Do Vice Chancellors' Career Horizon Matter for University Sustainability Performance? The Moderating Role of Soft Information
研究了英国大学副校长的职业视野（即距离退休的时间长短）如何影响学校的可持续发展绩效，并发现软信息（如报告中的前瞻性语言）会调节这种影响。
ABSTRACT In the evolving landscape of higher education, leadership plays a pivotal role in directing institutional strategies towards sustainability. This study examines how the career horizons of Vice Chancellors (VCs)—often akin to CEOs in the corporate sector—influences the sustainability performance of UK universities. Using a unique hand‐collected dataset covering the years 2018–2022, our results show that shorter VC career horizons negatively impact universities' sustainability performance, indicating that VCs closer to retirement are more ethically and sustainability‐focused. Moreover, we explore how the disclosure of soft information—characterised as boilerplate and forward‐looking language in sustainability reports—affects this relationship. Our analysis indicates that this soft information significantly moderates the effects of VCs' career horizons on sustainability outcomes. Specifically, we discover that extensive use of forward‐looking and boilerplate language tends to exacerbate the negative impacts of shorter VC tenures on sustainability performance. This research contributes to the academic discourse by documenting how leadership tenure and the strategic use of narrative in public disclosures interact to shape institutional sustainability. The findings advocate for a strategic approach in leadership appointments and reporting practices, enhancing the alignment between leadership characteristics and the long‐term sustainability goals of higher education institutions.