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Contemporary frameworks on institutional theory and corporate environmentalism observe that institutional fields positively influence a firm’s environmental response in the form of implementation of environmental practices. These frameworks, however, provide little evidence on why firms facing similar institutional field differ in their environmental response. This paper aims to incorporate the intra-organizational dynamics within the traditional institutional theory framework to address this heterogeneity, examining specifically the role of absorptive capacity for environmental knowledge in the organizational implementation of corporate environmental practices.

Integrating the institutional theory and resource-based view, this paper examines the mediating role of absorptive capacity in the relationship between institutional pressure for corporate environmentalism vis-a-vis the implementation of corporate environmental practices. Partial least square structural equation modeling was used for hypotheses testing based on data obtained from the Indian apparel and textile industry.

The results support the mediating role of absorptive capacity in the relationship between institutional pressure and implementation of corporate environmental practices. Further, this study highlights the importance of acquisition and utilization of environmental knowledge in driving environmentalism through developing absorptive capacity; the findings also suggest that the role of institutional pressure in the implementation of environmental practices should not be analyzed in isolation but rather in conjunction with the development of absorptive capacity that forms the internal basis of implementation.

Managers need to focus on the development of organizational capabilities for acquiring and exploiting environmental knowledge to complement their preparedness in responding to any institutional pressures for environmental sustainability. Firms also need to link their environmental orientation with various sources of environmental knowledge and capabilities residing outside the organizational boundaries. It is important to note here that the development of absorptive capacities for the exploration and exploitation of external knowledge is indeed both required and necessary to build sustainable organizational capabilities.

This paper is among the very few studies that address the issue of knowledge and development of related organizational capabilities for corporate environmentalism. Recognizing that environmental knowledge resides outside organizational boundaries with regulatory agencies and special interest groups, this paper highlights the importance of developing organizational capabilities for the acquisition and exploitation of environmental knowledge.

While research on intergenerational service learning has focused on the benefits for the students, very few studies have focused on the older adults who are the recipients of the service learning. For the current study, we were interested in the benefits of service learning for both the college students and the older adults who participated in a service-learning course. Qualitative data were collected from both the students in a sociology of aging service-learning class and the older adults who participated as recipients of the service learning. Data from the students were collected via student journals and open-ended questionnaire responses written by the students. Data from the older adults were collected via interviews by the students as well as open-ended questionnaire responses written by the older adults. The following themes emerged as benefits to students: (1) a better understanding and less fear of aging; (2) a desire to learn more about older adults; (3) a desire to engage more with older adults. The themes for the benefits to the older adults included (1) improved social connections and companionship and (2) becoming family. We found that engaging in intergenerational service-learning courses is beneficial to all those who are involved.

This paper seeks to explore career centrality, belief in gender disadvantage, and career success definition as the determinants of career persistence among women software professionals in emerging economies like India. The control variables used are marital and parental status.

A survey questionnaire was administered to 190 software women professionals and statistical analyses were used to test the hypotheses.

Belief in gender disadvantage and objective success definition are differentiators for career persistence while career centrality is not. Marital status and parental status are relevant control variables.

Further exploration is needed of the dimensions of career centrality constructs and control for demographic variables.

Organizations should consider investments in child care support and other flexible work options so that women continue to remain in their careers.

This is the first known study to explore career persistence among women with a focus on culture unique to Asian countries like India.

Contemporary frameworks in the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm observe that the proprietary firm-specific assets of multinational companies (MNCs) from developed economies give them competitive advantage in international markets. However, the question “how do emerging market firms (EMFs) achieve accelerated internationalisation in knowledge based industries – despite not possessing proprietary assets and lacking critical elements of innovation eco-systems, institutions and infrastructure” has yet to be addressed. This paper aims to adopt a knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm, identifying knowledge, both inside and outside of the firm, as a critical element for the internationalization of EMFs.

This research entailed deductive econometric analyses using panel data analysis from 925 firm-year observations, which tested our predictions on capabilities that contribute to the internationalization of EMFs from the IT industry in India.

