In prior studies, several researchers have adopted entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in determining students’ intention toward entrepreneurship, although the application of EO is scant in determining intention toward social entrepreneurship in existing literature. Hence, in consideration of this research gap, the current study empirically examines the influence of the dimensions of social entrepreneurial orientation (SEO): social vision, social proactiveness, innovativeness, and risk-taking motive on graduate students’ entrepreneurial intention toward social entrepreneurship-based business start-up. An online-based survey method was used to collect data from a sample of 465 students purposively who were studying at different universities in Bangladesh. A PLS-based SEM was applied to analyze the data and examined the proposed relationships in the conceptual model. The findings reveal that Graduate students’ social proactiveness, innovativeness, and risk-taking motive significantly affect their social entrepreneurial intention. However, students’ social vision does not have direct influence but has indirect influence on social entrepreneurial intention through their social entrepreneurial attitudes. The research contributes to the body of knowledge in the existing social entrepreneurship literature as well as provides practical implications for the policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders working toward flourishing of social-based entrepreneurship, venture, and start-up.

This paper analyzes the correlation between bank-firm relationship and corporate green innovation in heavy pollution industries in China. It is found that bank-firm relationship has positively effect on corporate green innovation. The result is robust to Heckman two-stage analysis and Placebo test. Mechanism analysis shows that bank-firm relationship can reduce information asymmetry between borrower and lender, and foster corporate to obtain more debt financing and advance environmental governance. Moreover, the effect of bank-firm relationship on green innovation is more pronounced for corporate located in the area with poor green finance and low environmental regulatory information. Our findings suggest that bank-firm relationship can promote corporate green innovation and contribute to the development of green finance.

Environmental pollution is a significant constraint on the sustainable development of manufacturing companies, while digital transformation has been proven to be an effective method for companies’ environmental governance. Government environmental information disclosure (GEID), as a crucial information governance tool, enhances the collaborative environmental governance capabilities of both government and external stakeholders of companies. Logically, this indicates that by emphasizing environmental regulation, GEID can promote corporate digital transformation. This study empirically analyzes the impact of GEID on the digital transformation of companies, using a sample of Chinese A-share listed manufacturing companies. The results indicate that higher local GEID levels significantly boost the digital transformation of manufacturing companies in the region, with a one-point increase in GEID resulting in a 0.31% rise in the degree of digital transformation. This conclusion remains robust across various endogeneity and robustness tests. Further analysis reveals that GEID primarily promotes digital transformation through mechanisms such as fostering companies’ green development strategies and green innovation, increasing R&D expenditure, and reducing financing constraints. Additionally, the study finds that the impact of GEID on digital transformation is especially significant in firms with poor environmental performance, low fixed asset ratios, non-state-owned enterprises, and during the post-2015 period. Despite heavy assets typically being seen as a barrier to digital transformation in heavily polluting industries, GEID still significantly promotes the digital transformation of asset-intensive enterprises. This study not only provides a new perspective on understanding the impact of GEID on corporate digital transformation but also offers empirical evidence for policymakers and corporate managers, thereby aiding enterprises in achieving sustainable development goals.