Environmental Proactivity Research Articles

How Green HRM Drives Hospitality Organizations Towards a Sustainable Future? Moderation Effect of Environmental Proactivity

How Green HRM Drives Hospitality Organizations Towards a Sustainable Future? Moderation Effect of Environmental Proactivity

Green decisions: The role of environmental strategies and proactivity in India’s manufacturing micro enterprises

This study investigates the implication of environmental strategies and environmental management accounting (EMA) on the environmental performance of manufacturing micro companies in India. It also assesses the mediating influence of EMA and the moderating impact of environmental proactivity. This paper employs the natural resource-based view theory to evaluate the domination of environmental strategies and EMA on environmental effectiveness. Even though MSMEs play a significant role in the Indian economy, their environmental impact is considerable due to less stringent adherence to environmental standards and practices. The data were gathered via a survey administered to managers of MSMEs. In the analysis, 107 reliable responses were included. Partial least square structural equation modeling is employed for the analysis of the dataset. The results show that environmental strategies positively influence environmental performance and EMA. EMA operates as a mediator for environmental strategies and environmental outcomes. Moreover, environmental proactivity moderates the association between environmental strategies and environmental performance. Hypotheses testing results conclude that manufacturing micro companies that emphasize environmental strategies and factors have improved environmental performance. Companies that proactively deal with environmental issues develop strategies to achieve sustainability.

Proactive Environmental Management's Drive for Green Technology Adoption in MENA Firms: Regulatory Mediation and Financial Moderation

This empirical study explores the determinants of Green Technologies and Practices (GTP) adoption within Middle East and North Africa (MENA) firms, focusing on Proactive Environmental Management (PEM), Environmental Regulation (ER), and Financial Exposure to Environmental Impediments (FEEI). Using World Bank Enterprise Survey data from 5381 firms across six MENA countries, we apply an ordered logit model and General Structured Equation Model (GSEM) to examine the direct and mediated effects of PEM on GTP adoption through ER, and moderation by FEEI. Our analysis reveals a significant impact of PEM on GTP adoption, enhanced by ER mediation. Additionally, FEEI moderation unveils a nuanced relationship between environmental financial exposures and green adoption propensity. The study also investigates control variables, revealing varying GTP adoption propensities across firm characteristics, and offers policy and firm-level recommendations to bolster GTP adoption in the MENA region.

Examining environmental proactivity in the Spanish wine industry: The moderating role of size

AbstractThe value of proactive environmental strategies to achieve and maintain competitive advantages in the business sphere has been widely acknowledged in recent years. However, mixed results can still be found regarding the determinants and consequences of the implementation of such practices. This study investigates the determinants of environmental proactivity in Spanish wineries, focusing on the role of company size in linking internal motivations and stakeholder pressure with proactive environmental strategy using the natural resource‐based view. So far, no research of this type has been carried out for the Spanish wine sector. A structural equation model is proposed based on partial least squares applied to a sample of 251 wine companies to evaluate both the direct relationships and the moderating effect. The study identifies internal motivations, community pressure, and regulatory pressure as determinants of proactive environmental strategy. Company characteristics play an essential role in decision‐making when dealing with environmental issues proactively. Small companies tend to be more influenced by internal motivations, while larger companies are driven to undertake environmental actions based on external pressures. Additionally, we found that managers who take a proactive approach to environmental protection can achieve financial rewards. These findings provide important implications for both policymakers and managers by offering new theoretical and empirical insight into how proactive environmental strategy affects financial performance in the case of Spain's wine companies. [EconLit Citations: O31, Q55, C30].

The influence of state ownership on environmental proactivity: An institutional perspective of international firms

AbstractThe influence of state ownership on a firm's environmental strategy is still unclear due to the varied relationships across different international institutional contexts in the firm's home and host country. Applying mixed effect regression models to a sample of 2997 observations of 298 firms from the MSCI World Index for the period 2007–2018, this paper analyzes the different effects of key institutional factors on this relationship. While a state‐owned firm from a state with a high home country environmental profile will have a more positive effect on a firm's environmental proactivity, internationalization will weaken it, since the firm will encounter higher complexity when translating its green actions into a more global institutional context. In addition, when internationalization involves a very different host country environmental profile, the greater institutional distance seems to modify the influence of state ownership on environmental proactivity. Our results provide key theoretical and practical implications for managers in relation to state‐owned firms' global environmental strategies.

