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1 – 10 of over 24000
Article
Publication date: 24 July 2019

Sabrina Helm, Joyce Serido, Sun Young Ahn, Victoria Ligon and Soyeon Shim

The purpose of this study is to examine young consumers’ financial behavior (e.g. saving) and pro-environmental behavior (i.e. reduced consumption and green buying) as effective…

4362

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine young consumers’ financial behavior (e.g. saving) and pro-environmental behavior (i.e. reduced consumption and green buying) as effective proactive strategies undertaken in the present to satisfy materialistic values and maximize well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on an online survey among a panel of young American adults (N = 968).

Findings

The study finds a positive effect of materialism on personal well-being and negative effects on financial satisfaction, proactive financial coping and reduced consumption, but no effect on green buying, a separate and distinct pro-environmental strategy. Both proactive financial coping and reduced consumption are positively associated with subjective well-being.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should re-examine conceptualizations of materialism in the context of climate change and the meaning of possessions in the global digital economy; studies could also focus on the specific well-being effects of reduced consumption and alternative pathways to align materialistic and environmental values.

Practical implications

Consumer education should look to models of financial education to demonstrate how limited natural resources can be managed at the micro level to enhance consumers’ subjective well-being, as well as reduce resource strain at the macro level.

Originality/value

Key contributions are the examination of materialism and consumption in the dual contexts of financial and environmental resource constraints and the effects of these key macro-social phenomena on consumers’ perceived well-being. Another study highlight is the differentiation of two strategies for proactive environmental coping, of which only one, reduced consumption, increased personal well-being and decreased psychological distress.

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Nadine Andrews

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into psychosocial factors influencing sustainability professionals in their work to lead by influencing and improving…

1148

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into psychosocial factors influencing sustainability professionals in their work to lead by influencing and improving pro-environmental decision-making in their organisations and to increase understanding of psychosocial factors that affect their effectiveness in achieving desired results.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as a framework, the study enquires into the lived experience of six research subjects. The participants are sustainability professionals and leaders from the UK and Canada. The primary data source is semi-structured interviews, analysed with micro-discourse analysis.

Findings

Key psychosocial factors involved in participants’ experience are identified, specifically psychological threat-coping strategies, psychological needs, motivation and vitality, finding complex interactions between them. Tensions and trade-offs between competency, relatedness and autonomy needs and coping strategies such as suppression of negative emotion and “deep green” identity are modelled in diagrams to show the dynamics. How these tensions are negotiated has implications for psychological well-being and effectiveness.

Practical/implications

The concepts and models presented in this paper may be of practical use to sustainability professionals, environmentalists and organisation leaders, for example, in identifying interventions to develop inner resources, support authentic and effective action and disrupt maladaptive responses to ecological crisis.

Originality/value

The study contributes insight to understanding of underlying processes shaping environmental cognition and behaviour, particularly in relation to psychological threat-coping strategies and interacting factors. With a transdisciplinary approach, the methodology enables nuanced interpretation of complex phenomena to be generated.

Details

Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8021

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 June 2020

Agnieszka Karman

The purpose of this paper is to study the following related terms: flexibility, resilience and coping capacity, in order to clarify relationships between them.

1670

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the following related terms: flexibility, resilience and coping capacity, in order to clarify relationships between them.

Design/methodology/approach

Methods applied in the study include the analysis and synthesis of scientific literature and a critical discussion considering provided references. By drawing on the notion of the ladder of abstraction, conceptual differences between the three terms are proposed.

Findings

Based on the most common associations of the terms in the literature, the paper proposes the following relationships between the terms: flexibility is most commonly associated with the inherent property of systems, which allows them to change within pre-established parameters; resilience is the ability of organizations to withstand changes in their environment and still function; coping capacity commonly refers to organizational behavior involving timely purposeful change.

Practical implications

As managers strive to improve the performance of their organizations in turbulent conditions, the paper provides a useful enhanced understanding of the relative roles that flexibility, resilience and coping capacity play in changes and maintaining the continuity of the organization.

