Corporate strategy and the environment: towards a four-dimensional compatibility model for fostering green management decisions

Abstract

Purpose: This article draws on the contingency theory to develop a conceptual model of compatibility between corporate environmental responsibility and business strategy that reflects heterogeneity in this relationship. Four dimensions of compatibility are explored: trade-off, ambidexterity, synergy and symbiosis. Design/Methodology/Approach: The intended contribution is essentially conceptual. A company case study is included to contribute to the development of the four dimensions of compatibility and support the practical relevance of the model. Twelve in-depth interviews with six managers in different functions of the company were conducted. A grounded theory approach was used to identify and express the patterns of compatibility that emerge from the qualitative data and how these patterns are grounded in managers' meaning-in-use. Findings: The contribution of the compatibility framework is essentially made to the literature on environmental strategy management, evolved from an implicit and at most twodimensional (win-win and win-lose) conceptualisation of the relationship between green and business strategy into an explicit and multi-dimensionally grounded identification of processes and strategic challenges of corporate environmental and social responsibility. The resulting model contributes to a better understanding of corporate greening as a strategic and moral concern to individuals acting on behalf of business organisations and a greater understanding of the linkages between green and business strategies and operations. Originality/Value: By clarifying the construct of corporate environmental sustainability and providing useful directions for theory and practice, this research claims to inform green management decision-making. While the compatibility model is not intended to explain all pathways by which firms may elicit contingencies of relevance to environmental and social responsibility, I suggest the model paints a more complete and contextualized picture of environmental management mechanisms in business.

The Diamond Model of Authentic Green Marketing: Evidence from the Sustainable Architecture Industry

“…Our interviews conformed to related research findings (e.g., Hartmann and Ibanez ; Hult ; Martinez ; Ramus and Montiel ; Vries et al ) that firms in architectural design services are generally aware of and concerned with rivals’ green‐washing behavior. As Saha and Darnton () describe, because terms such as “green,” “environmentally friendly,” “environmentally safe,” “natural,” “recyclable,” and “biodegradable” are ambiguous and context dependent, they have oftentimes been employed to mislead the public.…”

“…Additionally, building on previous works (Chen ; Chen and Chang ; Dangelico and Pontrandolfo ; Fombrun and Shanley ; Maignan and Ferrell ; Martinez ; Porter and Kramer ; Saha and Darnton ; Sandhu ; Savage and Majot ; Parguel et al ; Wicki and van der Kaaij ) we provide an analytic framework for how the themes that make up our “Diamond” Model may influence the authenticity of an organization's green marketing efforts at the firm‐, competitive‐, and consumer‐levels. We present these three lenses to provide opportunities for academics and practitioners to consider the relevance of our “Diamond” Model within other contexts.…”

The Effect of Absorptive Capacity on Green Customer Capital under an Organizational Unlearning Context

“…For instance, environmental management concepts such as green growth [10,11], green management [7,8], green marketing [12,13], green production [14], green absorptive capacity [15], green innovation [16][17][18], green intellectual capital [2,9], green supply chain management [19,20], green governance [21,22], green human resources [23], and among others are now widely used.…”

“…Companies must heed international environmental regulations and consumers' heightened environmental awareness, both of which inevitably affect rules and patterns of business competition [3][4][5]. Today, environmental management of businesses is fundamental [6][7][8].…”

Perspectives on the role of business in social innovation

“…What seems to bring together the concepts of social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, sustainability and shared value creation is that they have been used to promote the business case for sustainability. The business case does not focus on social progress as much as it emphasises the idea of approaching social problems as economic Accepted for publication in the Journal of Management Development, © F. Martinez, P. O'Sullivan, M. Smith, M. Esposito opportunities (Martinez, 2014). If we advocate a distinctively more 'ethical' and sociallyoriented agenda for social innovationin line with Moulaert, Martinelli, Swyngedouw, and Gonzalez (2005); we do not exclude that it might ultimately develop along a similar path.…”