Green Value Co‐Creation and Circular Economy Performance: When Does Sustainability Orientation Pay Off in SMEs?

This study looks at the sustainable orientation and entrepreneurial elements among secondary school students in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, from the perspective of subject stream specialization. The sample consists of 384 Form Four students from six secondary government schools. The samples are chosen randomly and by cluster. The questionnaire instrument is used to look at three main aspects: sustainable orientation, life values and entrepreneurial elements, in addition to demographic factors. The research data are analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Science stream students display a better environmental attitude than non-science stream students, but their environmental behavior is not as good. Science stream students also show better life values and entrepreneurial elements than the non-science students. There is a positive correlation between entrepreneurship, life values elements and sustainable orientation. On the whole, the findings indicate that students have a moderate level of sustainable orientation while entrepreneurship is at a high level. The results of this study are expected to assist teachers, Ministry of Education Malaysia and other related parties to develop strategies towards improvement of sustainable entrepreneurship.

Environmental sustainability orientation has emerged to drive firms into eco-friendly production. Yet, the consequence of this new strategic thinking on firms’ green innovations, especially small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), remains unresolved. Recognizing that the connection between environmental sustainability orientation and green innovation may not always be direct, the study theorizes that dynamic capability and entrepreneurial orientation may form part of the boundary conditions that strengthen its effect on small enterprises’ green innovation. The study adjoins the dynamic capability theory with the entrepreneurial orientation theory to test this relationship among small businesses within a developing economy. Results from the partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) suggest that environmental sustainability orientation will result in green innovation when the SME’s dynamic capability can develop a creative reconfiguration of knowledge and new distinctive resources to support this new strategic direction. Similarly, findings from the study suggest that environmental sustainability orientation will translate into better green innovation outcomes when the SME entrepreneurial orientation has a solid attraction to protect the ecosystem and does not perceive green innovation as a risky enterprise.

Purpose – This study aims to challenge the conventional view that resources determine the extent of the environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) of small firms in a developing Southeast Asian country context. First, this study attempts to develop a measurement model of ESO of small firms in the manufacturing sector in the Philippines. Second, the study explores the impact of the financial resources on the ESO of firms. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses survey data from 166 small manufacturing firms in three Philippine cities. Multiple regression modelling is used to estimate the relationships between firm resources and ESO. Findings – The results indicate that ESO is a multi‐dimensional construct with three facets – i.e. awareness of, actions for, and appreciation of environmental sustainability. The empirical evidence does not support the conventional firm resources‐ESO proposition. Research limitations/implications – A proactive ESO is not necessarily beyond the reach of resource‐constrained small firms. The generalisability of the findings, however, is limited to small manufacturing firms in The Philippines. Practical implications – This study informs owner‐managers of small firms that a proactive ESO does not largely depend on financial resources. Government policies and programs to encourage small firms to become sustainable should focus not just on financial forms of assistance. Originality/value – To date, this is the only Philippines‐based study and one of the scarce small firm‐focused studies that examine the proposition that small firms are unable to pursue a proactive ESO due to resource constraints.

Purpose Drawing upon dynamic capability theory (DCT), this study aims to explore the differing effects of digitalization intensity and digitalization breadth on circular economy (CE) performance, as well as the moderating roles of internal corporate governance represented by the chief technology officer (CTO) presence and external public governance formed through exposure to government agencies. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing a sample of 1,030 listed Chinese manufacturing firms between 2011 and 2022, this study constructs a panel dataset and employs the fixed effect model to examine the proposed hypotheses. Various analyses, including self-selection bias correction, endogeneity test and robustness checks, are conducted to verify the reliability of the results. Findings The empirical results indicate that digitalization intensity facilitates firms' CE performance, whereas digitalization breadth does not have a significant impact. Furthermore, CTO presence reinforces the influence of both digitalization intensity and digitalization breadth on CE performance, while government agency exposure only positively moderates the effect of digitalization intensity on CE performance. Originality/value This study extends the technology management literature by identifying two digitalization investment strategies (i.e. digitalization intensity and digitalization breadth) and exploring their distinct impacts on CE performance. It also contributes to the governance literature and expands the theoretical discourse on DCT by highlighting the significant roles of internal and external governance in facilitating the development of dynamic capabilities.

