Search results

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Integrating economic and green initiatives into firm strategies is a challenge for firms in various industries. The study aims to incorporate multiple views, i.e. green innovation theory (GIT), the green institutional perspective (GIP) and the natural-resource-based view (NRBV), to develop a comprehensive model to explore why and how firms implement green product innovation (GPI).

The study explores the relationships among institutional pressure, the firm's green resources and GPI. The research also distinguishes two different types of GPI: exploratory GPI and exploitative GPI. A total of 270 valid questionnaires were collected from electrical and electronics manufacturers in Taiwan. The authors employed structural equation modeling (SEM) using analysis of moment structures (AMOS) 23.0 to test the hypotheses.

The results show that institutional pressure has a significant positive correlation with the firm's green resources. Furthermore, institutional pressure has a significantly positive influence on exploratory GPI and exploitative GPI, respectively. The firm's green resources also have a significantly positive effect on both exploratory GPI and exploitative GPI. In addition, institutional pressures have significantly positive indirect effect on both exploratory GPI and exploitative GPI.

Economic benefits and environmental sustainability are the most pressing issues faced by the electrical and electronics industry today. The study's investigation covers Taiwanese electrical and electronics manufacturers only, so the test of the research model has limited generalizability. The authors suggest that to expand the generalizability of the findings, future research should examine this model in the context of other regions such as Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, etc.

The study has many interesting implications for both practitioners and policymakers. The authors' findings suggest that while Taiwanese electrical and electronics manufacturers face significant pressure from customers, competitors and regulation requirements (e.g. waste electrical and electronic equipment [WEEE], restriction of hazardous substances [RoHS] and energy using product [EuP] directives), firms in that sector should efficiently and effectively deploy their green resources and then perform proper GPI (e.g. exploratory GPI or exploitative GPI). These results also serve as a reminder to policymakers that balancing coercive (command-and-control) mechanisms with incentives and voluntary mechanisms is the best means by which to develop motivational and effective GPI policies.

First and foremost, the paper divides GPI into exploratory GPI and exploitative GPI. Furthermore, the research incorporates two important schools of thought, i.e. the GIP and NRBV, thus providing a more holistic view by which to explore why and how companies adopt GPI.

Prior research on green innovation has shown that institutional pressure stimulates enterprises to adopt green innovation. However, an institutional perspective does not explain why firms that face the same amount of institutional pressure execute different environmental practices and innovations. To address this research gap, the authors linked institutional theory with upper echelons theory and organization performance to build a comprehensive research model.

A total of 800 questionnaires were issued. The final usable questionnaires were 195, yielding a response rate of 24.38%. AMOS 23.0 was used to analyze the data and examine the relationships between the constructs in our model.

Institutional pressures affected both green innovation adoption (GIA) and the top management team's (TMT's) response. TMT's response influenced GIA. GIA was an important factor affecting firm performance. Furthermore, TMT's response mediated the relationship between institutional pressure and GIA. Institutional pressures indirectly affected green innovation performance but did not influence economic performance through GIA. Finally, TMT's response indirectly impacted firm performance through GIA.

The authors draw on institutional theory, upper echelons theory, and a performance-oriented perspective to explore the antecedents and consequences of GIA. This study has interesting implications for leaders and managers looking to implement green innovation and leverage it for firm performance to out compete with market rivals as well as to make the changes in collaboration with many other companies including market rivals to gain success in green innovation.

This research aims to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation influences a firm’s differentiation–cost advantage ambidexterity (DCAA) and performance indirectly through dynamic capabilities, while also investigating the impact of the interactive effect of the level and consistency of entrepreneurial orientation on dynamic capabilities. The goal of this study is to better understand the importance of consistently following an entrepreneurial orientation, as well as the linkage of such a consistently implemented strategy upon gaining both a cost and differentiation positioning enhancement.

Two empirical studies are conducted to test the proposed hypotheses – one longitudinal with multiple forms of data (i.e. text data, survey data and archival data) from 100 Taiwanese electronics firms and the other using primary data from a survey of senior managers.

Entrepreneurial orientation improves dynamic capabilities, which in turn promote superior DCAA and enhanced firm performance. In addition, as captured through a unique measure of consistency allowed through computer-aided text analysis, the results indicate that the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on dynamic capabilities is amplified when a firm consistently adopts entrepreneurial decisions and actions.

The specific context was a sample of electronics firms in Taiwan. This limits the generalization of findings, as would be possible with assessing the hypotheses in other industries.

This research clearly demonstrates the significance of consistency in pursuing a strategic orientation. The consistent support and deployment of resources facilitates an organization’s achieving positive outcomes associated with an entrepreneurial orientation.

While entrepreneurial orientation contributes to firm performance, extant knowledge on the internal process through which entrepreneurial orientation affects performance is relatively limited. The findings not only highlight the full mediating role of dynamic capabilities and DCAA, but also shed light on the importance of consistency in entrepreneurial orientation over time.

This study analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the electoral mechanism of local education superintendents in South Korea, draws conclusions and makes suggestions for future reforms.

The research method of this study included document analysis and interviews. Document analysis was used to collect and analyze the relevant official documents of education superintendents across countries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four professors and two superintendents.

The results of the interviews indicate the following: 1) Korean stakeholders are getting more familiar with the direct election of superintendents, as the interviews indicate a more mature direct election system due to previous experience and public officials taking direct election into account; 2) The direct election of superintendents has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include increasing the participation of the general public in education, and the disadvantages include conflict between the central government and local superintendents belonging to different political parties. However, the current system is likely to be retained; 3) The superintendent systems in various countries differ due to their respective traditions and social contexts. However, the authors can always learn lessons and implications from foreign countries if the authors compare their education systems with their foreign counterparts.

