How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed Firms

Urgency and severity of climate change impacts have become increasingly prominent, making the enhancement of corporate climate risk disclosure (CCRD) a shared demand among regulators, investors, and the general public. From the perspective of irrational behavioral traits, this paper utilizes a sampl...

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Main Authors: Xiaolei Zou, Wangtong Li, Wenzhe Wu, Alistair Hunt, Haoyang Lu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Systems
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/13/6/494
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author Xiaolei Zou
Wangtong Li
Wenzhe Wu
Alistair Hunt
Haoyang Lu
author_facet Xiaolei Zou
Wangtong Li
Wenzhe Wu
Alistair Hunt
Haoyang Lu
author_sort Xiaolei Zou
collection DOAJ
description Urgency and severity of climate change impacts have become increasingly prominent, making the enhancement of corporate climate risk disclosure (CCRD) a shared demand among regulators, investors, and the general public. From the perspective of irrational behavioral traits, this paper utilizes a sample of A-share-listed companies in China from 2008 to 2022 to empirically examine the impact of executives’ overseas experiences on CCRD and its underlying mechanisms. To measure firm-level climate risk disclosure, we employ machine learning-based textual analysis techniques and match the constructed disclosure indicators with firms’ financial data. The results demonstrate that executives with overseas experience significantly enhance the level of CCRD, and this effect remains consistent after a series of robustness tests. This effect operates through the dual paths of “climate attention allocation enhancement” and “management myopia mitigation”. Moreover, the positive impact of overseas experience is more pronounced among firms in climate-sensitive industries and regions with lower climate awareness. A further analysis of executive overseas experience characteristics shows that executives with experience in developed economies and those with international educational backgrounds exhibit a stronger influence in promoting CCRD. Additionally, an investigation into the economic consequences demonstrates that executives with overseas experiences not only improve firms’ ESG performances but also help reduce ESG rating discrepancies, reinforcing the beneficial role of overseas exposure in corporate governance. The findings not only provided micro-level empirical evidence for the effectiveness of talent recruitment policies in emerging economies but also yielded critical policy implications for regulatory bodies to refine climate disclosure frameworks and enable enterprises to leverage opportunities in low-carbon transition.
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spelling doaj-art-df95248b72b241eb8db9a28f7df51ead2025-08-20T03:27:36ZengMDPI AGSystems2079-89542025-06-0113649410.3390/systems13060494How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed FirmsXiaolei Zou0Wangtong Li1Wenzhe Wu2Alistair Hunt3Haoyang Lu4School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, ChinaSun Yueqi College, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, ChinaDepartment of Economics, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UKDepartment of Economics, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UKUrgency and severity of climate change impacts have become increasingly prominent, making the enhancement of corporate climate risk disclosure (CCRD) a shared demand among regulators, investors, and the general public. From the perspective of irrational behavioral traits, this paper utilizes a sample of A-share-listed companies in China from 2008 to 2022 to empirically examine the impact of executives’ overseas experiences on CCRD and its underlying mechanisms. To measure firm-level climate risk disclosure, we employ machine learning-based textual analysis techniques and match the constructed disclosure indicators with firms’ financial data. The results demonstrate that executives with overseas experience significantly enhance the level of CCRD, and this effect remains consistent after a series of robustness tests. This effect operates through the dual paths of “climate attention allocation enhancement” and “management myopia mitigation”. Moreover, the positive impact of overseas experience is more pronounced among firms in climate-sensitive industries and regions with lower climate awareness. A further analysis of executive overseas experience characteristics shows that executives with experience in developed economies and those with international educational backgrounds exhibit a stronger influence in promoting CCRD. Additionally, an investigation into the economic consequences demonstrates that executives with overseas experiences not only improve firms’ ESG performances but also help reduce ESG rating discrepancies, reinforcing the beneficial role of overseas exposure in corporate governance. The findings not only provided micro-level empirical evidence for the effectiveness of talent recruitment policies in emerging economies but also yielded critical policy implications for regulatory bodies to refine climate disclosure frameworks and enable enterprises to leverage opportunities in low-carbon transition.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/13/6/494executives’ overseas experiencecorporate climate risk disclosuredual cognitive perspectiveirrational behavioral traitsESG performance
spellingShingle Xiaolei Zou
Wangtong Li
Wenzhe Wu
Alistair Hunt
Haoyang Lu
How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed Firms
Systems
executives’ overseas experience
corporate climate risk disclosure
dual cognitive perspective
irrational behavioral traits
ESG performance
title How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed Firms
title_full How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed Firms
title_fullStr How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed Firms
title_full_unstemmed How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed Firms
title_short How Do Executives’ Overseas Experiences Reshape Corporate Climate Risk Disclosure in Emerging Countries? Evidence from China’s Listed Firms
title_sort how do executives overseas experiences reshape corporate climate risk disclosure in emerging countries evidence from china s listed firms
topic executives’ overseas experience
corporate climate risk disclosure
dual cognitive perspective
irrational behavioral traits
ESG performance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/13/6/494
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