Impact of pollution prevention strategies on environment sustainability: role of environmental management accounting and environmental proactivity.

Environmental sustainability involves meeting current needs without compromising the abilities of future generations. Practical steps must be taken to prevent pollution, decrease waste, and utilize resources. This study investigates the predictors of environmental sustainability in SMEs, focusing on the role of environmental management accounting and environmental proactivity in linking pollution prevention strategies to environmental sustainability using the natural resource-based view theory. This study surveyed 308 Pakistani SMEs employees and tested the data using SPSS v28 and AMOS v26. The results show that pollution control initiatives increased the usage of environmental management accounting, which in turn had a positive impact on environmental sustainability. The study also finds that environmental proactivity is significantly moderate and that environmental management accounting mediates these associations. To the best of our knowledge, this study is unique in that it is the first to provide sustainable implications based on the current framework. This study highlights the importance of implementing pollution prevention strategies, integrating environmental management accounting practices, and fostering environmental proactivity to enhance environmental sustainability performance in SMEs in Pakistan, ultimately leading to improved business competitiveness, positive environmental impacts, and a sustainable future. SMEs can focus on implementing proactive pollution prevention strategies such as waste reduction, energy conservation, and resource optimization. By adopting a proactive approach to pollution prevention, SMEs can reduce their environmental impact and enhance their sustainability performance.

The catalyzing role of customer pressure on environmental initiatives and export intensity: A study of family firms

Predominantly, firms’ adoption of environmental initiatives has been driven by regulatory and economic incentives. Yet, recognizing mounting evidence that family firms demonstrate superior environmental proactivity, it is likely that other drivers also inspire their environmentalism. To assess this possibility, an integrated stakeholder, institutional and resource-based perspective is espoused. Thus, this inquiry assesses how environmental pressure from customers stimulates environmental initiatives and the extent to which this constitution would boost export intensity. Based on 620 observations of Turkish family firms, a robust path analysis procedure revealed that customer pressure positively increases the adoption of environmental planning and energy management. In turn, these instruments work in concert to reduce environmental regulatory obstacles and enhance export intensity, with environmental planning playing a key role. Theoretically, customer pressure is introduced as a fresh antecedent. Practically, family firms in Turkey can grasp the virtuous knock-on effect of acceding to the environmental pressure exerted by customers.

In the search for greener buildings: The role of green human resource management

AbstractThe environmental performance of green buildings is receiving attention from built environment stakeholders. We introduce the concept of green human resource management (GHRM) to analyze how the performance gap in green buildings can be minimized using a human‐focused design perspective. We utilize signaling theory and abilities–motivation–opportunity (AMO) theory to explain the interactions between environmental proactivity, GHRM, pro‐environmental behaviors, job performance, and environmental performance. Survey data were collected from 460 employees working in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)‐certified green buildings in India and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings highlight that GHRM is likely to motivate employees to demonstrate pro‐environmental behaviors and be engaged in their jobs. We also find that when organizational‐level goals are effectively communicated, employees can enhance environmental performance in green buildings. Our study makes several contributions, including a framework that developing countries can use to promote environmental sustainability in the workplace.

Refugee Population and Environmental Quality in Sweden and Lebanon: Is Fertility Rate Changing the Dynamics?

