The effects of AI technology, externally oriented corporate culture and environment on blockchain technology adoption

Purpose Our study investigates the economic importance and statistical significance of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, externally oriented corporate culture and the business environment on the adoption of blockchain technology (BT) based on the technology, organisation and environment (TOE) model. Design/methodology/approach In line with the TOE framework, we collect secondary data for a sample of 27,400 firm-year observations of Chinese A-share listed firms for the period 2013–2021. Blockchain data are obtained through a manual search of annual reports for the keyword blockchain technology; relevant content is assessed to confirm companies' BT adoption status. We use the Python-based Web Crawler to collect AI patent and corporate culture data from the management discussion and analysis section of the annual reports and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Findings We find that AI technology and externally oriented corporate cultures, such as those focused on competition and creation, positively affect BT adoption. Environmental factors such as market competition, government support and the level of digital financial development across provinces also positively affect BT adoption. Further testing showed that BT adoption reduces the level of earnings management practice. Originality/value Our study extends the TOE theory by providing comprehensive evidence of the internal and external factors affecting BT adoption. We also provide the first empirical evidence that creation- and competition-oriented corporate cultures positively influence BT adoption. Our additional testing of economic significance clarifies the economic importance of factors influencing BT adoption.