Originality/value

While confusion between the meanings of these terms has been noted by various authors, the paper is believed to be the first to discuss the three terms in conjunction and thereby propose relationships between them. The proposed framework overcomes existing definitional fragmentation and raises awareness in the conceptualization of terms: flexibility, coping capacity and resilience. We contribute to extant business and management literature by proposing a model indicating the relationships between them.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 33 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 December 2023

Xiaohu Deng, Mengyao Fu, Shasha Deng, Chee-Wee Tan and Zhibin Jiang

Contemporary focus on infections and deaths in the event of pandemics may distract health institutions and medical practitioners from the psychosocial consequences of the…

Abstract

Purpose

Contemporary focus on infections and deaths in the event of pandemics may distract health institutions and medical practitioners from the psychosocial consequences of the outbreak in individuals. In light of the devastation, persistency and scarcity of pandemics, it is imperative to delve into individuals' psychological state and self-preservation instincts when confronted with the environmental danger arising from pandemic conditions and the environmental restrictions being imposed.

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by the self-preservation theory, the authors advance a research model to elucidate the moderated mediation effect of secondary traumatic stress on an individual's reactions when faced with environmental danger and restriction. The authors also consider the moderating influence of environmental restriction and media use diversity. The authors subsequently validated the research model via a survey with 2,016 respondents in China. The authors employed PLS-SEM to analyze the data and assess the hypothesized paths.

Findings

Analytical results revealed that secondary traumatic stress fully mediated the impact of environmental danger on external reliance but suppresses the mediating effects on internal reliance. The authors further confirmed that environmental restriction moderated the relationship between environmental danger and reliance. Furthermore, the authors attest to the moderating influence of media use diversity on the relationship between secondary traumatic stress and external reliance.

Originality/value

This study not only extends the theoretical lens of self-preservation to public health emergencies but also yields practical guidelines for coping with pandemics. Insights from this study can be harnessed to aid populations worldwide in coping and recovering from pandemics.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 124 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 June 2023

Hongyi Mao, Shan Liu and Yeming Gong

To achieve digital transformation, organizations have continued to rely on integrating the capabilities of information technology (IT) to facilitate decision-making and developing…

1251

Abstract

Purpose

To achieve digital transformation, organizations have continued to rely on integrating the capabilities of information technology (IT) to facilitate decision-making and developing their reconfiguration capability to enhance agile operations. The pressure imposed by digital transformation necessitates investigations on leveraging different IT capabilities to attain substantial organizational agility in an optimal configuration. This study aims to provide a new perspective on balancing IT structural capabilities and proposes a framework for evaluating their coalignment and complementary returns based on resource orchestration theory.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-method approach is used to evaluate the research model. This study tests hypotheses and explores the potential coalignment and complementary returns of balance in structural models and response surface analysis. Then, it analyzes the qualitative data and provides complementary findings to corroborate and confirm complex relationships.

Findings

Balanced structural IT capabilities facilitate organizational agility but cooperate differently with internal (e.g. IT proactive stance) and external (e.g. environmental volatility) environmental factors. Balance between IT integration and reconfiguration must be maintained from several approaches during search/selection and configuration/deployment.

Originality/value

This study theorizes and empirically investigates the interactive mechanisms of two IT capabilities in influencing organizational agility under different boundary conditions. It enriches the understanding of balancing capabilities for organizational agility in digital transformation.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 June 2022

Yasmine YahiaMarzouk and Jiafei Jin

This paper aims to examine the impact of environmental scanning (ES) on competitive advantage (CA) through the mediation of organizational resilience dimensions within…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of environmental scanning (ES) on competitive advantage (CA) through the mediation of organizational resilience dimensions within manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a cross-sectional design to collect data. This study used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 249 Egyptian SMEs. This study employed the Smart partial least square structural equation modeling technique to test the hypotheses.

Findings

ES positively affects CA both directly and indirectly through the mediation of organizational resilience dimensions, namely, robustness and agility. However, ES does not affect integrity; therefore, integrity does not mediate the ES–CA relationship. These results indicate that organizational resilience partially mediates the relationship between ES and CA.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size was small, covering only Egyptian manufacturing SMEs. The results may be different in the service sector and other countries. The study was cross-sectional which could not trace the long-term effects of ES and organizational resilience on CA. Therefore, a longitudinal study should be conducted, based on resource availability.

