Proactive environmental management and performance by a controlling family

Investigating Performance Outcomes under Institutional Pressures and Environmental Orientation Motivated Green Supply Chain Management Practices

Purpose: The study investigates the role of institutional pressures and environmental orientation in implementing green supply chain practices (GSCPs) in firms. The aim is to construct a comprehensive model based on institutional theory (InT) and resource-based view (RBV) that will help study the effect of GSCPs on performance-based outcomes of industrial firms. Study Design: The study adopted a cross-sectional design, and data were collected from 351 supply chain management professionals from different manufacturing companies in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, a questionnaire was structured to collect data, and the hypothesis of the study was tested using the PLS-SEM modeling. Findings: The study findings showed a significant effect of institutional pressure on GSCPs. Also, another significant impact of environmental orientation on GSCPs was noted. Lastly, GSCPs of manufacturing companies have a significantly positive effect on economic and ecological performances. Originality: This paper is one of the first to include institutional theory, the resource-based view, institutional pressures, environmental orientation, GSCPs, and company performances outcomes. Also, the paper provides details about performance outcomes by scattering Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices and gives direction to managers for the successful implementation of these practices.

Female and environmental disclosure of family and non-family firms. Evidence from India

Purpose

This study aims to use the gender socialization theory, critical mass theory and legitimacy theory to examine the female gender and environmental disclosure of family and non-family-controlled firms in India.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample size of 783 and 177 firm-year observations for family and non-family-controlled firms, respectively, between 2009 and 2020 uses descriptive statistics, a test of difference in means and panel regression with random effect assumptions for data interpretation.

Findings

The descriptive statistics show a significant mean difference between family-controlled firms and non-family-controlled firms in India. The first findings show that female chief executive officers (CEOs) and CEO duality have a positive and statistically significant association with environmental disclosure in a family-controlled firm but not in non-family-controlled firms in India. The second findings show that independent female directors have no significant association with environmental disclosure of family and non-family firms in India. The fourth findings with critical mass theory confirm the insignificant association of female directors on environmental disclosure of family and non-family firms in India. The results are robust to controlling firm-level variables.

Practical implications

Firms in the Indian context, through this study, assure stakeholders that family firms are better at improving stakeholder’s expectation of environmental accountability than non-family firms, especially where female CEOs are in charge.

Originality/value

This study adds the family perspective of the relationship between female CEOs and the environmental disclosure of listed firms in India. Also, female CEO duality and environmental disclosure add novelty to the research studies on gender and environmental disclosure.

How Can Agricultural Corporate Build Sustainable Competitive Advantage through Green Intellectual Capital? A New Environmental Management Approach to Green Agriculture

Based on natural resource-based theory, this study constructed a relational model between green intellectual capital, green innovation, and an agricultural corporate sustainable competitive advantage. The samples included a total of 341 agricultural companies in China, and multiple regression methods are used for the analysis. The results showed that green product innovation and green process innovation had a mediation effect between green human capital, green structural capital, green relational capital, and the sustainable competitive advantage of agricultural corporate. Beyond the simple moderation effect, a new integrated moderated-mediation effect model was established. It was shown that environmental leadership, green organizational identification, and green dynamic capability had different moderated-mediation effects under different conditions. The study is expected to close the previous research gaps and insufficiency in agricultural corporate environmental management and green agricultural. The empirical results and conclusions bring enlightenment and meaningful theoretical guidance to managers, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in the green and sustainable development of agricultural corporates. The new environmental management path can help agricultural corporates conduct green innovation effectively, adapt to the green agricultural products market, and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Ultimately, this will help to accelerate the development of green agriculture.

Does it pay more to be green in family firms than in non-family firms?

The contradictory empirical evidence about whether the effect of companies' environmental investments on financial results is positive, negative or not significant has been explained by the different conditions and contexts that facilitate or hinder the ability to generate a win–win situation. This explanation has gradually led the academic debate to consider the factors and conditions that moderate such a relationship. In this document, we analyse the relevant but scarcely studied moderating effect of the condition of being a family firm, by integrating the socioemotional wealth (SEW) perspective into the natural-resource-based view (NRBV). Based on the analysis of panel data from 2936 Spanish manufacturing firms, covering the period 2009–2016, we offer empirical evidence showing that the financial benefits derived from environmental investment are positive and significant in family firms, while this is not so in non-family firms. Furthermore, our results show that intrinsic characteristics such as the sector, size or age of the company also condition the financial results of environmental investments.

Corporate social responsibility in Austrian family firms: socioemotional wealth and stewardship insights from a qualitative approach

Purpose

This paper provides a comprehensive view about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Austrian family firms. In detail, the conceptual understanding, motives for, institutionalisation, planning and the outcomes of CSR are investigated. The authors refer to socioemotional wealth and stewardship aspects as explanation approaches for CSR in family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study offers new insights into CSR in Austrian family firms based on qualitative data from 30 companies.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that despite numerous social, environmental and economic activities, referral to CSR is just in the beginning, indicating a lack of dissemination of the concept of CSR. The main motives for CSR engagement are image and reputation concerns, a strengthened regional embeddedness and employee-related improvements. Social CSR activities concerning employees and the close company surroundings dominate, whilst environmental CSR measures are often determined by the need for fulfilling the requirements of eco-certifications.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing CSR literature by offering deeper insights into CSR in Austrian family firms (e.g. motives and outcomes of CSR), which are discussed under socioemotional wealth and stewardship aspects. Moreover, a broad range of implications for future research and corporate practice (e.g. family firms, owning family, policy) are discussed.