As far research limitations, although this was a small study, it shows the importance of collecting multiple stakeholders' views on the direct election of education superintendents as a basis for future reform of education management.

The Korean system for electing superintendents provides a good model for other countries reflecting on the educational autonomy and accountabilities of their own systems.

The direct election of superintendents provides an example of professionalism, independence and political neutrality in education that other countries can learn from. The separation of general and educational administration in Korea through direct elections protects educational activities from political influence.

In terms of originality/value, this study adds a new perspective to the debate about whether the general public should directly elect education superintendents, as well as to the literature on local education management.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Predicting the inactivity and the repeat transaction frequency of a firm's customer base is critical for customer relationship management. The literature offers two main approaches to such predictions: stochastic modeling efforts represented by Pareto/NBD and machine learning represented by neural network analysis. As these two approaches have been developed and applied in parallel, this study systematically compares the two approaches in their prediction accuracy and defines the relatively appropriate implementation scenarios of each model.

By designing a rolling exploration scheme with moving calibration/holdout combinations of customer data, this research explores the two approaches' relative performance by first utilizing three real world datasets and then a wide range of simulated datasets.

The empirical result indicates that neither approach is dominant and identifies patterns of relative applicability between the two. Such patterns are consistent across the empirical and the simulated datasets.

This study contributes to the literature by bridging two previously parallel analytical approaches applicable to customer base predictions. No prior research has rendered a comprehensive comparison on the two approaches' relative performance in customer base predictions as this study has done. The patterns identified in the two approaches' relative prediction performance provide practitioners with a clear-cut menu upon selecting approaches for customer base predictions. The findings further urge marketing scientists to reevaluate prior modeling efforts during the past half century by assessing what can be replaced by black boxes such as NNA and what cannot.

This study aims to explore the relationships among institutional pressures, commitment of resources and returns management. Returns management is regarded as a part of supply chain management. However, the research in returns management has received much less attention. To bridge the gap, this study concerns key concepts from two important schools of thought, i.e. institutional theory and the resource-based view, to build up the research model.

Retailers and maintenance providers in the 3C industry (computers, communication and consumer electronics) in Taiwan were surveyed, and the statistical methods of hierarchical and moderated regression were used to examine the relationships among institutional pressures, commitment of resources and returns management.

Institutional pressures, comprising non-market and market pressures, affect the implementation of returns management (product return practices and product recovery practices). Commitments of resources positively and significantly moderate the relationship between the pressures imposed by non-market and market actors and product return practices and product recovery practices.

This study investigates only the factors that drive returns management. Future research can examine the relationship between the antecedents and consequences of returns management. Furthermore, returns management may become increasingly critical for firms to develop and perform corporate social responsibility (CSR). Therefore, future research can investigate the relationship between CSR practices and returns management.

This research suggests that managers under institutional pressures should continually pay attention to the effects of external factors on returns management. Additionally, the results reveal that a commitment of resources can reinforce the relationship between the pressures imposed by non-market and market actors and the implementation of returns management. Under significant institutional pressures and resource constraints, managers may increase the effectiveness of returns management while attending to the concerns of non-market and market actors.

This study presents a model that considers three major explicative variables: institutional pressures, resources commitment and returns management. It is the first investigation to integrate three streams of literature on institutional theory, the resource-based view and returns management.

Environmental sustainability is one of the most pressing issues faced by the electric and electronics industry today. Industries are being challenged to incorporate environmental initiatives in their corporate strategies. Thus, this study aims to investigate the impact of stakeholder pressures (regulatory, internal and market) on green supply chain management and green corporate resources as well as their effects on the economic and environmental performance of Taiwan's electric and electronic industry.

A total of 194 valid questionnaires were collected out of the 1,000 questionnaires distributed to Taiwan's electric and electronic product manufacturers. A structural equation modeling, using Amos 22.0, was used to test the hypotheses.

The results of the analyses show that stakeholder pressure has a significant positive impact on corporate green resources and green supply chain management practices while green supply chain management practices have a significant and positive impact on organizational performance. Moreover, corporate green resources provide a mediation between organizational stakeholder pressure and green supply chain management.

The results may be of value and interest to supply chain managers and policymakers on the push factors for implementing green supply chain management practices and their consequences.

This paper shows the complementarity of stakeholder and resource-based theories in influencing organizational performance in the electric and electronic industry in the context of sustainable development. This also enhances the understanding of the antecedents and consequences of green supply chain management and provides robust findings on the relationship between environmental and economic performance.

Green sustainability has become a critical challenge for businesses to execute green supply chain management (GSCM). Most of the literature on GSCM emphasizes regulations as drivers and few pieces of research are conducted from an internal organizational culture view. This study aims to use the cultural perspective of market orientation (MO) and draws on both the natural resource-based view (NRBV) and dynamic capability view (DCV) to explore the relationships among green market orientation (GMO), GSCM capability and organizational performance.

A total of 1,000 survey questionnaires were distributed to the Taiwanese electronics industry and 207 valid questionnaires were collected. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The results show that GMOs have a significant positive impact on GSCM capability, environmental performance and economic performance. Moreover, GSCM capability is positively related to environmental and economic performance. The results also show that GMOs have a significant indirect influence on environmental performance and economic performance through GSCM capability.

The findings of this study suggest how Taiwan’s electrical and electronic manufacturers, while faced with pressure from competitors, customers and regulations (i.e. waste electrical and electronic equipment directive, Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive and energy-using products directives), should efficiently and effectively implement GMO and enhance GSCM capability to improve organizational performance.

This study fills up the gap between MO and performance indistinct relationships. It has also integrated two perspectives, namely, NRBV and DCV, to explain GSCM capability as a mediator between GMO and organizational performance relationship and to examine the relationships among GMO, GSCM capability and organizational performance.