The Mechanism of Digital Business Environment Affecting the Sustainable Development of Enterprises

The role of the digital business environment (DBE) in the sustainable development of enterprises (SDE) has received extensive attention. This study aims to discover what factors of DBE affect SDE. The empirical results based on China’s inter-provincial panel data from 2011 to 2021 show that DBE has a dual impact on the quantity and quality of enterprises from five dimensions, digital infrastructure, digital industrial environment, digital R&D support, digital talent supply, and digital market demand, among which the digital industrial environment, digital R&D support, and digital talent supply are more conducive to enterprise sustainability. The digital industry environment, digital R&D support and digital talent supply are more conducive to improving enterprise development quality. The results of the heterogeneity analysis further show that there is a significant difference in the regional effect of DBE on SDE. Enterprises in eastern, central, and western China show a tendency to differentiate the demand for different factor conditions, such as technology, industry, and talent, in the process of development. The research in this study provides new theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence for optimising the business environment and achieving SDE.