Exploring the nexus of knowledge management, absorptive capacity and corporate sustainable development: the moderating role of information technology (IT)

PurposeThis study investigates the crucial link between sustainable practices and organizational development, focusing on sustainable knowledge management (SKM), green innovation (GI) and corporate sustainable development (CSD) in diverse Pakistani organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a comprehensive research methodology involving advanced statistical techniques, such as confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear modeling. These methods are instrumental in exploring the complex interrelationships between SKM, GI, moderating factors and CSD.FindingsThis research generates significant findings and actively contributes to sustainable development. The following sections (Sections 4 and 5) delve into the specific findings and in-depth discussions, shedding light on how industry regulation, organizational sustainability priorities, workplace culture collaboration and alignment between green culture and knowledge management practices influence the relationships between SKM, GI and CSD. These findings provide valuable insights for the research community and organizations striving for sustainability.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings have practical implications for organizations seeking to enhance their sustainability efforts and embrace a socially and environmentally conscious approach to organizational growth.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on sustainable practices and organizational development. Researchers and business people can learn a lot from it because it uses advanced econometric models in new ways and focuses on the link between knowledge management, GI and sustainable corporate development.

Green innovations are applied in various industries to promote corporate sustainability by adopting sustainable development practices. However, very little is known about how the knowledge management process influences corporate green innovation. To contribute to the development of this issue, this study explores the relationships between knowledge management, corporate sustainable development and green innovation. Data was collected from 210 respondents from private companies in a developing country context and analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The findings provide several conclusions. First, the components of knowledge management (application, acquisition and sharing of knowledge) significantly improve the dimensions of corporate sustainable development (environmental, economic and social dimensions). Second, sustainable environmental practices have no effect on the adoption and application of green innovations by companies, however, sustainable social practices have a positive effect on green innovations. The results of this research also show that investing in knowledge management is of great importance for achieving sustainable development, as well as investing in the application of sustainable social practices.

Promoting the concept and principles of sustainable development at the micro level requires that industrial companies understand and improve approaches to managing corporate sustainability. Currently, economics does not provide a universal definition of what corporate sustainability is. With regard to the mining sector, corporate sustainability issues reflecting the viability, value, and sustainable development potential of companies have not yet been studied extensively. The article discusses the conceptual foundations of corporate sustainability; the characteristics and a classification of approaches to defining corporate sustainability; and the relationship between corporate sustainability, sustainable development at the micro level, and circular economy. By analyzing the example of Russia, the influence of the mining industry on the environmental, economic, and social development of both a country with a resource-based economy and individual mining regions is shown from the viewpoint of sustainability. The distinguishing features of mining companies, which include natural capital and mineral assets, are studied in the context of promoting corporate sustainability. It is proven that the effective corporate management of ESG factors results in environmental and social influence that goes in line with sustainable development requirements and serves as a foundation for corporate sustainability. A refined definition of corporate sustainability has been formulated, the specific features of corporate sustainability management in mining companies have been determined, and the specific features of corporate social responsibility have been studied. The issue of integrating circular economy elements into the corporate sustainability concept is discussed, and it is claimed that the inclusion of circular business models in the corporate strategies of mining companies will contribute to their corporate sustainable development and boost their contribution to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the disclosure of sustainable development goals (SDGs) by Indian firms and to examine the association between sustainable business practices and the disclosure of SDGs. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on large Indian non-financial firms listed in Bombay Stock Exchange 200 for six years from 2016–2017 to 2021–2022. Sustainable business practices are measured using four important indicators - the quality of sustainability discourse, compliance with Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, adoption of the guidelines of the International Integrated Reporting Council and external assurance of published reports. Content analysis is used to compute the disclosure score of SDGs and corporate sustainability performance. The authors have used a fixed effects regression model followed by Tobit model and two-stage least square model to examine the association between sustainable business practices and the disclosure of SDGs. Findings The results indicate an increasing trend of disclosure of SDGs by Indian firms. The empirical findings suggest a positive impact of sustainable business practices on the SDGs disclosure after controlling for firm-specific and corporate governance variables. Among the components of corporate sustainability, social and environmental factors positively influence the SDGs. Originality/value The study is a noble attempt to enrich the extant literature by providing empirical evidence on the association between sustainable business practices and disclosure of SDGs considering four important indicators of sustainable practices. The findings are useful for theoretical and practical implications.