The findings of the authors’ panel data analysis reveal that the capacity to internationalize is predicated by knowledge leverage in three principal domains: absorptive capacity, tacit knowledge and knowledge-codification. This study shows internationalization is driven by higher-order capabilities of EMFs that draw on the absorptive capacity of individuals and collectives as a dynamic capability to serve international clients worldwide.

This study highlights that the process by which EMFs gain competence is different to the Western MNCs insofar as the extent to which EMFs have to stretch their efforts of learning from clients.

For practitioners, the findings of this research are a useful guide to understand that EMFs need to make strategic investments to understand the idiosyncrasies of a variety of clients’ needs and operating environments to dynamically adapt, document the learning and leverage the tacit knowledge.

This study captures the innate ability of entrepreneurs in emerging economies to unlock their potential in human capital for globalizing operations and targeting new market segments in the industry. This can directly benefit in uplifting the income level of millions in relatively underdeveloped countries and bringing about much-needed equity in the level of income in the society.

The value of this study lies in its novel and contemporary insight on how EMFs leapfrog in a fast-changing technology space. What distinguishes the work from the static framework in literature is that EMFs learning is dynamic, and happens in an interactive mode, alongside clients in close proximity. This study captures the innate ability of entrepreneurs to unlock the potential of human capital in emerging economies for globalizing operations.

This research aims to provide a conceptual framework with the scope to assist in establishing sustainable supply chain clusters (SCCs) by providing an instrument for organisations to enhance the three sustainability dimensions in a dynamic environment.

This research proposes a conceptual framework to enhance sustainability and organisational performance through three theoretical lenses: the system theory, extended resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities (DCs) theory. This approach is carried out through a comprehensive review of the existing literature on SCCs.

Four main propositions are formulated and demonstrated using the developed framework, which expands the discussion about SCCs and their key characteristics in a dynamic environment. This is particularly relevant as it allows empirical testing of the theories in an SCC context.

It can be noted that more extensive research is needed to further understand the issues faced in establishing sustainable clusters. Drawing on the theoretical lenses to establish the framework helps to enhance the understanding and operational capabilities of sustainable SCCs during and after disruptions, such as the global disruption created by COVID-19.

This research paves the way to help organisations improve their adaptability to the dynamic business environment by emphasizing the importance of clustering and linking it to sustainability through DCs to establish a sustainable cluster.

This research aims to guide organisations' use of SCCs as tools to enhance sustainability in a dynamic environment, given that the relationship amongst supply chain cluster design characteristics (SCCDCs), DCs and sustainability remains unexplored. The combination of the three theoretical lenses in developing the proposed framework will assist in further understanding the applicability of these theories when they are considered together.

Globally, the oil and gas (OG) industries are under pressure from numerous stakeholders for their sustainable operations against the backdrop of climate change, ecological damage and social challenges. Drawing on the twin theoretical frameworks of the institutional theory and dynamic capability perspective, this study aims to examine the impact of the institutional pressures and dynamic capabilities on the overall sustainability performance of OG industry.

This study uses survey method to analyze the responses from 275 middle management professionals of OG industry in India using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Further, focused group discussions with the select industry leaders validate the empirical findings of this study.

The research reveals that both institutional pressures and firm’s dynamic capabilities have significant positive impact on its economic and environmental performances in OG sector in India. However, they do not have any impact on social performance, unlike earlier findings.

The main limitation of the study is generalizability of the findings, given the cross-sectional design of the study.

Insights of this study will help regulators and policymakers in formulating effective regulatory and policy frameworks, besides creating awareness amongst the organizations to simultaneously focus on all the three aspects of sustainability performance.

The research has bearing on policy formulation and creating a regulatory ecosystem to ensure overall sustainability performance of OG industry in India.

Organizations learn semi-automatically through experience or consciously through deliberate learning efforts. As there seems to be a “black-box” in the possible linkages between deliberate learning and new practice implementation, this paper aims to develop and test a process model, linking deliberate learning and new practice implementation through complementary competencies of task and environmental flexibility.

As part of a field study, health-care improvement program (to transfer the improvement training program for new practice implementation) of 186 HCUs was used for testing our hypothesis. In addition to descriptive statistics, multiple hierarchical regressions and bootstrapping were used to test the study hypotheses.

