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Managerial attitudes, strategic intent, environmental initiatives and competitive advantage

TL;DR: In this article, the authors report empirical findings from a series of identical surveys performed regularly since 1999, with the purpose of tracking and analyzing the development of the strategic responses of SMEs in Denmark.
Abstract: To stay at the competitive forefront successful firms have for quite a while addressed environmental issues as part of their strategy. The competitive 'imperative' is however not restricted to large enterprises entirely. This paper reports empirical findings from a series of identical surveys performed regularly since 1999. The purpose has been to track and analyse the development of the strategic responses of SMEs in Denmark. Furthermore, identification of potential shifts in the influence of motivators and the impact on competitive advantage has also been focused. In so doing, evidence will be provided that allows for making recommendations with regard to possible new strategic directions. Before concluding, key implications for future research, managers and other related decision-makers are briefly addressed.

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01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, a natural resource-based view of the firm is proposed, which is composed of three interconnected strategies: pollution prevention, product stewardship, and sustainable development, and each of these strategies are advanced for each of them regarding key resource requirements and their contributions to sustained competitive advantage.
Abstract: Historically, management theory has ignored the constraints imposed by the biophysical (natural) environment. Building upon resource-based theory, this article attempts to fill this void by proposing a natural-resource-based view of the firm—a theory of competitive advantage based upon the firm's relationship to the natural environment. It is composed of three interconnected strategies: pollution prevention, product stewardship, and sustainable development. Propositions are advanced for each of these strategies regarding key resource requirements and their contributions to sustained competitive advantage.

902 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Eurobarometer 381 Survey on SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets as mentioned in this paper analyzed the environmental responsibility of European SMEs and found that only around a fifth of the firms go beyond environmental regulations, showing the highest levels of environmental responsibility.
Abstract: There is increasing social and political awareness of the importance of developing environmental responsibility at a corporate level. When focusing on issues of responsibility, large companies are frequently perceived to be more responsible for driving climate change and resource depletion. However, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute significantly to the use of resources such as material and energy and produce approximately 64% of the pollution in Europe. Drawing on evidence from “The Eurobarometer 381 Survey on SMEs, Resource Efficiency and Green Markets”, we analyze the environmental responsibility of European SMEs, studying their compliance with environmental legislation and how several factors drive environmental orientation among SMEs. Our sample consists of 3647 SMEs operating in 38 countries. Only around a fifth of the firms go beyond environmental regulations, showing the highest levels of environmental responsibility. We conduct OLS regressions to analyze the factors that affect a positive environmental attitude among European SMEs (internal drivers being more significant than external ones) and then, to observe the positive effect of environmental responsibility and firm’s experience in offering green services/products on performance, although a conjoint effect was not found. Implications for practitioners, academics, and policy-makers are outlined.

67 citations


Cites background from "Managerial attitudes, strategic int..."

  • ..., enhancing customer satisfaction, corporate image, and/or brand loyalty) as proposed and observed in previous literature [4,43,45]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors considered sustainable practices (environmental practices, social practices in the workplace, and social practice in the community) as three probable mediators in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance, which is considered in terms of its financial and non-financial dimensions.
Abstract: Many scholars have investigated the direct impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on performance, but this direct association seems both spurious and ambiguous because many parameters may have an indirect influence on this relationship The present study thus considers sustainable practices—environmental practices, social practices in the workplace (SPW), and social practices in the community (SPC)—as three probable mediators in the relationship between EO and performance, which is considered in terms of its financial and non-financial dimensions We seek to show to what extent small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) sustainable practices are useful assets, which are supported by EO, to improve performance Using a structural equation modeling approach, data collected from 406 French SMEs were tested against the model Our findings reveal that EO has a positive impact on the implementation of sustainable practices and that SPW partially mediate the link between EO and performance Taken together, these findings suggest that EO plays a role in indirectly promoting performance by enhancing certain human resource management practices

