Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to build a comprehensive model and examine the relationship among green brand positioning (GBP), green brand knowledge (GBK), attitude toward green brand (AGB), and green purchase intention (GPI). Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was deployed to collect data from the members of Taiwan's Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) Club, obtaining 425 valid samples which were analyzed with structural equation modeling. Findings – GBP and GBK influence green brand attitudes separately. GBK affects green brand attitudes. Meanwhile, green brand attitudes influence GPIs. Another finding indicates that the mediating effects exist. Research limitations/implications – By applying the environmental knowledge-attitude-intention paradigm to green brand research, it was empirically supported the existence of a GBK-attitude-intention hierarchy in the context of GPIs. Practical implications – GBP can be used as brand marketing strategy to improve consumers’ GBK and form positive green brand attitudes as well as enhance GPIs. Originality/value – Proposing two novel concepts, i.e. GBK and green brand attitude to develop and test the framework of this study.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to draw on several perspectives rarely used in reverse logistics (RL) research – such as sustainable development, the natural resource-based view and green innovation – to examine the relationship between RL innovation and environmental and economic performance while incorporating institutional theory to verify how institutional pressures moderate these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey is used to investigate Taiwan's electrical, electronic and information industries, as well as maintenance and retail stores selling computers, communications and consumer electronics. First, a hierarchical regression analysis is used. Next, moderating relationships are examined along with the related regulatory, competitor and customer pressures. Findings – The results indicate that RL innovation is positively associated with environmental and economic performance. Moreover, three institutional pressures positively moderated the relationships between RL innovation and environmental performance. However, investment in greater RL innovation under higher-level institutional pressures did not always enhance economic performance. Research limitations/implications – Reverse logistics innovation comprises five components, one of which is cross-functional integration, the process of obtaining information from marketing, production and logistics managers about how their firms created the marketing-operations interface to better handle RL. However, we obtained RL innovation information only from individual respondents. In addition, this study focuses on the economic and environmental aspects of RL activities. Future studies should apply the RL perspective on social sustainability to probe RL issues from sustainability's environmental, social and economic points of views. Practical implications – Contrary to the conventional wisdom that RL imposes costs, reduces productivity and curbs competitiveness, this study finds that RL innovation can enrich environmental and economic performances, indicating that firms with more innovative RL capabilities yield more sustainable outcomes for environmental protection, social responsibility and economic performance. Originality/value – This study contributes to the RL literature by applying multiple perspectives – including sustainable development, the natural resource-based view and green innovation – to explore the relationship between RL innovation and performance while using institutional theory to probe the moderating effects of institutional pressures on RL innovation and performance.

Purpose Little research has been conducted on the internal factors that drive green product (GP) innovation and how family influence affects firm adoption of GP innovation. This study aims to apply multiple perspectives to bridge this research gap, adopting the resource-based view (RBV) to examine what and how internal factors affect firm adoption of GP innovation, and using the behavioral theory of family firms to investigate whether family influence fosters or hinders firm adoption of GP innovation. Design/methodology/approach This study used a multichannel approach and adopted content analysis to collect and evaluate data on listed Taiwanese firms and used cross-sectional regression analysis to examine the effect of internal factors and family influence on firm adoption of GP innovation. Findings The results showed that the internal factors of green capabilities, R&D intensity and firm size significantly and positively affected firm adoption of GP innovation separately. Furthermore, the study found that family influence (ownership and control) significantly and negatively affects firm adoption of GP innovation separately. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the academic research of innovation management, green management and family firms in several aspects, but also has some limitations. This study examined only the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and GP innovation. Future research might test the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and adoption of green process innovation. In addition, such research can explore how integrated internal and external factors influence firm adoption of GP innovation. Practical implications From the RBV, the internal factors of green capabilities, R&D intensity and firm size that can exert crucial effects on firm engage in firm’s adoption of GP innovation. This study suggests that top managers in family-influenced businesses should maintain appropriate commitment and support for fostering and facilitating firm GP innovation. Social implications From the RBV, this study examined how internal factors affect firm adoption of GP innovation. Moreover, based on the behavioral theory of family firms, this study further examined how family influence (ownership and control) affects firm adoption of GP innovation. This paper extended both perspectives to examine green issues. Originality/value From the RBV, this study examined how internal factors affect firms’ GP innovation. Moreover, based on institutional theory, this study further examines how a family firm moderates the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and GP innovation. The paper extended both perspectives to probe further the green issues.

