Corporate Environmental Strategy Research Articles

The Levels of Government Environmental Attention and Enterprises’ Green Technological Innovation

This study utilizes data from listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2010 to 2023 and employs text analysis methods to investigate the impact of government environmental concerns on corporate green technology innovation and its underlying impact mechanisms. The empirical findings demonstrate that heightened government environmental concerns significantly foster corporate green technology innovation. This relationship remains robust across a series of sensitivity analyses. The impact mechanism analysis reveals that increased government environmental concern leads to a heightened intensity of environmental regulation, drives the intelligent transformation of enterprises, and enhances the implementation of corporate environmental strategies, collectively contributing to the improvement of corporate green technology innovation capabilities. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis indicates that the effect of government environmental concerns is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises, mature enterprises, and industries with lower pollution levels. This study underscores that the government’s intensified focus on environmental issues can effectively promote corporate green technology innovation, thereby promoting sustainable economic and social development and supporting the dual goals of environmental protection and economic growth.

Going green, going strong: maximising restaurant performance with sustainable practices

ABSTRACT The food and services sector contributes to global carbon emissions, impacting climate change. This study, organised in a developing country, aims to explore how restaurants in the hospitality industry can enhance their environmental and financial performance through corporate social responsibility (CSR), green orientation, green innovation and environmental strategies. Using partial least squares structural equation modelling, data from 283 restaurant employees were examined. The findings show that CSR and green orientation directly enrich both environmental and financial performance. Moreover, green innovation mediates the association with CSR, green orientation and performance outcomes, with the influence of green innovation on performance further moderated by environmental strategies. These results show that incorporating CSR, green orientation, green innovation and environmental strategies can substantially benefit restaurant performance. This study offers constructive insights into the distinctive challenges and opportunities for sustainability in the food and services industry in the context of a developing country, where short-term economic pressures often dominate long-term sustainability goals.

Cross-border capital flows and low-carbon economic development: Examining the impact of foreign shareholding

This study utilizes data from Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2021 to explore the impact of foreign shareholding on the development of a low-carbon economy and the underlying mechanisms. Findings show that foreign shareholding significantly reduces corporate carbon emissions and promotes corporate environmental responsibility and low-carbon transformation. The paper further investigates how foreign shareholding reduces carbon emissions by increasing corporate investments in environmental protection and driving green innovation. Foreign participation is found to improve the efficiency of corporate resource allocation and innovation capabilities, allowing for continuous improvements in low-carbon technologies and production processes. The study also examines the effect of corporate environmental strategies and green technology advancement on the relationship between foreign shareholding and carbon emissions, revealing the heterogeneity of foreign investment impacts on low-carbon development under different corporate environments and capabilities.

Research on the driving factors and impact mechanisms of green new quality productive forces in high-tech retail enterprises under China's Dual Carbon Goals

In recent years, the issue of global climate change has become increasingly severe, prompting countries worldwide to intensify their control over carbon emissions to achieve sustainable development goals. As a crucial component of the modern economy, high-tech retail enterprises significantly influence the entire industry's sustainable development through technological innovations and business models. This study focuses on Chinese high-tech retail enterprises, employing a theoretical framework grounded in Resource Dependency Theory and the dialectics of productive forces and relations from a Marxist political economy perspective, supported by Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The study identifies the degree of green technology application, corporate environmental policy response strategies, and consumer environmental awareness and demand as mediating variables. The aim is to deeply explore the impact mechanisms driving green and new-quality productivity in Chinese high-tech retail enterprises and to provide an in-depth understanding of the sustainable development of their green and new-quality productivity. The findings indicate that external resources such as policy support, technological innovation, and market demand significantly impact the green productivity of high-tech retail enterprises. Government environmental policies and subsidy measures provide institutional safeguards and resource support for enterprises; technological innovation drives the application and efficiency improvement of green technologies; and market demand for environmentally friendly products promotes the green transformation of enterprises. The study explores how enterprises can integrate different external resources to maximize the benefits of green productivity, including formulating policy response strategies, strengthening technological innovation and R&D investment, seizing market opportunities, and establishing cooperative relationships. These findings offer necessary theoretical support and practical insights into the resource dependency strategies and the mechanisms impacting the development of green productivity in high-tech retail enterprises. This study provides valuable theoretical and practical references for high-tech retail enterprises in promoting the development of green and new-quality productivity. It offers valuable suggestions and guidance for enterprise decision-making and policy formulation. By revealing the dialectical interaction between external resources and internal production relations, this study provides a systematic path analysis and strategic recommendations for achieving the Dual Carbon goals.