Arising from the arrays of man-made factors (including political- and socioeconomic-related factors) and natural disasters across the globe, population displacement, as one of the consequences of the above-mentioned factors, has continued to trigger refugee populations. This is the reason Lebanon (with the highest number of refugees per total population in the world) and Sweden (with the highest number of refugees per total population in Europe) are considered in a comparative investigation. Importantly, this study examines the environmental effect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions via the refugee population and fertility rate, alongside the roles of income and natural resource abundance, from 1990 to 2021. The results reveal that fertility rates spur GHG emissions, thereby hampering environmental sustainability in both countries. While the refugee population mitigates GHG emissions in Sweden, the effect is contrary and environmentally damaging in Lebanon. The disparity in the countries’ environmental proactiveness, which has supposedly permeated societal values, especially in Sweden, could have influenced the above result. Meanwhile, in both countries, the refugee populations moderate the effect of the fertility rate, increasing the environmental demerit of the increase in the fertility rate. However, the Swedish income level improvement helps mitigate GHG emissions, thus validating the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in the long run. In Sweden, the natural resource abundance also promotes environmental benefit. Contrarily, in Lebanon, increases in both the natural resource abundance and income per person increase GHG emissions, thus worsening the environmental quality. Finally, this study offers policy recommendations for improving refugee programs.

Exploring the effects of socioemotional wealth on environmental strategies of family firms in China: An integrative perspective

AbstractThe findings of family business research regarding the relationship between socioemotional wealth (SEW) and environmental strategies have been inconsistent. This study seeks to explain the inconsistency by distinguishing between extended SEW and restricted SEW. We argue that prior empirical studies may ignore the dual nature of SEW and prose that family firms with extended SEW are more likely to pursue proactive environmental strategies, whereas those with restricted SEW tend to adopt reactive environmental strategies. Furthermore, we integrate the SEW perspective with regulatory focus theory, proposing that promotion focus mediates the relationship between extended SEW and proactive environment strategies, while prevention focus mediates the relationship between restricted SEW and reactive environmental strategies. These hypotheses were tested with a survey of polluting family firms in China and were found to be supported. Our findings offer novel insights into family business research, as well as significant implications about how to enhance environmental performance of family firms.

Financial Constraints of the Pro-environmentally Oriented Firms in the Covid-19 Crisis

Environmentally oriented firms are more pressed for resources in general, especially during periods of economic downturn. Since their business plans are frequently more innovative, they are perceived as riskier by financial institutions. Furthermore, the recent global COVID-19 crisis was not primarily related to financial disruptions, and most governments provided generous and widespread support to different segments of their economies. However, the evidence on the degree to which firms were faced with access to finance problems during this crisis is still scarce. This paper aims to explore the extent to which environmentally-oriented firms in post-transition economies are disproportionally affected by the financial constraints related to the market disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemics compared to non-environmentally oriented firms. The World Bank Enterprise Survey 2019 has been used to investigate this issue. Based on this data source, an indicator of firm environmental proactivity is developed. The firms’ financial constraints in the pandemic period are evaluated based on the responses from the three survey rounds of the World Bank COVID-19 follow-up enterprise survey, covering different stages of the pandemic. The post-transition countries in the analysis are heterogeneous, consisting of both EU members (Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, and Slovenia) and EU accession countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia). The lowest percentage of firms having an environmental strategy was found in Croatia, while the highest percentage is in Slovenia. Based on the results, it can be concluded that firms adopting environmental strategies in analyzed countries mostly follow regulations and/or chose low-cost measures.
 Keywords: financial constraints, pro-environmental orientation, post-transition, COVID- 19

Proactive Environmental Adaptation Technology to Ensure Safe and Secure Living Conditions Even under Extreme Natural Phenomena

Proactive Environmental Adaptation Technology to Ensure Safe and Secure Living Conditions Even under Extreme Natural Phenomena

Motivations for Adopting Proactive Environmental Management Accounting Practices: Evidence from South African Firms

By examining environmental management accounting practices (EMAP) in South African companies, the study assists the company management to better understand their EMAP more broadly and establish effective EMAP to improve environmental management. This paper explores EMAP adopted by South African companies in Gauteng province and understands the motivation for applying the EMAP. Companies from different industrial sectors were used as the study sample. To accomplish the major aim of the study, 202 questionnaires were received as valid from the environmental managers, accountants and production managers. The study establishes that the companies are mostly using environmental management system, environmental reporting, waste management and water conservation activities as the key EMAP. This indicates that South African companies opt for EMAP with little cost involved and EMAP that does not require advanced systems in place. Also, financial gains were identified as the major motivation of EMAP adoption. This is followed by stakeholder pressure, marketing pressure and regulatory pressure. This paper will amplify literature on the EMAP adopted within industrial sectors and the motivation of adopting EMAP from an emerging market standpoint.