Practical implications

Managers in Egyptian SMEs should scan their environments to build organizational resilience and, in turn, enhance their CA.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the first endeavors to investigate the role of ES in building CA through organizational resilience in the context of Egyptian SMEs.

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2022

Yasmine YahiaMarzouk and Jiafei Jin

This study aims to examine the impact of environmental scanning on organizational resilience through organizational learning based on organizational information processing theory…

1092

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of environmental scanning on organizational resilience through organizational learning based on organizational information processing theory (OIPT) in Egyptian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, this study aims to examine the moderating role of environmental uncertainty in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for the mediation analysis was obtained using a cross-sectional design. Using a self-administered questionnaire, the authors collected data from a sample of 249 Egyptian SMEs. The authors tested the hypotheses using the smart partial least square structural equation modeling approach.

Findings

Organizational learning affects organizational resilience. Environmental scanning does not have a direct effect on organizational resilience. However, organizational learning fully mediates the relationship between environmental scanning and organizational resilience. Furthermore, environmental uncertainty does not moderate the indirect relationship between environmental scanning and resilience.

Research limitations/implications

The sample included only Egyptian manufacturing SMEs. The results in the service sector and in other countries may differ. This study was cross-sectional, which was limited in its ability to trace the long-term effects of environmental scanning and organizational learning on organizational resilience.

Practical implications

Egyptian SMEs’ managers should experience organizational learning as a pathway for environmental scanning to build organizational resilience.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the role of environmental scanning in building organizational resilience through organizational learning and the moderating role of environmental uncertainty in this relationship.

Article
Publication date: 7 January 2019

Yankun Zhou and Hongtao Shen

This study aims to deem the new policy – talk for environmental protection – promoted in the second half of 2014 to be the exogenous event and adopts PSM and DID to verify whether…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to deem the new policy – talk for environmental protection – promoted in the second half of 2014 to be the exogenous event and adopts PSM and DID to verify whether and how the central government’s mechanism of supervision of environmental enforcement improves firm environmental performance and reveals the micro effect and working mechanism of the supervision of environmental enforcement.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers first select reasonable control groups for target districts by means of PSM, then apply DID to compare corporations in the treatment group with those in the control group for the change of environmental performance before and after the talk for environmental protection, so as to evaluate the micro-level effect of such talks on corporate environmental performance; after that, the research examines the working mechanism of such talks on corporate environmental performance; then, it goes a step further to find out the environmental impact of such talks on corporations of different natures of property right.

Findings

It is found from the research that the talk for environmental protection will effectively improve the environmental performance of corporations in the target districts, and the improvement of environmental performance in state-owned corporations in the target districts will be more evident. However, such improvements, to a certain extent, are achieved by reducing the output value, and corporations do not increase environmental investments from a long-term perspective.

Research limitations/implications

First, the targets of the talk for environmental protection are mainly principals of municipal governments, but the research expands the scope to the whole province due to the small sample at the municipal level. Despite evidences showing that such a pressure of supervision impacts the whole province, the results obtained based on the data at the municipal level will be accurate. Second, the research selects a relatively short research period. Third, due to the limited data on corporate environmental performance in China, the research selects only listed companies from key monitored and controlled firms by state.

Practical implications

First, for the central government, environmental policy making is not the end of its job; it shall also supervise local governments’ work at environmental governance and properly handle its relationship with local governments. Second, for the local governments, in the course of implementing environmental policies, they should not only strengthen law enforcement but keep the continuity of law enforcement to avoid moving law enforcement. Third, in the long run, corporations must start from the source of production to enhance environmental governance and make cleaner production, so as to keep boosting corporate competitiveness and their ability of fighting risks.