42 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a model by integrating two theoretical models, Theory of Planned Behavior and Norm Activation Theory, to explore individual factors that influence decision makers in manufacturing sector in Malaysia to adopt Green IT via the mediation of personal norms.
Abstract: Green IT has attracted policy makers and IT managers within organizations to use IT resources in cost-effective and energy-efficient ways. Investigating the factors that influence decision-makers’ intention towards the adoption of Green IT is important in the development of strategies that promote the organizations to use Green IT. Therefore, the objective of this study stands to understand potential factors that drive decisions makers in Malaysian manufacturing sector to adopt Green IT. This research accordingly developed a model by integrating two theoretical models, Theory of Planned Behavior and Norm Activation Theory, to explore individual factors that influence decision’ makers in manufacturing sector in Malaysia to adopt Green IT via the mediation of personal norms. Accordingly, to determine predictive factors that influence managerial intention toward Green IT adoption, the researchers conducted a comprehensive literature review. The data was collected from 183 decision-makers from Malaysian manufacturing sector and analyzed by Structural Equation Modelling. This research provides important preliminary insights in understanding the most significant factors that determined managerial intention towards Green IT adoption. The model of Green IT adoption explained factors which encourages individual decision-makers in the Malaysian organizations to adopt Green IT initiatives for environment sustainability.

41 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The impacts of critical elements on green supply chain management (GSCM) in the Electrical and Electronic Industries in Taiwan are discussed and results suggest that institutional pressure is an important factor affecting companies' promotion of GSCM.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impacts of critical elements on green supply chain management (GSCM) in the Electrical and Electronic Industries in Taiwan. One thousand questionnaires were sent to Electrical and Electronics Industries in Taiwan; 180 valid questionnaires were returned using AMOS 18.0 to analyze the data. Results suggest that institutional pressure is an important factor affecting companies' promotion of GSCM. Companies face the pressure exerted by the institutional environment will affect the enterprises executives' cognition and emotion on the institutional environment, thus leading to an environmental commitment. Additionally, the results demonstrate that GSCM improves the enterprises' environmental performance, economic performance and operating performance, ultimately leading to sustainable development.

10 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors describes the pressures of and responses to environmentalism in a selected set of industries and examines the processes of greenewal that companies are undergoing, identifying implications for strategic greening of firms.
Abstract: The rise of environmentalism in the past decade has become a major transforming force in pollutive and hazard prone industries. Corporate environmental responsiveness is not simply a peripheral and one of the many ‘social’ or ‘ethical’ issues facing business. It is becoming a central concern for competitiveness, productivity, and profitability. It is creating strategic transformation of companies in a diverse range of industries such as, Autos, Chemicals, Oil, Fast Foods, Power Generation, Pharmaceuticals, etc. The process of environmentally directed self-renewal, called ‘greenewal’ here, affects all aspects of companies. It implies changes in products, production systems, waste management practices and internal systems. It seeks to make companies simultaneously more competitive and environmentally responsible. This paper describes the pressures of and responses to environmentalism in a selected set of industries. It examines the processes of greenewal that companies are undergoing. It identifies implications for strategic greening of firms.

81 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the evolving pattern of environmental strategy within a large sample of US companies over the period 1997 to 2006 and characterize the pattern of evolving responses to natural environmental issues, distinguish between changes in the overall attention paid to environmental issues that are attributable to the forces of adaptation and selection, and examine the distinctive characteristics of those organizations that have exhibited the most dramatic improvements in their environmental strategy.
Abstract: While the societal salience of environmental issues appears to have risen substantially in recent years, relatively little is known regarding how environmental responsiveness has evolved over time within business in general, or within particular private sector organizations. In this study we seek to address this deficit by exploring the evolving pattern of environmental strategy within a large sample of US companies over the period 1997 to 2006. Based on evolutionary theories of selection and adaptation as well as Burgelman’s strategic change processes, we characterize the pattern of evolving responses to natural environmental issues, distinguish between changes in the overall attention paid to environmental issues that are attributable to the forces of adaptation and selection, and examine the distinctive characteristics of those organizations that have exhibited the most dramatic improvements in their environmental strategy. Our findings indicate that while there is widespread inertia in respect of envi...

61 citations