Family Influence and Environmental Proactiveness of Family Firms in China: A Mixed Gamble Perspective

ABSTRACTBuilt upon the mixed gamble perspective, we used a recent survey on Chinese family firms (FFs) and found that increased family influence lowers Chinese FF environmental proactiveness, as they show a peculiar tendency to take a financial view rather than a socioemotional wealth view. Moreover, we found that increased resource endowment attenuates this tendency, whereas provincial marketization strengthens it. However, entrepreneur reputation does not have a significant moderating effect. Overall, the study enriches an understanding of environmental proactiveness for FFs, organizational heterogeneity, and institutional differences. It also introduces new elements into the mixed gamble framework.

Antecedents and effects of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices

PurposeDuring the previous two decades, “Green Supply Chain Management” (GSCM) has been gaining the attention of researchers and practitioners from various fields (e.g. operations, logistics and supply chain management). Its significance is constantly growing, and various studies are conducted in order to capture its overall organizational contribution. The present study attempts to bring together various organizational aspects that have never been collectively investigated before in the relevant literature. Under that rationale, a robust conceptual framework is developed and empirically tested. This framework includes 17 factors that are classified in three dimensions: (1) drivers of GSCM practices, (2) GSCM practices and (3) firm performance (GSCM outcomes).Design/methodology/approachThe examination of the proposed conceptual framework was performed using a newly developed structured questionnaire that was distributed to a sample of Greek manufacturing organizations. Supply Chain managers and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) were used as key respondents, due to their knowledge and experience. After the completion of the three-month research period (last quarter of 2019), 292 useable questionnaires were returned. The empirical data were analyzed using the “Structural Equation Modeling” technique. The study is empirical (based on primary data), explanatory (examines cause and effect relationships), deductive (tests research hypotheses) and quantitative (includes the analysis of quantitative data collected with the use of a structured questionnaire).FindingsEmpirical results point out that internal environmental management, green innovative practices and environmental proactivity are GSCM practices with the most significant impact on firm performance. Moreover, the mediating role of GSCM practices in the relationship between GSCM drivers and firm performance is also highlighted. Finally, it was found that GSCM practices can explain 35% of the variance in firm performance and the drivers of GSCM practices can explain 78% of the variance of these practices.Originality/valueThe proposed three-dimensional conceptual framework of this empirical study and its underlining rationale has rarely been adopted in the relevant literature. Moreover, the study investigates which GSCM practices have an impact on firm performance, thus offering value to practitioners of the field. Also, it is one of the few similar studies that have been conducted on a European country.

How top managers’ sport experience exploits environmental proactivity in state-owned enterprises.

Combining the perspectives of upper echelon theory and institutional theory, we investigate how top managers’ sport experience exploits corporate environmental proactivity in China and embed this question into state ownership. With the sample of Chinese listing enterprises from 2008 to 2018, we find that both sport experience and state ownership positively promote corporate environmental proactivity, while state ownership crowds out the promotion of top managers’ sport experience. Further analyses show that position and financial experience of top manager as well as corporate investing efficiency and location matter in these processes. Thus, we extend the understanding of how top managers’ sport experience and state ownership interact and influence corporate environmental proactivity. We, therefore, provide new instruments to promote corporate environmental proactivity and, respectively, extend upper echelon theory from the perspective of top managers’ sport experience as well as institutional theory from the perspective of state ownership.