Originality/value

First, the research innovatively provides empirical evidence about the effect of China’s supervision of environmental enforcement. Previous studies on this topic are mostly theoretical discussions only, while this research makes the talk for environmental protection the exogenous event about the supervision of law enforcement and achieves breakthroughs in empirical studies of administrative enforcement supervision. Second, the research pushes the studies on the implementation effect of environmental policies from a medium level to a micro level. Third, the research achieves some breakthroughs in the data for measuring corporate environmental performance.

Details

Nankai Business Review International, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 October 2022

Hans Jaich, Sarah Margaretha Jastram and Knut Blind

This study aims to draw on goal contagion theory to examine how organizations shape the pro-environmental behavior of their employees. It extends the scope of analysis beyond…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to draw on goal contagion theory to examine how organizations shape the pro-environmental behavior of their employees. It extends the scope of analysis beyond organizational boundaries and illustrates the external effects of organizational practices that support societal change. The fundamental research question is whether perceived environmental management practices strengthen employees’ public sphere pro-environmental behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the research hypothesis, the authors combined survey and quasi-experimental evidence from two independent field studies. Both studies were carried out in the tourist industry in Germany. In the first study, the authors used a cross-sectional research design with data from 206 employees to examine whether perceived environmental management practices are positively associated with employees’ public sphere pro-environmental behavior. For causal inference, the authors conducted a second study involving a natural pretest-posttest quasi-experiment with a treatment and control group.

Findings

The results of the cross-sectional study revealed that perceived environmental management practices are positively associated with employees’ public sphere pro-environmental behavior. The findings of the natural quasi-experiment confirmed the hypothesized causation and minimized the probability of alternative explanations.

Practical implications

The study has important implications for policymakers, since the support and acceptance of public policies is a prerequisite for the realization of collective political action. By highlighting the potential of organizational practices to strengthen employees’ public sphere pro-environmental behavior, this research illustrates how rules and regulations that oblige firms to intensify their environmental protection practices might not only reduce the ecological footprint of organizations but also help cultivate societal acceptance of and support for environmental protection.

Social implications

This study illustrates how employees that align their normative goals in accordance with the implicit goals of organizational practices can become agents for corresponding societal changes. This perspective highlights the integration of structure and agency and underscores the idea that societal change works across macro-, meso- and micro-social levels.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the investigation is the first that examines the relationship between perceived environmental management practices and employees’ public sphere pro-environmental behavior. Herewith, it sheds light on a thus far overlooked mechanism for how organizations stimulate societal change.

Details

Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8021

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 October 2020

Samar Hayat Khan, Abdul Majid and Muhammad Yasir

This research was carried out with the purpose to empirically test the model to explain the procedures concerned with the translation of social capital (SC) into strategic renewal…

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Abstract

Purpose

This research was carried out with the purpose to empirically test the model to explain the procedures concerned with the translation of social capital (SC) into strategic renewal (SR) of SMEs in developing economy like Pakistan. This procedure involves the mediating role of firms' strategic agility (SA) as well as the contingent effects of firms' absorptive capacity (AC).

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a cross-sectional design to evaluate the hypothesized model. To validate the moderated mediation model, data was collected from 519 CEOs, owners, finance managers and managing directors of 123 manufacturing units dealing in agricultural machinery (32 units), automobile accessories (16 units), pharmaceutical instrument (11 units), electrical equipment (25 units), IT related accessories (21 units) and garments (18 units).

Findings

The findings of the study confirm a positive association between SC on SR. Moreover, results also validate the mediating role of SA in the relationship between SC and SR. In addition, the moderating role of AC is also confirmed and presented this construct as a catalyst in the relationship between SC and SR.

Practical implications

This research provides new endeavors for strategic management and strategic entrepreneurship literature by focusing on distinctive resources such as SC with its different facets. Therefore, it provides a new dimension and a roadmap that will be beneficial to the achievement of the objectives of SR.

Originality/value

The findings of this research have contributed to the streams of strategic management perspective by emphasizing upon the mediating mechanism how SC can be transformed into SR of SMEs through SA. Findings of the research also contribute to understand the moderating role of AC, and how its association with SC and SA augments the effects on SR of firms.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 59 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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