Sustainable corporate development has become essential for many enterprises in the context of economic globalization and fierce technological competition. In fact, it is being tackled at a strategic level by most companies. The fulfillment of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is significant in building a corporate image, improving brand competitiveness, and promoting sustainable corporate development. Simultaneously, the level of corporate governance is a crucial factor in an enterprise’s long-term development. Therefore, this study clarifies whether CSR has a positive impact on the sustainable development of enterprises through empirical analysis; it also analyzes the effects of internal governance factors on the relationship between the two, from the perspective of corporate governance. A fixed-effects regression analysis was conducted on a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2015 to 2019. According to the results, active CSR can promote sustainable development. Furthermore, corporate governance factors such as internal control, management capabilities, and accounting information quality have a moderating role in the CSR process on sustainable corporate development. This study provides a theoretical basis for future research on CSR and sustainable development, and its findings can inspire governments and enterprises from the perspective of corporate governance.

Previous studies related to open innovation have presented piecewise implications in relation to various knowledge management capacities. The study published by Lichtenthaler and Lichtenthaler in 2009 presented a model that combines the various open innovation capacities of firms in view of a mix of knowledge management, dynamic capability and absorptive capacity. Despite these efforts, there have been few empirical studies on the relationships among capacities, or between capacities and performance from an integrated perspective. Therefore, this study seeks to clarify the relationships among knowledge capacities and between knowledge capacities, technological innovation and financial performance at the firm level. Our findings are that the transformative, connective, inventive and absorptive capacities both directly and indirectly affects technological innovation performance; and innovative and desorptive capacities are the key factors connecting technological innovation to financial performance. This study provides managerial implications for the balanced development of the various knowledge capacities and the improvement of technological innovation and financial performance for firm knowledge managers.

Based on the resource-based theory and stakeholder theory, this paper uses the data on 540 A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2014 to 2019 to carry out an empirical test of the relationship between corporate social responsibility, financing constraints and corporate sustainable development by using Stata14 software. The author explains the internal influence mechanism of corporate social responsibility on corporate sustainable development. The results show that corporate social responsibility can inhibit financing constraints and promote the sustainable development of enterprises in the Chinese context. Financing constraints restrain sustainable development of enterprises. Financing constraints play an intermediary role in corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. The conclusion of the study provides new management insights for the practice of corporate social responsibility in China.

Objective: Despite advances in studies in the field of corporate governance and sustainable development, it is still unclear what the central themes of research focused on this intersection of knowledge are. Therefore, the objective of this article is to map studies on corporate governance and sustainable development, understanding how these two fields of knowledge relate to each other and what the trends are for future studies. Methodology: The methodology used in this article was bibliometrics, which is the study of the quantitative aspects of the production, dissemination and use of recorded information through the development of mathematical models and measures for forecasting and decision-making (Tague-Sutcliffe, 1992). To perform the graphical analysis of the data, the Bibliometrix software was employed, with support from the Biblioshiny application. Findings: The first studies involving the theme of corporate governance and sustainable development dealt with issues related to business ethics and social responsibility. However, over the years, the focus has shifted to the board of directors, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility, evidencing a change in the way companies act and are responsible. Originality/Relevance: The originality and relevance of this article lies in the mapping and understanding of the themes that are being discussed at the intersection of the literature on corporate governance and sustainable development. Theoretical/methodological contributions: This study reviewed the literature on corporate governance and sustainable development and identified that the emerging themes involving both areas focus on sustainable finance, board size, ESG, and green innovation.

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we review efforts by business school academics to integrate corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and sustainable development in their teaching and coursework. We draw from recent research to describe the challenges and constraints to such integration, as well as the opportunities and potential of such efforts. We then report on the results of a survey of academics in business schools which underscore these challenges and constraints. We conclude with suggestions regarding how individual faculty members, business schools, and the broader field and its institutions can respond to the relative absence of these subjects and their integration in business school curricula. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

PurposeDrawing on the knowledge-based view and social exchange theory, this study aims to examine how top management support relates both directly and indirectly to employee creativity through knowledge management processes (acquisition and sharing) and absorptive capacity.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 284 academics and researchers working in research centres in Iraq’s public universities to assess their perceptions of management support, knowledge management, absorptive capacity and creativity.FindingsPerforming structural equation modelling with AMOS, positive relationships were identified between top management support, knowledge management processes, absorptive capacity and employee creativity. The study findings emphasise the pivotal role of top management support in creating an environment that fosters knowledge acquisition and sharing, and enhancing absorptive capacity, in turn, amplifying employee creativity. Empirical evidence confirming the salient role of knowledge management and absorptive capacity in strengthening employee creativity in the context of Iraqi academia and researchers is presented.Originality/valueThe study shows that knowledge management processes and absorptive capacity mediate the influence of top management support on employee creativity. The premise of absorptive capacity is the individual’s ability to identify, accumulate and assimilate relevant knowledge from external sources and commercialise the gained knowledge.