Exploring the missing link between top management teams' characteristics and environmental information disclosures of construction corporations

PurposeGiven the heavy pollution feature of the construction industry, construction corporations need to adopt an effective environmental governance strategy. The quality and quantity of environmental information disclosure (EID) implementation, as an essential part of a corporate environmental governance strategy, is impacted by the characteristics of the top management team (TMT). This paper aims to analyze the relationship between the demographic characteristics of the TMT (i.e. gender, age, tenure, educational level, and duality) and corporate EID.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from listed construction corporations generated between 2014 to 2018 in China, this study employs the Tobit regression model to test the research hypotheses. Also, this study applies a novel analytical approach, necessary condition analysis (NCA), to conduct a series of additional tests.FindingsThe results reveal that tenure and educational level are significantly and positively related to EID, while gender, age, and duality in the executive role are not significantly related to EID. When considering the TMT size as a moderator, the TMT age is positively related to the corporate EID, and the size of the TMT acts as a moderator to weaken the positive effect of the TMT age on the EID. The NCA results show that TMT gender, age, tenure, and educational level are necessary when the levels of EID exceed 40%.Originality/valueOur findings suggest that TMT characteristics have a relatively significant effect on corporate EID levels, which extends EID research to the construction industry. Corporate planners can endeavor to shape TMT characteristics to improve EID levels. The results of NCA provide insights into what TMT characteristics construction corporations need to satisfy in their pursuit of transparent EID, as well as the levels at which these characteristics are desired.

Climate change exposure and the takeover market: A text‐based analysis

AbstractWe examine the impact of takeover vulnerability on firm‐specific climate change exposure using sophisticated text‐based metrics generated from machine learning algorithms and a measure of takeover vulnerability primarily derived from state takeover laws. Based on a large sample of more than 28,000 observations, our findings show that firms more vulnerable to hostile takeovers have higher exposure to physical climate risks, as managers focus on short‐term financial performance over long‐term risk mitigation. These firms also reduce regulatory risk exposure by adopting stringent compliance measures and improving environmental practices to avoid penalties and attract investors. However, they are less likely to invest in new business opportunities related to climate change, prioritizing stability over potential gains in new business opportunities. Propensity score matching and entropy balancing confirm the robustness of these results. Our research provides insights into how hostile takeover threats influence corporate environmental strategies.

Entrepreneur Status Perception and Corporate Environmental Strategy in China

Entrepreneur Status Perception and Corporate Environmental Strategy in China

The synergistic impact of incentive and regulatory environmental policies on firms’ environmental performance

The imperative to enhance corporate environmental performance is not only pivotal for a company’s growth but also crucial for fulfilling societal responsibilities and protecting global environmental interests. Recognizing the inadequacies of standalone environmental policies, our study delves into the synergistic effects of incentive-based and regulatory approaches on the environmental performance of listed firms in China. We meticulously examine the interplay between environmental punishment and subsidies over the period of 2015–2019. Our analysis reveals that a strategic combination of punishment and subsidies can substantially improve firms' environmental performance. This effect intensifies with the increasing amounts of fines and subsidies. Additionally, we explore the dynamic effects of policy implementation. Our results indicate that subsidies implemented either a year before or after the imposition of punishment might diminish the effectiveness of standalone environmental penalty policies. Furthermore, our findings suggest that diverse regulatory policies enhance firm environmental performance by promoting investments in environmental protection and fostering green innovation. This discovery highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of policy mixes and their implications for corporate environmental strategies.