Findings suggest that deliberate learning is positively and significantly related with new practice implementation, and dynamic capabilities in the form of task and environmental flexibility mediates this relationship.

The present study makes theoretical and practical contributions by linking literature from new practice, organizational learning and dynamic capabilities; and by delving into the deliberate learning activities undertaken by health-care units.

Organizational learning in health care has almost become inevitable today due to the ever-changing dynamics of the industry. Barring handful of studies, the current state of literature is almost entirely tilted towards experience-based learning and deliberate learning is not well studied. To address this gap, the study aims to develop and test a process model linking development of dynamic capabilities with deliberate learning and new practice implementation. Further, findings of this study will help organizations and managers to understand and thereby effectively manage new practice implementation process through the use of deliberate activities.

The authors have recently been seeing a rising trend towards sustainability and innovation among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kuwait, especially through the use of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were introduced by United Nations in 2015. In Kuwait, corporations such as Zain and NBK have already implemented the SDGs as part of their main objective to create a better future for their companies. This research attempts to explore the reasons why entrepreneurs in SMEs are implementing the SDGs and specifically goal number 12 (SDG 12).

With this research drawing on a qualitative approach, a sample of 20 participants who operated at the executive level of the SMEs were chosen randomly using the “snowball” sampling from different industries, including the food and beverage and beauty and service sectors, and were interviewed.

The results revealed that most SMEs in Kuwait are considering their approach to sustainability. Although these SMEs are following a global trend, the Kuwait government does not support them in adopting sustainability rules and regulations.

This research contributes to the existing literature by presenting new knowledge about SMEs in Kuwait implementing the SDGs. It also makes an empirical contribution to the SME and entrepreneurship literature by exploring the reasons for adopting these goals. This study is one of very few that have explored the SDGs in Kuwait, and it can provide grounds for future research on SMEs' adoption in Kuwait of future SGDs. Recommendations and future directions are presented.

The findings add to the empirical literature by revealing the reasons why entrepreneurs in SMEs are implementing SDG 12. Furthermore, the findings will open doors for future research in this field.

Environmental sanctions and pressure from governments and customers can play an essential role in driving the manufacturing industry to adopt more sustainable practices and reduce their environmental impact. Thus, this study explores how pressures from customers and governments influence sustainable firm performance and customer satisfaction through green production, green creativity, green brand innovativeness and green brand image in the Chinese manufacturing industry? Further, the moderating role of green knowledge was analyzed.

640 valid responses from the Chinese manufacturing industry were collected through web-based and physical surveys and later assessed through structural equation modeling.

The findings of this study validated the direct relationship between the proposed construct. Mediation analysis found the mediating role of green brand innovativeness, green brand image green and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the moderating impact of green knowledge was also proved.

The empirical findings of this research filled the literature gap on cleaner production and sustainable firm performance by focusing on green production, green creativity and green knowledge in the Chinese manufacturing industry context.

Management innovation is one of the most vital practices underpinning economic growth and is considered to be one of the fundamental components of gaining a superior business position in market conditions that are continually fluctuating. Drawing upon neo-institutional theory as well as absorptive capacity, the current empirical study unpacks the relationships between external institutional forces (i.e. regulative, mimetic and normative pressures) and management innovation through investigating the role of absorptive capacity as a mediator.

The research model is tested using survey data from Australian organisations. The study used Partial Least Squares (PLS), a component-based structural equation modelling (SEM) method, in order to perform the data analysis.

The results confirm that the various dimensions of institutional forces have diverse influences on management innovation. The authors found mimetic and normative pressures have positive influences on realised and potential absorptive capacity of an organisation. In addition, realised absorptive capacity mediates the relations between institutional forces and management innovation.

Dissimilar to preceding studies, this research shows that organisations not only innovate to pursue higher performance but sometimes strive for legitimacy. In addition, the significant associations between absorptive capacity and management innovation and the mediation role clearly signify that institutional forces and absorptive capacity play significant roles in the adoption of management innovation.