Corporate social performance in family firms: a meta-analysis

Purpose

Empirical studies provide conflicting conclusions regarding the corporate social performance (CSP) of family firms. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the existing empirical evidence and examine the potential role of research design and contextual factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A meta-analysis of existing empirical studies was performed to examine the role of sampling, measurement and contextual factors in explaining the different and often conflicting results of empirical studies in the family business literature.

Findings

The overall relationship between family firms and CSP is positive. The relationship between family firms and CSP is positive for private family firms but is negative for public family firms. The relationship between family firms and CSP is positive when family involvement includes both family ownership and management as opposed to only family ownership or family management. Private family firms care more and public family firms care less about the community, environment, and employees than private and public nonfamily firms. The relationship between family firms and CSP is stronger in institutional environments with weak labor and corporate governance regulatory frameworks.

Research limitations/implications

The operationalization of both the family firm and CSP constructs significantly predicts the magnitude and direction of the relationship between family firms and CSP.

Practical implications

Family firms should become more skilled at measuring and disseminating information about the firm’s CSP. Family firms should work to improve public perceptions about the CSP of family firms.

Social implications

Policy should encourage family firms to remain privately owned by the family. Policy should also incentivize the involvement of family owners in the management of family firms.

Originality/value

Although several literature reviews address the relationship between family firms and CSP, this is the first review to use the meta-analysis method. The authors contribute to the family business literature by analyzing how differences in study-, firm- and country-level factors can explain some of the variance in the results of the studies in the literature.

Drivers of green supply chain initiatives and performance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how internal and external factors simultaneously drive firms to adopt green supply chain (GSC) initiatives and to construct a comprehensive research model by drawing upon institutional theory, stewardship theory, and view of performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The data collected from 380 manufacturers in the electrical and electronics industries in Taiwan were analyzed via structural equation modeling and bootstrapping.

Findings

First, institutional pressures affect the GSC initiatives of firms. Second, institutional pressures influence the environmental stewardship behaviors (ESBs) of managers. Third, the ESBs of managers affect the GSC initiatives of firms. Fourth, the GSC initiatives of firms influence their environmental performance, economic performance, and competitiveness. Fifth, the bootstrapping results reveal that institutional pressures indirectly affect the GSC initiatives of firms through the ESBs of managers.

Research limitations/implications

Environmental sustainability has intensified the need for firms to develop a corporate culture. Future research can investigate the relationship among the institutional pressures, greening corporate culture, and GSC initiatives of firms.

Practical implications

Those managers facing institutional pressures must continually focus on the effects of external factors on the GSC initiatives of their firms. They must also increase their commitment and support to such initiatives to attain favorable levels of environmental performance, economic performance, and competitiveness.

Originality/value

This study integrates four streams of literature on institutional theory, stewardship theory, GSC initiatives, and view of performance. Apart from analyzing field- and organization-level data simultaneously, this paper is also the first to demonstrate the relationships among institutional pressures, ESBs of managers, GSC initiatives, and firm performance.

The effect of internal factors and family influence on firms’ adoption of green product innovation

Purpose

Little research has been conducted on the internal factors that drive green product (GP) innovation and how family influence affects firm adoption of GP innovation. This study aims to apply multiple perspectives to bridge this research gap, adopting the resource-based view (RBV) to examine what and how internal factors affect firm adoption of GP innovation, and using the behavioral theory of family firms to investigate whether family influence fosters or hinders firm adoption of GP innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a multichannel approach and adopted content analysis to collect and evaluate data on listed Taiwanese firms and used cross-sectional regression analysis to examine the effect of internal factors and family influence on firm adoption of GP innovation.

Findings

The results showed that the internal factors of green capabilities, R&D intensity and firm size significantly and positively affected firm adoption of GP innovation separately. Furthermore, the study found that family influence (ownership and control) significantly and negatively affects firm adoption of GP innovation separately.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the academic research of innovation management, green management and family firms in several aspects, but also has some limitations. This study examined only the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and GP innovation. Future research might test the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and adoption of green process innovation. In addition, such research can explore how integrated internal and external factors influence firm adoption of GP innovation.

Practical implications

From the RBV, the internal factors of green capabilities, R&D intensity and firm size that can exert crucial effects on firm engage in firm’s adoption of GP innovation. This study suggests that top managers in family-influenced businesses should maintain appropriate commitment and support for fostering and facilitating firm GP innovation.

Social implications

From the RBV, this study examined how internal factors affect firm adoption of GP innovation. Moreover, based on the behavioral theory of family firms, this study further examined how family influence (ownership and control) affects firm adoption of GP innovation. This paper extended both perspectives to examine green issues.

Originality/value

From the RBV, this study examined how internal factors affect firms’ GP innovation. Moreover, based on institutional theory, this study further examines how a family firm moderates the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and GP innovation. The paper extended both perspectives to probe further the green issues.