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Purpose -This study aims to explore the relationships among institutional pressures, commitment of resources and returns management. Returns management is regarded as a part of supply chain management. However, the research in returns management has received much less attention. To bridge the gap, this study concerns key concepts from two important schools of thought, i.e. institutional theory and the resource-based view, to build up the research model. Design/methodology/approach -Retailers and maintenance providers in the 3C industry (computers, communication and consumer electronics) in Taiwan were surveyed, and the statistical methods of hierarchical and moderated regression were used to examine the relationships among institutional pressures, commitment of resources and returns management. Findings -Institutional pressures, comprising non-market and market pressures, affect the implementation of returns management (product return practices and product recovery practices). Commitments of resources positively and significantly moderate the relationship between the pressures imposed by non-market and market actors and product return practices and product recovery practices. Research limitations/implications -This study investigates only the factors that drive returns management. Future research can examine the relationship between the antecedents and consequences of returns management. Furthermore, returns management may become increasingly critical for firms to develop and perform corporate social responsibility (CSR). Therefore, future research can investigate the relationship between CSR practices and returns management. Practical implications -This research suggests that managers under institutional pressures should continually pay attention to the effects of external factors on returns management. Additionally, the results reveal that a commitment of resources can reinforce the relationship between the pressures imposed by non-market and market actors and the implementation of returns management. Under significant institutional pressures and resource constraints, managers may increase the effectiveness of returns management while attending to the concerns of non-market and market actors. Originality/value -This study presents a model that considers three major explicative variables: institutional pressures, resources commitment and returns management. It is the first investigation to integrate three streams of literature on institutional theory, the resource-based view and returns management.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how internal and external factors simultaneously drive firms to adopt green supply chain (GSC) initiatives and to construct a comprehensive research model by drawing upon institutional theory, stewardship theory, and view of performance. Design/methodology/approach The data collected from 380 manufacturers in the electrical and electronics industries in Taiwan were analyzed via structural equation modeling and bootstrapping. Findings First, institutional pressures affect the GSC initiatives of firms. Second, institutional pressures influence the environmental stewardship behaviors (ESBs) of managers. Third, the ESBs of managers affect the GSC initiatives of firms. Fourth, the GSC initiatives of firms influence their environmental performance, economic performance, and competitiveness. Fifth, the bootstrapping results reveal that institutional pressures indirectly affect the GSC initiatives of firms through the ESBs of managers. Research limitations/implications Environmental sustainability has intensified the need for firms to develop a corporate culture. Future research can investigate the relationship among the institutional pressures, greening corporate culture, and GSC initiatives of firms. Practical implications Those managers facing institutional pressures must continually focus on the effects of external factors on the GSC initiatives of their firms. They must also increase their commitment and support to such initiatives to attain favorable levels of environmental performance, economic performance, and competitiveness. Originality/value This study integrates four streams of literature on institutional theory, stewardship theory, GSC initiatives, and view of performance. Apart from analyzing field- and organization-level data simultaneously, this paper is also the first to demonstrate the relationships among institutional pressures, ESBs of managers, GSC initiatives, and firm performance.

Purpose -This study examined how proactive environmental management affects firm performance and whether a controlling family moderates this effect. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach -The study adopted content analysis to collect data on listed Taiwanese firms and used cross-sectional regression analysis to examine the relationship between proactive environmental management and firm performance as well as the moderating role of a controlling family. Findings -The results indicated that not all types of proactive environmental management are positively associated with firm performance and that a controlling family might be more effective in low-risk proactive environmental management practices.Research limitations/implications -The focus was on the impact of proactive environmental management from the perspective of stockholders. Future research could investigate its impact on other stakeholders as well. Practical implications -The findings might convince managers that the stereotype of an environment-friendly firm -that the more its green initiatives, the less competitive it becomes -may not necessarily be true. Investing in product-focused pollution prevention could increase revenues and improve performance. Even though process-focused pollution prevention is negatively associated with firm performance, companies are not expected to reduce investment in green processes since they are required for the production of environment-friendly products. Originality/value -This study adopted a multi-dimensional approach to reveal how different types of proactive environmental management affect firm performance. The authors used the controlling family as a moderating variable to determine whether it moderates the relationship between proactive environmental management and firm performance.

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