Data governance and green technological innovation performance: A curvilinear relationship

The digital era has accelerated corporate innovation activity. Under the aim of “carbon neutrality”, green technological innovation pushed enterprises toward resource conservation and reduced energy consumption. Although digital technology could increase the utilization of resources in the whole view, it remains unclear under what conditions the data affects green technological innovation performance (GTIP) effectively, and how data governance empowers different organizational management levels by delegating digital information in this progress. This study draws on the knowledge management theory and dynamic capability theory to explore the relationship between data governance and green technological innovation performance in firms. To examine our research model, annual reports of Chinese firms from 2013 to 2019 are analyzed. Results from Poisson fixed-effect model analysis indicate that data governance in general has no direct significant effect on green innovation performance, but for detail data governance items, green innovation reaches maximum, then decreases under the influence of decentralization of data governance, while a slightly U-shaped curve happens when centralization of data governance adopts, but these two curves are asymmetrical contradicted. Our analysis also highlights the important role of corporate environmental proactivity, as it positively moderates the relationship between two types of data governance and firm's green technological innovation performance. Besides, we examine this project by using three-dimensional plot method and Johnson-Neyman check, then find these regressions are robust in our analysis. Finally, implications and recommendations for data governance research and practices are presented.

Can a country's environmental sustainability exert influence on its economic and financial situation? The relationship between environmental performance indicators and country risk

Due to international events such as the declaration of Sustainable Development Goals, countries have started to develop their national strategies for effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda based on those targets. This study aimed to analyse the existing relationship between the environmental proactiveness and sustainability of countries and their associated Country Risk Scores. For this purpose, two main indicators were considered: (a) the Environmental Performance Index, as a measure of a country's environmental sustainability pro-activeness, and (b) the Country Risk Score, which represents a country's economic, political, and financial situation. Data for 163 countries were used to test whether the Environmental Performance Index is related to the Country Risk Score while controlling for country groupings (memberships and/or alliances). This analysis was complemented by a regression approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to identify the combination of conditions leading to a high or low Country Risk Score. The results showed that the Environmental Performance Index is a good predictor of the Country Risk Score. In particular, the Environmental Health component of the Environmental Performance Index emerged as a better fit. However, the complementary analysis uncovered the important role of Ecosystem Vitality. Furthermore, the analysis confirmed the moderating effect of the country groupings. Overall, the Environmental Performance Index scores correlate with Country Risk Scores. The Environmental Performance Index reflects good governance practices, which are related to those evaluated by the Country Risk Score.

The impact of place attachment on well-being for older people in high-density urban environment: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Aging in place has become a popular social policy worldwide. This paper argues that well-being is an important outcome of aging in place, upon which older people develop autonomy and environmental proactivity. The temporal dimension of aging in place highlights development of place attachment, which includes place identity and place dependence. The study explores how older people, who live inhigh-density urban environments, make sense of well-being and place attachment by articulating their daily lives. Community dwelling older people aged 65 and above, who came from neighborhoods with high aging population and residential density but high and low median household incomes, were invited for focus group discussions. Multifaceted meanings of well-being include various dimensions that cover individual-collective and material-spiritual (psychological) construct. Meanings of place attachment include values of, bonding ties to, and memories about places. Three pathways are identified linking place attachment and multifaceted well-being. The study finds that social welfare and material richness are not the only determinants of well-being. Fulfillment of higher psychological needs, such as positive evaluation of life and self-actualization, should be emphasized by which older people can make the most of their life in old age.

Taking Sustainability Initiatives for Organizational Performance: A Serial Mediation Model

Despite its growing research popularity, corporate sustainability (CS) has received relatively little attention in terms of explaining its underlying dimensions, the so-called triple bottom line (TBL): environmental, social, and financial performance. Relying on the systems thinking view, this paper offers a comprehensive approach that enhances our understanding of these isolated TBL dimensions. Based on a sample of Turkish firms from various industries, a serial mediation model was formed, and structural equation modelling is undertaken to understand the relationships among the dimensions of CS-TBL. Thus, we holistically examine whether environmental proactivity and operational effectiveness mediate the relationship between corporate social performance and organizational performance. The collective role of both environmental proactiveness and operational effectiveness is also examined on reaching the organizational performance via taking societal initiatives. Our findings indicate that all three aspects of sustainability have mutually supportive relationships as demonstrated by positive mediating mechanisms between corporate social performance and organizational performance. The mediation results correspond with the systems thinking view (STV). They indicate that organizations need to rely on various methods to integrate and manage isolated parts of the TBL in achieving CS while building up three areas of the triple bottom line which boosts organizational performance.