, administrative, geographic and economic distance. Using a sample of 202 wholly-owned foreign subsidiaries of Chinese MNEs operating in 26 host countries, we provide empirical evidence that CAGE distance between home and host countries impedes innovation productivity of the parent, and such effects could be weakened by the MNE's active engagement in corporate social responsibility. Our research contributes to the existing conversation on cross-national distances in the literature, especially in the background of China's Belt and Road Initiative in an attempt to build international connectivity and cooperation. Several managerial implications are suggested for multinationals and governments to be aware of the CAGE distance challenge and to use CSR strategy to mitigate the hindering effect of such distance when operating abroad, thereby strengthening knowledge sharing and technology transfer within the subsidiary-parent network. Findings of the major challenges and recommendations for counter-measures to those challenges are needed for global efforts such as the Belt and Road Initiative to be effectively promoted.

Based on the integration of stakeholder theory and the knowledge-based view, this paper seeks to investigate the effect of firms' active engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their innovation performance. It is proposed that socially responsible firms, due to their enhanced relationship with stakeholders, could foster innovation performance through the improvement of knowledge acquisition. The moderating effects of two aspects of ownership structure, namely, ownership-control separation and ownership concentration, are examined to highlight the influence of corporate governance over agency problems on the focal relationship. The research uses a longitudinal analysis on a sample of 11,021 observations, including 2,531 firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges from 2011 to 2016. The results show that participation in CSR activities is positively related to a firm's innovation performance. The positive relationship is stronger when ownership is more concentrated and ownership rights are less separated from control rights.

This paper examines how entrepreneurial optimism and performance are related in two emerging economies, Laos and Kenya, by exploring the relationship between optimism and performance. The moderating effects of education and motive (opportunity vs. necessity) on the stated relationship are tested. By analysing a sample of 380 entrepreneurs in the two countries, we found that, unlike in Western countries where optimism generally leads to negative outcomes, optimistic entrepreneurs in emerging economies tend to perform better. Our results also suggest that when optimism is held constant, entrepreneurs motivated by opportunity outperform those who are motivated by necessity. However, education appears to have negative effect on entrepreneurial performance. Additionally, the above effects were found to be stronger for entrepreneurs from Laos than those from Kenya, which could be attributed to different religious beliefs. Findings, implications and limitations are discussed.

This study aims to determine why a firm would ever engage in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) during a turbulent era. Combining stakeholder theory, the resource-based view, and the literature on SSCM, we argue that SSCM can alleviate negative market reactions to severe external crises. Based on analyses of a sample of firms listed in China from 2019 to 2020, the results robustly display a positive relationship between SSCM and the abnormal returns surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19. The findings of this study extend the supply chain literature by constituting an important addition in external crisis times rather than only in normal times.JEL Classification:M14