Research on the Effect of Corporate Environmental Responsibility on Corporate Sustainability and the Mediator Effect of Corporate Environmental Strategy

Corporate sustainability development has emerged as a significant concern globally. However, there is an inherent conflict between the corporate’s goals of maximization of profit and achievement of sustainable development. The increasing environmental responsibility offers a solution to reconcile this contradiction. Therefore, this paper aims to empirically investigate the influence of corporate environmental responsibility on corporate sustainable development and the mediator effect of corporate environmental strategy based on the nature of strategy that it can transform temporary and one-sided-focused activities into chronical and holistic actions. The study conducted two stages of data collection, gathering a total of 324 data sets from China in 2022, which were subsequently analyzed. The findings demonstrate that corporate environmental responsibility has a significant positive impact on corporate sustainable development, with corporate environmental strategy playing a crucial intermediary role. And this research offers theoretical contribution by extending literature on sustainable development and provides significant managerial implications.

Economic vulnerabilities and sustainability in energy utilities: Managing climate change in the face of geopolitical turmoil

This study investigates the implications of climate change on the environmental management strategies adopted by Chinese energy utility companies over the period from 2008 to 2021. The study highlights that an increase in temperatures correlates with a greater likelihood of these firms implementing environmental management strategies. This tendency is particularly pronounced among companies characterized by lower revenue levels, elevated operational costs, increased media scrutiny, or a comparatively weaker commitment to social responsibilities. Additionally, the analysis reveals that improved carbon performance mitigates this effect, whereas state ownership amplifies the observed trends. This research contributes to understanding the dynamic interplay between climate change and corporate environmental strategy within the context of Chinese energy utilities.

Emerging trends of environmental accounting research: a science mapping approach

Purpose This paper aims to provide a comprehensive knowledge structure for environmental accounting (EA) research by identifying research hotspots and frontiers and suggesting future trends for scholarly investigation. Design/methodology/approach Using the bibliometric method, the paper analyzed 321 academic articles and reviews in international journals from the Scopus database. Science mapping, including strategic diagrams, network analysis and thematic maps, was used to analyze the evolution of topics and to recommend future research trends. Findings EA research is an emerging trend. This study presents the landscape of EA research by constructing the “synthesis house of knowledge” in EA. Significant EA research areas were identified and future research trends were suggested based on the results. Practical implications This paper provides insights into the current state of EA research and identifies potential future research trends that can help scholars and experts develop and stimulate further advancement of the research in this field. Social implications Results may motivate policymakers and government agencies to formulate regulations to enforce appropriate corporate environmental strategies to better manage environmental costs and reduce community environmental impact. Originality/value The study provides an intellectually structured literature review of the EA research field; identifies the main themes through the innovative use of network analysis, strategic diagrams and thematic maps; highlights research gaps; and offers potential research questions and suggestions for future research. The novelty of this paper lies in the “synthesis house of knowledge” in EA and the research gaps and potential and specific research questions constructed from the findings.

When do customers become your trusted allies: Unveiling pathways for enhanced citizenship in family-owned hotels

PurposeDrawing upon social exchange theory, this research investigates the interplay of corporate philanthropy, environmental marketing strategy, relationship quality, greenwashing, and customer citizenship behavior in the family-owned hotels of an emerging market.Design/methodology/approachA field survey questionnaire was used to gather the data from 394 hotel customers by randomly selecting three premium family-owned hotels in Lahore: Faletti’s, Avari, and Holiday Inn. The data was analyzed using the structural regression modeling (SRM) technique with the assistance of AMOS version 24.FindingsThe results show that corporate philanthropy and environmental marketing strategy positively influence relationship quality, and relationship quality positively influences customer citizenship behavior. Relationship quality partially mediates the association between corporate philanthropy and customer citizenship behavior, but we found that greenwashing does not have a moderating role.Research limitations/implicationsThis research has theoretical implications for marketing scholars and practical implications of family-owned hotels in emerging markets.Originality/valueThe study has contributed contextually by collecting a unique dataset from family-owned hotels in an emerging market. Theoretically, we have conceptualized a model through the Social Exchange Theory by recommending relationship quality as a mediator and greenwashing as a moderator.

