Role of green financing and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in technological innovation and corporate environmental performance: a COVID-19 perspective

PurposeThe aim of this study is to estimate the relationship between technological innovation and corporate environmental performance among energy companies working in Egypt.Design/methodology/approachThe study extended the aim with the intention to assess the role of green financing in enhancing corporate environmental performance. Partial least squares (PLS)-based structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to estimate the nexus among study variables.FindingsThe results indicated that technological innovation influenced environmental performance and has a positive impact on company performance. The role of green financing for environmental performance is also significant and positive. Moreover, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has insignificant role in environmental performance of the energy companies in the study context.Research limitations/implicationsThe study offers a valuable model for general managers of manufacturing organizations and policymakers to manage CSR, environmental strategy and green innovation in examining environmental performance. It can help to assist general managers of large manufacturing organizations to strengthen their internal resources like CSR, environmental strategy and green innovation to enhance environmental performance.Practical implicationsThe findings of this article will help the practitioners to design policies regarding sustainable energy systems and green finance in the presence of any natural calamity.Originality/valueThis study primarily complements the existing literature by establishing how green financing and CSR can augment and/or interact between technological innovation and corporate environmental performance under COVID-19 crises, in a developing country.

Boardroom gender diversity and corporate environmental performance: a multi-theoretical perspective in the MENA region

Purpose Drawing on the multi-theoretical perspective, the primary purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the inextricably entwined nexus between board gender diversity and corporate environmental performance within cross-country context. Design/methodology/approach Multiple regression analysis on a cross-country panel data analysis was used. Further, the authors applied static panel data estimator ordinary least squares (OLS) as a baseline model with different proxies of gender diversity. In addition, to control for the potential endogeneity problem and providing robust findings, the authors run two-stage least squares (2SLS) and lagged independent variables. Findings The findings clearly unveiled that corporate environmental performance is positively and significantly affected by the level of gender diversity on board. This inextricable and intimate nexus is vastly attributed to the argument that female directors show greater concerns for eco-friendly activities. Practical implications The findings of this study provide useful and fruitful insights for regulatory parties and policymakers to mandate gender quota in electing boardroom members to ameliorate corporate environmental performance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, most of the prior studies have not yet provided a multi-theoretical analysis of the effect of board gender diversity on environmental performance. Thereby, this study handled this contemporary gap and went beyond the narrow perspectives by diving deep with cross-country analysis.

Community pressure, regulatory pressure and corporate environmental performance

This article analyses the relationship between community pressure, regulatory pressure and corporate environmental performance. Using a sample of 2192 firm-year observations in environmentally sensitive industries for the period 2007–2012, we find that increased community pressure is negatively associated with corporate pollution levels and thus positively associated with corporate environmental performance. Furthermore, intensified community pressure can strengthen regulatory enforcement, but it cannot increase the size of the government subsidy allotted to environmental issues. Finally, regulatory enforcement partly mediates the relationship between community pressure and environmental performance. This study contributes to the understanding of firms’ environmental management and the interaction of community and regulatory pressure. JEL Classification: G38, M41, Q53, Q56

Determinants Factor Influence Environmental Management Accounting and Corporate Environmental Performance: Evidence in Indonesia

This study examines (1) the effect of environmental strategy and Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) and environmental activity management and decision quality; (2) the effect of EMA and decision quality; (3) the effect of decision quality and corporate environmental performance, and EMA and corporate environmental performance on companies with ISO 14001 certifications in Indonesia. We used online surveys to reach managers from companies that received ISO 14001 certifications on Indonesia Stock Exchange. We analyzed data from 54 respondents and using Partial Least Square (PLS) regression. We find that environmental strategy has a positive impact on EMA. EMA has a positive and significant influence on a company’s environmental performance. Environmental activity management has a positive influence on decision quality. Decision quality also positively influences corporate environmental performance. However, we find no significant influence between EMA on decision quality. This study is limited by the low response rate from survey participants. We thus suggest that future research be conducted using qualitative methods. Another limitation is that the framework is not the best one. Thus, it is suggested that future research use another measurement for the variables and add other variables.

Corporate Environmental Performance and the Choice of Export Mode – Based on the Theory of Heterogeneous Firm Trade

Heterogeneous firm trade theory holds that firms' productivity is closely related to firms' export mode and Corporate Environmental Performance (CEP). CEP as one of the important elements associated with firms' productivity, has a significant impact on firms' export mode. The objective of the paper is to assess the enterprises with import and export business in Maoming City. Primary data was used to obtain data, while binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the data to determine the influence of CEP on export mode. The results show that the CEP has a positive impact on the export mode. Furthermore, results show that enterprises with better CEP are more inclined to choose the direct export mode, and vice versa. This result is consistent with the theory of heterogeneous firm trade. The study recommends that the Chinese government should give full consideration to the export mode of enterprises when making export policies and make full use of CEP's positive influence on the export mode to promote the internationalisation strategy of enterprises and realise the maximisation of enterprise value.

The Impact of Logic (In)Compatibility: Green Investing, State Policy, and Corporate Environmental Performance

Environmental protection is widely perceived as a state responsibility, but market-based solutions such as green investing have emerged in the financial sector. Little research has addressed whether green investing can affect corporate environmental performance and how the state would moderate such an impact. Using an institutional logics perspective, we extend the literature on institutional complexity by exploring the factors leading to compatibility of logics and practices. We theorize that the success of green investing as a novel hybrid practice combining financial means and environmental goals depends on the legitimacy it achieves as an appropriate solution to the stated goal, and this legitimacy can be boosted or dampened by other hybrid practices in the field. Analyzing a panel dataset of 3,706 firms from 20 countries between 2002 and 2013, we find a positive relationship between the relative size of green investment in the economy and firm-level environmental performance in that country. This relationship is moderated by state policies: a strong environmental protection policy weakens the positive relationship between green investing and corporate environmental performance, and a strong shareholder protection policy strengthens the relationship. We contribute to research on institutional complexity, logic compatibility, and public–private cooperation in pursuing the common good.