Table Of ContentEnvironmental Innovation and Firm Performance
Environmental
Innovation and Firm
Performance
A Natural Resource-Based View
Javier Amores Salvad6, Gregorio Martin de Castro,
Jose Emilio Navas L6pez and Miriam Delgado Verde
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
palgrave
macmillan
* © Javier Amores Salvado, Gregorio Martin de Castro, Jose Emilio Navas Lopez
and Miriam Delgado Verde 2013
Foreword © Stuart Hart 2013
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-0-230-36347-2
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6--10 Kirby Street, London ECl N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this
work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 198B.
First published 2013 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin's Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-34895-4 ISBN 978-1-137-26404-6 (eBook)
DOl 10.1057/9781137264046
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the library of Congress.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
Contents
List of Figures and Tables viii
Foreword x
Stuart L. Hart
Acknowledgements xii
1 Theoretical Framework 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Environmental concern and economic activity 2
1.2.1 From ignorance to awareness 3
1.2.2 From awareness to conflict 4
1.2.3 From conflict to solutions 6
1.2.4 One step beyond 8
1.2.5 The role of the Natural Resource Based View
in the sustain ability debate 9
1.3 Natural Resource Based View 10
1.3.1 Back to the roots: The resource based view 10
1.3.2 Steps to corporate sustainability 18
1.3.3 Defining the scope 22
2 The Nature of Environmental Product Innovation
and Green Image 24
2.1 Introduction 24
2.2 Innovation: Approaches to the term 25
2.3 Socio-economic innovations 29
2.3.1 Environmental innovation. Definition,
determinants and types 32
2.3.2 Environmental process innovations 40
2.3.3 Environmental organizational innovations 45
2.3.4 Environmental product innovations 48
2.3.5 Environmental tools as supporting factors 51
2.3.6 Other approaches to environmental
innovation 58
v
vi Contents
2.4 Green corporate reputation and image 64
2.4.1 Corporate reputation. Review, proposed
definition and characterization from a
management perspective 65
2.4.2 Corporate reputation, corporate image and
corporate identity: Exploring the
'terminological jungle' 72
2.4.3 Corporate reputation: Main features 74
2.4.4 Social and green corporate reputation 75
3 Research Model 79
3.1 Introduction 79
3.2 Individual effects 80
3.2.1 Environmental product innovation and
firms' performance 80
3.2.2 Green corporate image and firms'
performance 82
3.3 Environmental product innovation and green
corporate image: Their jOint effect on firms'
performance 85
4 Methodology 88
4.1 Introduction 88
4.2 Environmental innovation: Previous
empirical studies 88
4.3 Measurement of variables 104
4.3.1 Variables development: Measurement scales 104
4.3.2 Environmental product innovation 104
4.3.3 Green image 105
4.3.4 Firm performance 106
4.3.5 Control variable 110
4.4 Information sources and data gathering 110
4.5 Sample characteristics and statistical
representativeness 112
5 Research Results 120
5.1 Introduction 120
5.2 The Spanish metal sector: Overview of
environmental product innovation and green
image initiatives 120
Contents vii
5.3 Exploratory analysis 124
5.3.1 Introduction 124
5.3.2 Environmental product innovation 125
5.3.3 Green image 127
5.3.4 Firm performance 128
5.4 Exploring the relationship between environmental
product innovation, green image and firm
performance 128
6 Conclusions 132
6.1 Introduction 132
6.2 The evolving nature of the Natural Resource
Based View 133
6.3 Implications 135
6.4 Limitations and future research lines 136
Annexes 139
Nows 147
References 148
Index 161
Figures and Tables
Figures
1.1 RBV's 'spin-offs' and theoretical developments 13
1.2 NRBV: Conceptual framework 18
1.3 Environmental innovation and sustainable strategies 20
2.1 Environmental innovation types 39
2.2 Environmental product innovation dimensions 51
2.3 Corporate reputation, corporate image, corporate
identity 73
2.4 Corporate reputation: Main strategic characteristics 74
3.1 Research model: Individual and mediated effects 85
5.1 Environmental product innovation measures.
Distribution in use 121
5.2 Green image measures. Distribution in use 122
5.3 Firm profiles for environmental product innovation 123
5.4 Firm profiles for green image 123
Tables
2.1 Innovation definitions 25
2.2 Innovation orientations 28
2.3 Socio-economic innovations 30
2.4 Environmental innovation definitions 34
2.5 Environmental process innovation definitions 41
2.6 Environmental product innovation definitions 49
2.7 The treatment of corporate image and reputation
from different disCiplines 67
2.8 Reputation as 'collective awareness' 68
2.9 Corporate reputation as assessment 69
2.10 Reputation as an asset/resource 71
2.11 Dimensions of corporate reputation 76
4.1 Previous empirical studies on environmental
innovation and environmental management 90
4.2 Environmental product innovation indicators 105
viii
List of Figures and Tables ix
4.3 Green image indicators lOS
4.4 Studies that measure firm performance from
environmental approach 106
4.5 Firm performance indicators 110
4.6 Control variable 110
4.7 Questionnaire structure - questions directed to
innovation/environmental managers 112
4.8 Questionnaire structure - questions directed to
general or financial managers 112
4.9 Industrial activities included in the research 113
4.10 Industries' turnover 115
4.11 Number of firms 116
4.12 Consumptions (year 2009) 117
4.13 Research facts and figures 119
4.14 Sample statistical representativity 119
5.1 Correlations matrix 125
5.2 Main components analysis of environmental product
innovation 126
5.3 Main component analysis of green image 127
5.4 Main component analysis of firm performance 129
5.5 Regression analysis results 130
