<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#0c343d"><span style="color:rgb(36,36,36);font-size:16px">Dear Colleagues,</span><br></div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(12,52,61)"><span style="color:rgb(36,36,36);font-size:16px"><br></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(12,52,61)"><span style="color:rgb(36,36,36);font-size:16px">We would greatly appreciate your assistance in sharing the following message with your industry contacts who may find it of interest.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(12,52,61)"><span style="color:rgb(36,36,36);font-size:16px"><br></span></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">We are currently conducting a research project to understand the sustainability practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United States and how they communicate these practices to their shareholders. As part of this research, we would like to<span class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:inherit"> </span><span style="border:0px;font:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:inherit;background-color:rgb(255,255,0)"><b class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0">invite <span class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(12,52,61)">US </span>industry practitioners</b></span><span class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:inherit"> </span>to share their opinions and experiences related to sustainability practices and/or reporting.</div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Participation in the study will<span class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:inherit"> </span><b class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0">involve completing an online questionnaire and a 30-minute Zoom interview</b>, for which we would like to obtain your permission to record. Please note that all responses will be kept confidential, and your participation is completely voluntary. You may withdraw from the study at any time. As a token of our appreciation, we will provide<span class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:inherit"> </span><b class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0">a $90 prepaid card after the interview</b>.</div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><b><u>If you are interested in participating, please contact either of the principal investigators (PIs) listed below.</u></b></div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Hao Zhang: <a href="mailto:zhang9hx@jmu.edu">zhang9hx@jmu.edu</a></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Ruirui Zhang: <a href="mailto:rzhang@framingham.edu">rzhang@framingham.edu</a></div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Please note that this study has been approved by the James Madison University Institutional Review Board under Protocol Number 23-3894. </div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Thank you for considering this invitation.</div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Sincerely,</div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Hao Zhang, Ph.D.</div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">James Madison University</div><div style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)"><br class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="gmail-x_ContentPasted0" style="border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:15px;line-height:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(36,36,36)">Ruirui Zhang, Ph.D.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:rgb(12,52,61)"><span style="color:rgb(36,36,36);font-size:15px">Framingham State University</span></div><br></div><br></div>