Green Entrepreneurial Orientation and Green Innovation: The Mediating Effect of Supply Chain Learning

Ying Guo,Lifang Wang,Yanyu Chen

doi:10.1177/2158244019898798

Ying Guo, Lifang Wang + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019898798

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Abstract

As a combination of innovation and environmental development concepts, green innovation is of great significance to sustainable development. This article takes supply chain learning as an intermediary to examine the direct and indirect effects of green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) on green innovation. This study builds a theoretical model among GEO, green incremental innovation, and green radical innovation, and uses empirical data from 416 enterprises in China for testing. The results show that corporate GEO has a positive impact on green incremental innovation and radical innovation. Supply chain learning has a significant positive effect on green incremental and radical innovation. In addition, corporate supply chain learning plays a mediating role in the relationship between GEO and green radical innovation, as well as plays a mediating role in the relationship between GEO and green incremental innovation. This study has an important contribution to enrich the theory of entrepreneurial orientation, green innovation, and supply chain learning, and is of great significance for managers to understand how to use GEO in the process of green innovation development.

Highlights

As the global environmental crisis continues to escalate (De Marchi, 2012), Chinese enterprises are accepting increasingly severe environmental challenges
In the context of the Chinese market, this study constructed a conceptual model among variables of corporate green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO), supply chain learning (SCL), green radical innovation (GRI), and green incremental innovation (GII)
We examined the impacts of GEO on green innovation and the internal mechanisms of this impact from the perspective of SCL

Summary

Introduction

As the global environmental crisis continues to escalate (De Marchi, 2012), Chinese enterprises are accepting increasingly severe environmental challenges. From the perspective of SCL, this article explores the mechanism of corporate GEO influencing green innovation of Chinese enterprises. If enterprises have strong GEO, they will demonstrate environmentally responsible management and innovation in products, services, processes, strategies, or business models, namely green innovation. According to the resource-based view, SCL can be regarded as a resource related to corporate strategic behavior and may play a bridge role in the relationship between GEO and green innovation. It is because supply chain partners may provide different ideas, information, and resources that are critical for a company’s consolidation of its GEO.

Results

Discussion and Conclusion

Limitations and Future