Purpose - With the acceleration of global integration and the deepening of the market economy, sustainable development is receiving unprecedented attention worldwide. Corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance is one of the most important ways of promoting sustainable development. Companies with good ESG performance excel both operationally and financially, maintaining their competitive advantage and achieving sustainable corporate growth. This study examines the impact of ESG performance on corporate sustainability and identifies factors that influence this relationship from the perspective of external governance structures. Design/Methodology/Approach - This study investigates the impact of corporate ESG performance on corporate sustainability using a fixed-effects model with Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2020. It also explores the moderating roles of external audit quality, the shareholding ratio of institutional investors, and analyst attention on the impact of ESG performance on corporate sustainability. Findings - The findings show that corporate ESG performance can contribute to sustainable development. External audit quality, the shareholding ratio of institutional investors, and analyst attention have positive moderating effects on ESG performance, which can contribute to sustainable development. Research Implications - This study enriches theoretical research in ESG performance and sustainability, and identifies external governance factors that contribute to the relationship between the two. Consequently, it provides suggestions for listed company growth and sustainability practices

Sustainable corporate development can be understood as a strategy that respects not only economic goals but also environmental and social aspects, weigh against each other and thus, ensures the long-term business success. The number of enterprises that are oriented towards corporate sustainability has increased in recent years, but the implementation still encounters a variety of limits. The goal of this chapter is the development of an integrated approach to foster sustainable development on the corporate level. In this context, not only tangible resources (e.g. raw material, energy or machines) but in particular intangible resources (e.g. expertise and professional competence of the employees, corporate culture or relations with stakeholders) are considered key success factors for a sustainable corporate development. For its application, the integrated approach provides a set of instruments and procedures, which can be used for the purpose of analysis, planning, controlling and reporting of sustainable corporate development.

The excessive utilization of industrial output has drawn significant attention from authorities toward sustainable development. Given the substantial environmental challenges posed by the industrial sector, sustainable development has emerged as a paramount concern for scholars and organizations alike. In this context, considerable emphasis has been placed on the significance of digitization. Digital technologies, particularly blockchain technology (BCH) and digital finance (DF), are transforming the landscape of business and the economy, facilitating corporate sustainable development (CSD), enhancing corporate social practices, and fostering green innovation. Through the application of various econometric strategies using the Chinese business sector as a sample of the study, we found that BCH effectively promotes green innovation and corporate social activities. Additionally, our analysis underscores the critical role of DF in advancing corporate social practices and green innovation. Notably, we highlight the importance of human capital as a moderating factor that strengthens the relationships between BCH and CSD, as well as between digital finance and CSD. This study offers novel insights into ways, digital technology can enhance corporate sustainability practices and presents a framework that may be of significant utility to policymakers and decision‐makers.

Green innovation (GI) is widely regarded as a strategy for pursuing sustainable corporate development. Drawing from the organisational information processing theory, this study investigates the moderation effect of information technology (IT) capability in shaping the impacts of ambidexterity and two types of GI practices, green product innovation (GPDI) and green process innovation (GPCI). Using a selective sampling of 368 firms in China, this study validates a 30-item measurement scale and approves the proposed theoretical model. The data obtained were then analysed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) executed by the AMOS 23 application. The results confirm the vital role of two sides of ambidexterity, namely, exploitation and exploration, in improving GI and the positive effects of GI on sustainable corporate development (i.e., environment, social, and financial sustainability). More importantly, IT capability only positively moderates the relationship between GI and one side of ambidexterity, i.e., exploitation. This study contributes to the strategies to better prepare companies in developing markets to achieve GPDI and GPCI as core competencies. Findings also provide evidence for practitioners to invest in GI to facilitate better corporate sustainability.

In this article, we cumulate previous research findings indicating that organizations advance to superior phases of environmental management development in order to attain corporate sustainability by the use of participative decision-making. We contribute to the literature on corporate sustainability management and performance by showing that the correlation between sustainable development governance, organizational knowledge, sustainable organizational development, and corporate sustainability, which shapes corporate environmental and sustainability management. Throughout June 2020, we conducted a quantitative literature review of ProQuest, Scopus, and the Web of Science databases, with search terms including “corporate sustainability”, “corporate sustainability management”, “corporate sustainability performance”, “sustainability reporting”, “sustainable supply chain management”, “sustainable corporate development”, and “environmental management systems”. As we inspected research published exclusively in the past two years, only 338 articles met the eligibility criteria. By eliminating the findings that were questionable, unsubstantiated by replication, or too general, and due to space limitations, we selected 93, mainly empirical, sources. Future research should investigate whether corporate governance systems, through organizational sustainability practices and performance reporting, can shape operational environmental sustainability and sustainable organizational culture.