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PurposeMany firms struggle to implement strategies that can successfully enhance the environmental sustainability of their processes. Drawing on the theories of green intellectual capital and complementary assets, this study develops a model describing the mechanism whereby firms can translate a green (i.e., environmental) strategy into a superior green process innovation performance (GPIP).Design/methodology/approachRegression analysis of multi-source survey data collected from 514 managers at 257 firms (257 top management members and 257 safety or environmental managers) was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsA firm's green strategic intent has positive effects on the three aspects of green intellectual capital (i.e., human, organizational and relational capital). In turn, these three aspects have positive effects on GPIP. Moreover, green organizational capital positively moderates the effect of green relational capital on GPIP, whereas it negatively moderates the effect of human capital on GPIP.Research limitations/implicationsIn order to implement a green strategy successfully, especially in polluted industries such as the chemical industry, managers need to develop not only the firm's tangible resources but also its intangible resources. The more they invest in green organizational capital, the higher the level of GPIP that can be achieved. On average, a firm's green human capital is more important than its organizational and relational capital. Moreover, its organizational capital helps capture the benefits of its relational capital, but it impairs the creativity of its human capital.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the literature on green strategy implementation by suggesting that green intellectual capital plays a mediating role in the relationship between a firm's green strategic intent and GPIP.

PurposeThis study is among the very few to examine the firm's simultaneous use of both dimensions of open innovation and its influences on the firm's process innovation performance (PIP). Specifically, the authors consider the relationship between firm's external technology acquisition (ETA) and external technology exploitation (ETE) and examine their direct, indirect and mediating effect on the firm's PIP. The authors also examine the moderating effect of the organizations' unabsorbed slack (UASL) on the relationship between ETA and ETE.Design/methodology/approachAnalyzing data collected from 311 small- and medium-sized software development firms in emerging market; Thailand, we show that both ETA and ETE have a positive effect on PIP and that ETE fully mediates the relationship between ETA and PIP.FindingsThe authors show that both ETA and ETE have a positive effect on PIP and that ETE fully mediates the relationship between ETA and PIP. Moreover, the relationship between ETA and ETE is positively moderated by the firms' unabsorbed slack (UASL) and that the influence of ETA on PIP through ETE is stronger under higher unabsorbed slack.Originality/valueThe authors extend the “traditional” performance outcome of outbound dimension of open innovation concept, which focuses exclusively on commercialization and market (Chesbrough, 2003b), by showing that ETE positively influences the firm's PIP. Moreover, the study explains the mechanism through which ETA influence the firm's PIP by proposing that ETE fully mediates the relationship between ETA and PIP.

PurposeOver the last two decades, corporations have increasingly adopted green innovation to lessen the unsuitable impact on the environment and gain competitive advantage at the same time. However, researchers have paid more attention to green product innovation and the firm's financial risk (FFR) relationship than green process innovation. Such neglect of green process innovation has failed to produce an elusive understanding of green process innovation and FFR relationship, and this relationship is necessary to understand for the ongoing debate on “does it pay to be green?” Thus, the purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between green process innovation performance (GPRIP) and FFR, and it also examines the moderating role of slack resources and competitive intensity in facilitating this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected 202 publicly listed Thai manufacturing firms' data using questionnaire survey and firms' financial statements, and this research employed hierarchical moderating regression analyses to test hypotheses.FindingsResults demonstrate that GPRIP negatively influences the FFR. Competitive intensity reinforces the negative relationship between GPRIP and FFR, whereas organizational slack has an unfavorable moderating effect, i.e. firms with ample organizational slack are less likely to reduce their financial risk from higher GPRIP.Originality/valueThe research model contributes to an ongoing debate on “does it pay to be green?” by providing a thorough understanding of GPRIP and FFR relationship, as to the authors' best knowledge, no work to date has examined this relationship. This research also sets out the boundary conditions of the GRPIP and FFR relationship and highlights the critical role of firm-specific condition, i.e. slack resource and market condition, i.e. competitive intensity to reap higher financial benefits from GPRIP.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the issues affecting end of life (EOL) management of flexible packaging. It focuses on Sustainable Solid Waste Management by using multi-criteria decision making, analytic network process (ANP), and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 33 expert stakeholders, though a series of interviews and questionnaires. The subject seven aspects were applied from integrated sustainable waste management with 19 sub-criteria identified. Criteria were prioritized by using ANP and SWOT to the internal and external environments of organizations directly responsible for waste management. Findings The five most important factors in the management of flexible packaging waste include: techniques for waste management, material and design, management support, legislation and rule, and environmental care and environmental health, respectively. Solutions addressing flexible packaging waste were identified, including reuse and recycle, waste to energy, biopolymers, new innovative materials and material recovery. Research limitations/implications Data were derived from the national authorities and large companies. The findings may not represent local authorities and small-scale manufacturers. Future research should be conducted, in order to investigate and focus around small manufacturing enterprises. Practical implications The findings provide a strategic framework for policy makers and industrial manufacturers. The benefits of this will enable them to address flexible packaging waste, by using qualitative and quantitative criteria. Originality/value This is the first paper developing a multi-criteria assessment model to specifically manage EOL flexible packaging, a possible pioneering piece of research in this field.