Extant research has established that environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) has a positive influence on performance outcomes. Nevertheless, several contingencies tend to affect the strength of this relationship. In this study, we draw on natural resource‐based theory to introduce competitive strategies as moderators in the ESO–performance nexus. Using time‐lagged data obtained from 269 firms in Ghana, this study finds that firms pursuing the differentiation strategy can positively boost performance outcomes with ESO than without differentiation strategy. We also find that firms can use the low‐cost or the integrated strategy to get higher impact on performance with ESO, respectively. Based on the results, firms in Ghana do not need differentiation strategy in order to boost the effect of ESO on financial performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

This research investigates the mediating effect of Environmental Sustainability Orientation (ESO) on the relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) and Organizational Performance (OP) within the Kathmandu Valley. The study aims to determine how an organization’s sustainability knowledge, commitment, and practices mediate the positive impacts of innovations, proactiveness, and risk-taking on organizational performance. A quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from 64 firms in Kathmandu using a standardized questionnaire. Statistical analyses, including regression and correlation analysis, were conducted to examine the relationships between the variables. The results indicate that EO positively influences organizational performance. Additionally, ESO serves as a significant mediating factor between EO and OP, highlighting the synergistic benefits of integrating entrepreneurial and sustainability practices. The findings suggest that organizations experience enhanced performance when entrepreneurship is aligned with sustainability efforts. The study emphasizes the importance of fostering both entrepreneurial orientation and environmental sustainability within organizations to optimize performance outcomes. Practitioners are encouraged to develop strategies that integrate these orientations to achieve better organizational results. Keywords: environmental sustainability orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, organizational performance, Kathmandu valley, developing countries

Circular economy (CE) research plays an important role in accelerating the CE transition globally and is an essential tool to contribute to climate change adaptation. However, prior CE research is primarily focused on countries in the Global North, whereas CE research in the Global South has been largely unexplored, especially in African countries and contexts. Therefore, this study aims to develop a preliminary research agenda for CE development in African countries by identifying the current body of knowledge on CE, the existing CE research gaps and barriers to conducting CE research in African countries. This research applied a mixed method research design, whereby this study reviewed a total of 275 English and French articles from Google Scholar through a scoping literature review and carried out a quantitative and qualitative survey with 38 CE industry experts working on CE projects in African countries. The findings suggest that South Africa is the front-runner in CE research, with the most relevant publications and ongoing research projects conducted by CE experts. The dominant focus on CE research in South Africa is an urgent call for scholars to conduct country-specific research for additional African countries, especially since a significant number of publications do not distinguish between countries. Based on findings, this study concludes that the current body of CE knowledge is primarily focused on one aspect of CE, circulating materials and products (keep products and materials in use), while there is consensus from published journal papers that there are meaningful gaps in other CE principles such as designing out waste and pollution and regenerating natural systems. Therefore, this paper suggests a list of research topics that can be further investigated. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first attempt to establish a preliminary research agenda for CE across African contexts and countries.

Despite the growing research evidence on the effect of environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) on firm outcomes, contingent factors that may influence the strength of this relationship have received little scholarly attention. In this study, we use insights from the literature on ESO and family business to introduce family status and firm age as moderators in the ESO‐performance linkage. Using time‐lagged data from 253 small and medium‐sized enterprises in Ghana, we found the impact of ESO on firm performance is amplified for nonfamily firms but not significant for family firms. Our evidence suggests it is stronger among older firms than younger ones. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

ABSTRACTThe study investigates how environmental strategies, board gender diversity, and CSR committees affect the circular economy performance in the banking sector. For the first time, we focus on three specific reduction goals: GHG emission reduction, e‐waste reduction, and offering products to reduce the negative environmental impact. Using a sample of 671 listed worldwide banks from 63 countries in 2010–2021, we demonstrate that green strategies and CSR committees positively affect all three circular economy targets. However, board gender diversity positively impacts bank emission reduction and green products offered but does not influence e‐waste reduction. Furthermore, the presence of the CSR committee significantly improves the effectiveness of environmental strategies adopted by banks in achieving their circular economy performance. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change proves to be effective in enhancing bank circular economy reduction outcomes.

As regulatory authorities emphasize sustainable practices, manufacturing organizations rely on Industry 4.0 technologies to shift their business model from a linear to a circular economy. While intuitively this transformation seems straightforward, in reality, it is rather nuanced, thereby necessitating scholarly investigation into process‐based antecedents of circular economy performance of organizations. This study used structural equation modeling to analyze empirical data from 278 Indian manufacturers. Largely, the results demonstrate that the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies does have a significant effect on the performance of the circular economy within these organizations, owing to their strong influence on green procurement and remanufacturing activities. Additionally, the results show that these process activities (e.g., green procurement and remanufacturing) do mediate the interaction between the deployment of Industry 4.0 and circular economy performance.

The Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as a critical paradigm for promoting sustainability through resource efficiency, waste reduction, and closed-loop supply chain practices. While technological advancements and operational strategies for CE implementation have received significant attention, the role of leadership particularly digital leadership in enabling and scaling circular practices remains insufficiently explored. This study investigates how digital leadership influences the adoption and performance of Circular Economy initiatives within sustainable supply chains. Drawing on Circular Economy principles and digital leadership theory, the study employs qualitative content analysis of secondary data obtained from sustainability and digital transformation reports of multinational organizations. The analysis maps digital leadership behaviors to key circular practices, including digital traceability, resource optimization, closed-loop systems, and data-driven decision-making. The findings are expected to reveal a strong linkage between digitally enabled leadership capabilities and enhanced circular performance outcomes. By proposing a conceptual Digital Leadership Circular Economy framework, this study contributes to the growing body of sustainability and supply chain literature and offers practical guidance for organizational leaders seeking to leverage digital transformation to achieve long-term circular and sustainable supply chain performance.

This research is conducted to know the effects of entrepreneurial orientation and sustainability orientation towards sustainable entrepreneurship of MSMEs in Jakarta with entrepreneurial bricolage as mediation. This research used non-probability sampling through convenience sampling to obtain 119 respondents which are the people in MSMEs in Jakarta that are in the creative economy sector. Data are collected online through a questionnaire distributed through Google Forms. The data are processed with PLS-SEM method and SmartPLS 3.3.3 software. Result shows that entrepreneurial orientation and sustainability orientation influenced entrepreneurial bricolage of MSMEs in Jakarta positively and significantly, entrepreneurial bricolage influenced sustainable entrepreneurship of MSMEs in Jakarta positively and significantly, and entrepreneurial bricolage mediates both relationship of entrepreneurial orientation and sustainability orientation with sustainable entrepreneurship of MSMEs in Jakarta positively and significantly.

PurposeThis study proposes a systematic and comprehensive circular economy (CE) performance measure as an instrument to operationalize and quantify circularity. It seeks to evaluate the relative contribution of blockchain technology to evaluate various measures in this study. A general research agenda for investigating blockchain capabilities to performance assessment in CE is presented.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical survey data from 32 CE and blockchain experts are collected to inform this study. Inductive reasoning, heatmaps, and a middle-range theory building approach are utilized to generalize theoretical patterns for blockchain support of CE performance assessment and measurement. A series of propositions are then developed as a middle-range theory for the true, false, perceptible, and hidden affordances of blockchain technology capabilities for CE performance measurement.FindingsOverall, sixteen performance measures and metrics are identified and examined. The authors find most of these measures and metrics – based on literature and expert opinion – can be supported using blockchain technology capabilities. Four major blockchain capabilities, transparency and traceability, reliability and security, smart contracts, and incentivization and tokenization are shown to have varying potential support for CE performance assessment. There needs to be an evaluation of true, false, perceptible, and hidden affordances of blockchain technology capabilities for CE performance measurement in future studies.Originality/valueBlockchain application for CE, and specifically performance measurements, is a new area. Research and practice evaluation on this issue is important but needs substantially additional investigation to help CE progress. This study provides a framework for evaluation and a foundation for future research at the nexus of CE, blockchain technology, and performance measurement.

Developing a balance between manufacturing and ecological preservation is considered a major issue in every society and so attention must be paid to this relationship to protect plant, animal and human lives. Pressure for manufacturing firms to become green has risen greatly. Green manufacturing has been encouraged, practiced and researched for years but mostly in developed nations, but low in developing countries. This is a follow up study on a previous one conducted by the authors on the direct effects of green drivers on green practices, and this current one aims at the moderating role of sustainability orientation on the effects of driving factors on green practices in Ghana. Analysis was done using structural equation modeling (SEM). Evidently, sustainability orientation (SUO) moderated significantly between driving factors and green design practices, green purchasing practices and green promotion/selling. Green design practices adoption was facilitated most by SUO. Green management practices and green logistics practices were not moderated by SUO. Outcomes of this work could serve as a guide towards decision making by industry actors and government of Ghana on policy formulation and better processes for integrating green practices, not just in the agro processing industry but all others with activities of possible damage to the environment. Keywords: Green drivers, green practices, agro processing, sustainability orientation DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-12-03 Publication date: June 30 th 2021

Procurement digitalisation can provide significant opportunities for excellence in remanufacturing operations. The close attention of firms is required during the configuration of procurement 4.0 resources for applying front end and base technologies in order to develop the correct set of these resources. Based on Resource Based View theory, this research examines the role of resources influencing procurement 4.0 for driving productivity in remanufacturing operations and circular economy performance. The survey data for this research was gathered from working professionals in South Africa and results reveal that technological resources are necessary in procurement 4.0, which can, in turn, improve productivity in remanufacturing operations. An upsurge in performance in remanufacturing operations can enhance the circular economy outcome. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to provide insight for researchers, practitioners and academics with an empirical test of digital procurement on remanufacturing operations and of circular economy performance in an emerging economy like South Africa.