The impact of performance feedback on corporate ESG performance: Mediating role of environmental strategy.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of performance feedback (performance expectation surplus, performance expectation deficit) on corporate ESG performance, and this paper also to investigate the role of environmental strategy as a mechanism in the impact of enterprises' performance feedback on corporate ESG performance. The study used data from 3679 companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges for the period 2009-2021 and also measured the intensity of corporate environmental strategies through analysis. Finally, we used a fixed effects model to test the research hypothesis. This study shows that enterprise performance feedback positively affects corporate ESG performance and that environmental strategy plays a significant mechanistic role in enterprise performance feedback and corporate ESG performance. Overall, performance expectation surplus negatively affects ESG performance, performance expectation deficit positively affects ESG performance, and the mechanism of environmental strategy plays a significant role in performance expectation deficit and ESG performance. The results of this study can help enterprises establish a scientific environmental management system, strengthen the supervision of enterprise environmental management, and have certain reference significance for enterprises to speed up the implementation of environmental protection measures. This study adds to the literature by describing corporate ESG performance using performance feedback theory and explaining the inherent role of enterprise performance feedback in corporate ESG performance utilizing environmental strategies.

THE INTERSECTION OF GEOLOGY AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY: A DATA-DRIVEN REVIEW OF U.S. CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES

In the contemporary business landscape, the intersection of geology and corporate sustainability emerges as a critical area of exploration, particularly within the U.S. context. This study delves into this intersection, aiming to elucidate how geological insights are integrated into corporate environmental strategies and the ensuing implications for sustainable business practices. The background of the study is rooted in the growing emphasis on environmental stewardship in business operations, where geological considerations are becoming increasingly significant. The paper's aim is to dissect the convergence of geology and corporate sustainability, assessing the influence of geological data on corporate environmental strategies. The scope encompasses a qualitative thematic analysis of recent literature, focusing on current trends, regional variations and industry-specific applications of geological insights. It also explores the economic and environmental impacts of integrating geology into business decisions, highlighting its role in risk management and sustainable innovation. The study concludes that geological data is a strategic asset in business, driving innovation, shaping risk management strategies and influencing long-term economic and environmental outcomes. It recommends that businesses embrace geological data as a core component of their sustainability strategies and policymakers create conducive environments for this integration. Future research is encouraged to further explore this dynamic field. The study provides valuable insights for businesses, policymakers and researchers, underscoring the necessity of integrating geological insights into corporate strategies for sustainable development.
 Keywords: Geological Data, Corporate Sustainability, Environmental Strategies, Business Innovation, Risk Management, Sustainable Development.

Public Environmental Concern and Corporate Environmental Governance

We examined the impact of public environmental concerns (PEC) on corporate environmental governance (CEG). Using Chinese listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock market as our research sample, we find that the higher the regional PEC, the better the level of CEG, and the positive effect of PEC on CEG is more significant in the sample of non-state owned enterprises. An examination of the influence mechanism finds that PEC increase government environmental attention and therefore more stringent government environmental regulations are developed to constrain corporate environmental decisions. This study will help us better understand the unique role of the public in corporate environmental strategy in the Internet era.

Impact of Green Transformational Leadership and Corporate Environmental Strategy on Firm Performance in Textile Industry of Developing Country: Mediating Role of Green Process Innovation

Impact of Green Transformational Leadership and Corporate Environmental Strategy on Firm Performance in Textile Industry of Developing Country: Mediating Role of Green Process Innovation

Corporate environmental pictures information disclosure and investor market reaction: A new perspective from large-scale pictures feature mining