Purpose Innovation is critical for the firms to gain competitive advantage and improve performance. Such innovation stems from process innovation generation (PIG) and/or process innovation adoption (PIA). PIG vs PIA motivates firms for cutting development cost, reducing development time, improving product quality, saving energy, preventing or mitigating pollution and recycling waste. Various factors have been identified as the determinants of PIG and PIA. One of them is social capital. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to analyze the effects of social capital on PIG and/or PIA, and second, to analyze whether the moderation of human capital strengthens/weakens this relationship. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 318 Pakistani chemical companies was collected for examining the hypotheses. Using hierarchical multiple regression, it relates to the effects of social capital and PIG and PIA; and moderation of human capital. The paper also discusses the theoretical and managerial implications. Findings The results confirm the hypotheses. The paper finds that social capital ambidextrously impacts on both PIG and PIA. However, this relationship strengthens when there is an interaction of human capital. Practical implications Social capital appears to be a powerful driver for generation and adoption of process innovation. Such innovation is a collaborative effort, with social capital assuming a central role. It follows that management would be well served by encouraging communication, flexible dissemination of information integration and sharing of knowledge. Originality/value The main value of this paper is in its analysis and testing of the relation of social capital and PIG and PIA. The majority of the literature underlines the paper’s seeking after social capital for product innovation. However, this topic has not been studied in depth and requires more attention, as processes are different and have different antecedents and outcomes.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between firms’ life cycle stages (mature vs growth) and green process innovation performance. In addition, this research delineates the mechanism by which the mature stage firms are more strongly associated with green process innovation performance compared to growth stage firms and recognizes technological capabilities as a mediating variable fundamental to achieve a higher level of green process innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach This research collected data from 202 publicly listed Thai manufacturing firms. Initially, it used multiple regression analysis to test the relationship between mature stage firms and green process innovation performance compared to the relationship between growth stage firms and green process innovation performance. Later, this research followed Muller et al. (2005) to test the mediating role of technological capabilities and conducted (Sobel, 1982, 1986; Preacher and Hayes, 2004) tests to further validate the mediation effect. Findings The hypothesized relationships were found to be significant, providing a strong support that mature stage firms have higher green process innovation performance compared with growth stage firms. Moreover, the technological capabilities more strongly mediate the relationship between mature stage firms and green process innovation performance compared to growth stage firms and green process innovation performance. Originality/value This research contributes to the existing understanding about the internal drivers of green process innovation performance by incorporating and analyzing the firms’ life cycle stages as an internal driver. This research also contributes by empirically testing the mediating role of technological capabilities on the relationship between firms’ life cycle stages and green process innovation performance.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of green product innovation performance (GPIP) on a firm’s financial performance (i.e. a firm’s profitability and risk). In addition, it has adopted the resource-based view and contingency theory to explore how GPIP and a firm’s financial performance relationship is manifested when subject to the moderating role of a firm’s market resource intensity and certain environmental factors, such as technological turbulence and market turbulence. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 202 publicly listed Thai manufacturing firms. This research has used hierarchical regression analyses to empirically test the proposed research hypotheses. Findings The findings reveal that GPIP exerts a significant influence on a firm’s financial performance, i.e. higher the GPIP, higher the firm’s profitability and lower the firm’s financial risk. Moreover, findings support the theoretical assertions that the higher level of market resource intensity, market turbulence and technological turbulence further strengthens GPIP and a firm’s financial performance relationship. Originality/value By considering the independent moderating role of market resource intensity, market turbulence and technological turbulence, this research has contributed to reconcile the previously disparate findings regarding the GPIP and a firm’s financial performance relationship. Moreover, this research has highlighted the role of the essential moderators that business managers must understand and adjust to capitalize on and achieve superior financial performance.

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of leader–member exchange (LMX) and employee learning orientation on employee innovative work behavior (IWB) through creative self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach Data have been collected from 337 employees and 137 direct managers from manufacturing sector. A hierarchical linear model has been used to test the hypotheses. Findings Results showed that LMX and employee learning orientation are positively related to employees’ IWB, and these relationships are mediated by creative self-efficacy. Originality/value This study expands previous results by empirically testing how LMX and employee learning orientation influence employees’ IWB through creative self-efficacy.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze how two multinational companies (MNCs) faced the challenge of market uncertainty and political instability in a newly emerging market, and how it affected the impact of their product marketing strategy (PMS) and product (brand) performance. Design/methodology/approach A comparative longitudinal paired case study of a market entry by two global MNCs. Twelve global brands (products) were studied, which were locally manufactured and launched by the two MNCs during their first ten years of operation in Vietnam. Findings The authors approached the investigation from a conventional point of view: standardization versus adaptation. The results showed that in addition to these two traditional processes, a third one was also operating, which the authors labeled semi-adaptation, or the midway PMS. Semi-adaptation refers to a product that has been introduced to Vietnam from a neighboring country. Research limitations/implications This research is based on two European MNCs active in the food and consumer-household goods industry in a newly emerging market: Vietnam. Practical implications This primary data indicate that the product standardization, semi-adaptation and adaptation process in practice is a technique applied to fit a product to a newly emerging market more by degree of change than by product category. Originality/value This paper supports a recent stream of research, which views Standardization or Adaptation as the two ends of the same continuum, where the degree of the firm’s PMS can range between them.

Purpose Synthesizing theories of innovative work behavior, workplace spirituality and person-organization (P-O) fit, this paper aims to build and test a theoretical model linking workplace spirituality, perceived organizational support (POS) and innovative work behavior via P-O fit. This study examined the mediating effect of P-O fit on the relationship of workplace spirituality and POS with innovative work behavior (IWB). Design/methodology/approach A sample of 434 employees and 59 supervisors from five leading hotels of China was used for this study. Findings This study found that workplace spirituality and POS both positively affected P-O fit. Workplace spirituality, P-O fit and POS positively influenced innovative work behavior. P-O fit acted as a partial mediator between workplace spirituality and IWB and between POS and IWB. Originality/value This study has tested the effect of workplace spirituality as an antecedent of innovative work behavior for the first time.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to measure the separate and interrelated effects of three aspects of intellectual capital (human, social and organizational capital) on innovation generation and adoption. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 318 respondents’ of chemical firms. This study used multiple regression analysis to analyze the influence of human, organizational and social capital on innovation generation and adoption. Findings Results suggest that organizational capital exerts significantly positive impact on innovation adoption. In the same vein, social capital exerts significantly positive impact on both innovation generation and adoption. Moreover, interaction of social capital further strengthens the influence of organizational capital on innovation adoption. Contrary to hypotheses, human capital does not exert significant influence on innovation generation. However, interaction of social capital further strengthens the impact of human capital on innovation generation. Practical implications Findings offer implications for modern managers to utilize the knowledge that resides in firm’s different locations. It also enhances managerial ability to identify and apply these knowledge resources to expedite innovation generation and adoption. Originality/value Innovation generation and adoption plays a critical role in firm’s acquiring success and competitive advantage, yet the influence of intellectual capital on innovation generation and adoption mostly remains as unexplained puzzle. This study contributes to knowledge-innovation literature by examining the missing link between different types of knowledge and innovation generation and adoption. It also helps to comprehend the enabling factors through which firms capitalize upon, and obtain, a sustainable competitive advantage.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of self-construal (independent and interdependent) on the relationship between transformational leadership and employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB).Design/methodology/approach– A total of 639 followers and 87 leaders filled out questionnaires from cross-industry sample of five most innovative companies of China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relations.Findings– Results revealed that psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB. The research established that transformational leadership positively influences IWB which includes idea generation as well as idea implementation. The results also showed that the relationship between transformational leadership and IWB was stronger among employees with a higher interdependent self-construal and a lower independent self-construal.Originality/value– This study adds to IWB literature by empirically testing the moderating role of self-construal and the mediating role of psychological empowerment on transformational leadership-IWB link.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to rank the importance of the critical success factors (CSFs) for best practices in technology product development in the Thailand electronics industry and to determine the relationships between these factors in terms of their impact on project success. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews with experts and a review of past studies are used to design an instrument for data collection. A case analysis is conducted to classify CSFs. Interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology is applied to analyze CSFs and investigate their relationships. Findings – The authors identified 14 “driving” and “dependent” factors, which were then classified into four factor categories: linkage, autonomous, dependent, or independent factors. The results show that strategic alignment was the most significant CSF. Three factors which had a high driving power and were less dependent on others were: follow-up work, co-ordination, and relationships with clients. Practical implications – The results may inform and assist technology project management in the little understood business cultures of the developing world. These finding may allow practitioners to prioritize the factors that drive project success when allocating their limited resources. Originality/value – This research contributes to the field of project management by identifying the relative importance of the CSFs which enhance the management of technology projects. Despite the abundance of studies on CSFs, their importance has still not been fully explained. The findings provide insights into the degree of importance of the factors and their interdependencies, which can either drive or undermine project success. In addition, the ISM methodology the authors used is a unique approach in the project management field.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there is a firm-level corporate governance (CG) convergence in two emerging economies, namely Malaysia and Thailand in post-Asian financial crisis periods, and how the level of convergence is moderated by different firm-specific factors.Design/methodology/approach– Using data collected from annual reports of top Malaysian and Thai companies in two point of times 2005 and 2008, this research examines the attributes of board of directors to find the firm-level CG convergence. This study, based on prior literature, identified firm-specific factors to assess their moderating impact on the level of convergence. This paper exploits beta and sigma convergence technique to measure the CG convergence.Findings– Results show that top Malaysian and Thai companies have developed internal CG practices in similar way with increasing board independent, separate board leadership, important board committees, board education, and participation in the post-crisis reform regime. Accordingly, there is a firm-level CG convergence within companies of an individual country, i.e. intra-convergence, and companies across the countries, i.e. inter-convergence. Notwithstanding, the study does not find the unconditional convergence in all CG variables. Additionally, it observes that the firm-level CG convergence is moderated by firm-specific factors.Practical implications– Outcomes of the study have the implication to understand the complicated changing aspects of internal CG practices in emerging economies which, in turn, can help to formulate and implement effective CG structure so that firms can tackle adverse effects of any further economic crisis. Because this paper highlights that the firms in these emerging economies have enough room yet to improve their CG practices to become internationally competitive.Originality/value– This paper demonstrates how internal CG practices may evolve and converge in emerging Southeast Asian economies. Results related to moderating factors of firm-level CG convergence contribute in literature by exploring a new dimension of CG convergence.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether potentially disadvantaged groups of researchers derive more research performance benefits from co-authorship network centrality (degree, closeness and betweenness). Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on Badar et al. (2013), which found positive associations of network centrality on research performance with a moderating relationship of gender for female authors. Using data from ISI Web of Science (SCI), the authors study the same domestic co-authorship network of Chemistry researcher in Pakistan publishing from years 2002-2009 and investigate the moderating role of academic age and institutional sector on the relationship between co-authorship network centrality (degree, closeness, and betweenness) and the academic research performance (aggregate impact factor) of chemistry university/institute faculty members in Pakistan. Findings – Ordinary least squares (OLS)-regression findings indicated a positive relationship between degree centrality and research performance with a positive moderating relationship for both academic age and institutional sector on the relationship between degree centrality and research performance for junior faculty members and faculty members employed in private sector universities/research institutes. Practical implications – The findings can be heartening and motivating for junior faculty and private institute faculty in Pakistan in suggesting opportunities to surpass barriers of domination and poor resource access through co-authorship ties and structural social capital. Originality/value – This paper adds to the limited research by strengthening the argument that potentially disadvantaged faculty with certain individual (academic age) and work-related characteristics (institutional sector) may benefit differentially from their co-authorship network centrality.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role performance measurement plays in the relationship between competitive strategies and firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted a mail‐survey of Thai listed companies in 2009. A total of 101 Thai listed companies’ executives, each representing their company, participated in this study. The SPSS version 11.5, path‐analytical model is adopted to analyze the survey data obtained.FindingsThis study finds that generally, all competitive strategies positively and significantly enhance firm performance through performance measurement. Specifically, firms’ differentiation strategy not only has a direct and significant impact on firm performance but also it has indirect and significant impact on firm performance through financial measures. Cost leadership strategy that firms pursue does not directly affect firm performance. However, it does so indirectly and significantly through financial performance measures.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could consider the use of longitudinal data to ascertain more clearly these causal relationships.Practical implicationsThe paper offers managerial implications that whether a firm chooses to pursue cost leadership or differentiation strategies, a strong emphasis on performance measurement will ensure the positive impact on firm performance in a fierce competitive environment.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the existing theoretical discussion and analyses the research and findings on the mediating role of performance measurement on the relationship between competitive strategy and firm performance.