On the path to sustainable development: The nexus among owner gender diversity, energy management, and firms' innovation radicalness

Abstract

This research focuses on the part of sustainable development related to energy management and thus aims to find the missing piece in research on the role of owner gender diversity (OGD) in processes of energy management (EM) introduction and the creation of radical and incremental innovation. Employing the World Bank's Enterprise Survey 2019 data covering 4646 firms from 11 European countries, we confirm the hypothesis that OGD increases firms' chance to reach radical and incremental innovation. Contrary to the majority of prior studies, we reject the hypothesis that OGD increases firms' chance to introduce EM; rather, we empirically prove the positive effects of firms' value drivers and market pressure on EM. We also confirm the link between firms' introduction of EM and the creation of radical and incremental innovations. This study expands research into the gender diversity of the upper echelons, addressing recent calls to expand open innovation research into new research categories and identify the determinants of firms' introduction of EM.

Exploring the Reverse Relationship between Circular Economy Innovation and Digital Sustainability—The Dual Mediation of Government Incentives

“…It is also analogous with the prior studies [72,73], in the context of sustainability drivers for firms. The study also in line with a previous study [74] in the context of green initiatives, sustainable development, and resource-based-view theory. However, the outcomes of the present study are unique, compared to previous findings, due to the exploration of the reverse relationship between CEI, DS, and GI among firms in the emerging market.…”

Do R&D intensity and capacity utilisation matter for SMEs’ innovations within the CEE region? Testing moderating roles of different ownership structures

“…Future studies should assess which of these opposing factors determines the outcome of innovation in SMEs. Moreover, in line with the current study's focus on the CEE region, we also recommend the following avenues for future research: effects of digitization on firms' innovativeness and readiness of firms for digital transition [100][101][102]; sustainability transition and the effects of firms' environmental behaviour on innovativeness [103]; social, technological, environmental, and managerial aspects contributing to the creation of sustainable and smart cities and regions triggering firms' innovation [104,105]; and complementarities between technology transfer activities and different channels of public support for innovation [17].…”

Determinants of firms' greenness towards sustainable development: A multi‐country analysis

“…We include sector dummies, but the available sector classification is too rough for this effect to be fully captured. In addition, Prokop, Hojnik, et al (2022) explain these negative effects of upper echelons' gender diversity because of potential conflicts that may occur within heterogeneous management teams. They state that it is more difficult and costly to coordinate and control diverse top management teams, which is amplified, for example, in firms with lower performance.…”