Considering the new perspective of pictures, this study uses the new method of large-scale image processing technology based on deep learning to analyze the corporate environmental information picture disclosure strategies and studies the new problem of the impact path of picture disclosure strategies on investor market reaction. Our results show that, among content, color, and channel disclosure strategies, the content of environmental awareness pictures has the highest proportion (35.01%), followed by renewable energy (19.92%) and environmental certification (19.56%). Among 11,035 sample pictures, white and blue pictures are the most used with 2886 and 2700, respectively, these mainly comprise the content of environmental facilities and renewable energy. Compared with social responsibility reports, enterprises prefer to disclose pictures on social media channels. The regression results show that the greater the content of environmental pictures, the wider the disclosure channels, and the more positive the investor market reaction. However, color does not elicit positive investor market reactions. Moreover, analyst attention plays an intermediary role between pictures environmental information disclosure and investor market reactions. In conclusion, this study provides a new perspective for the study of environmental information disclosure, enriches the existing research, and provides referable practical suggestions for the sustainable development of enterprises and the efficient operation of capital markets.

Green Hrm Practices and Quality of Corporate Performance: the Avenues Towards Green Business

Objective: Achieving sustainability and performance has become a challenge for green hotels. The present study examines the role of green human resource management (GHRM) practices towards corporate performance and environmental strategy. Theoretical framework: The study is conceptualized based on a vigorous literature review. Based on gaps; the present study explores the role of green resource management practices and quality of corporate performance in developing environmental strategy. Method: The study adopted quantitative methods. The researchers collected 292 usable samples through a survey questionnaire from employees of green hotels in Egypt. Results and conclusions: Employing SmartPLS 4, the study demonstrates a positive significant effect of sustainable job design on corporate performance and environmental strategy. The impact of sustainable reward and environmental strategy on corporate performance is significant and positive. On the other hand, the study found an insignificant effect of sustainable training and development and sustainable reward on environmental strategy. Moreover, the environmental strategy mediates the relationship between sustainable job design, sustainable training and development, sustainable reward and corporate performance. The study's findings guide hotel management to focus more on GHRM practices as these have massive contributions in promoting corporate performance and environmental strategy. Finally, the study's results would enrich the depth of literature through other cross-sectional empirical evidence in the present study. Originality/value: This study overcomes the challenges and gaps in corporate performance and environmental strategy domains through green HRM in Egyptian green hotels.

The road to sustainable development: Results of the differentiated choice of corporate environmental strategy

AbstractFinding a reasonable and efficient sustainable development path is more important for enterprises than emphasizing environmental protection. Corporate environmental strategy, green innovation and corporate sustainability are selected as representative variables to explore the possibility of Chinese heavily polluting enterprises to achieve sustainable development. Through questionnaires and regression analysis, our study shows that the different effects of corporate environmental strategies on corporate sustainability are only reflected in economic dimension, and that the mediating role of green process innovation between reactive environmental strategy and environmental sustainability is more significant than that of green product innovation. This study has made contributions to research in the field of sustainable development, discussing the role of corporate environmental strategies and green innovation in environmental protection, and exploring effective paths to achieve sustainable development. In addition, the combination of environmental strategies and green innovation among different types can also enable managers to plan sustainable development paths more reasonably.

Organizational stakeholders and environmental sustainability investment: does China’s regional heterogeneity matter?

PurposeGiven the regional diversity in China, this study aims to provide an empirical evaluation of how organizational stakeholders (i.e. customers, employees, suppliers and shareholders) affect corporate environmental sustainability investment (ESI).Design/methodology/approachTo empirically investigate the influence of organizational stakeholders on ESI, this study used regional-level data consists of Chinese A-share stocks for the years 2009–2019.FindingsThis study’s findings show that pressure from customers, employees and suppliers has a significant effect on corporate ESI, with customers being the most important stakeholder group. Shareholders, by contrast, have no significant influence on ESI. The influence of these pressures is more pronounced in developed regions (the east) than in less developed (the west) localities of China.Research limitations/implicationsThis study complements the stakeholder–institutional perspective by implying to consider the differentiated logics of the contesting stakeholders in the nonmarket operations.Practical implicationsPractically, this study poses that managers must realize the heterogeneity of pressures from stakeholders and the differentiated impact of these pressures keeping in view the institutional differences in different regions.Originality/valueOur study reports initial empirical evidence that shows how regional differences influence the role of stakeholders in determining corporate environmental strategy.