Sustainability as a Competitive Tool for the Brave? Or for the Best? A Behavioral Theory Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20413711 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emanuele Luca Maria Bettinazzi (Università della Svizzera italiana), Lorenzo Massa (0000-0001-6247-7355, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland), Kerstin Neumann (0000-0001-7451-7086, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 408-436 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Organization & Environment (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1086-0266 • E-ISSN: 1552-7417 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1086026619839364 |
| OpenAlex | W2941769574 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 116 |
Who invests in sustainability as a strategic choice? We adopt a behavioral theory perspective to explain the heterogeneity of sustainability-driven investments. Building on problemistic search and organizational inertia arguments, and contrary to resource-based explanations, we argue that a firm’s competitiveness might actually reduce its likelihood to invest in sustainability. We also propose that less competitive firms invest in sustainability to improve their economic situation and, thus, that this choice results in positive performance effects. We further theorize that a firm’s level of commitment to its stakeholders will strengthen its likelihood to invest in sustainability. In a sample of 780 North American public companies in the period from 2007 to 2011, we find evidence to support our proposed model. Based on our findings, we draw implications for the further study of the behavioral roots of strategic change as well as for sustainability-oriented managerial practice and policy making
Business · Competitive advantage · Economics · Industrial organization · Microeconomics · Public economics · Social sustainability · Sustainability · Sustainability organizations · Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Sustainable Building Design and Assessment · Marketing
Organizational Learning
Sensemaking in organizations
Investment under Uncertainty
Evolving sustainably
The Stakeholder Theory of the Corporation
Dynamic capabilities
Uncertain Imitability
The Generalization of ‘Student's’ Problem When Several Different Population Varlances Are Involved
The cornerstones of competitive advantage
Does Greenwashing Pay Off? Understanding the Relationship Between Environmental Actions and Environmental Legitimacy
Keeping an Eye on the Mirror
Managerial Interpretations and Organizational Context as Predictors of Corporate Choice of Environmental Strategy.
Rational Choice and the Framing of Decisions
The Concept of Fit in Strategy Research
Proactive environmental strategies
Corporate Social Performance Revisited
Organizational identity orientation
Business cases for sustainability
Managerial and Organizational Cognition
Competitive Strategy
Corporate Social Responsibility
Legitimacy
Stakeholder Engagement
Putting the S back in corporate social responsibility
The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance
Entrepreneurial Action And The Role Of Uncertainty In The Theory Of The Entrepreneur
Faking It or Muddling Through? Understanding Decoupling in Response to Stakeholder Pressures
Talking Trash
Organizational Culture
A Critical Assessment of Business Model Research
When Cymbals Become Symbols
On the Measurement of Organizational Slack
The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effects
Matching Methods for Causal Inference
Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage
Toward a knowledge‐based theory of the firm
Constructing a Control Group Using Multivariate Matched Sampling Methods That Incorporate the Propensity Score
Variable risk preferences and the focus of attention
The Scarcity-Munificence Component of Organizational Environments and The Commission of Illegal Acts
Beyond What and Why
Corporate Social and Financial Performance
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |