Faced with internal and external pressure to adapt and implement environmental friendly business activities, it is becoming crucial for firms to identify practices that enhance their competitive ...advantage, economic, and environmental performance. Green innovation, green technologies, and the implementation of green supply chain management are examples of such practices. Green innovation and the adoption of the combination of green product innovation and green process innovation involve reduction in consumption of energy and pollution emission, recycling of wastes, sustainable utilization of resources, and green product designs.
Although the extent research in this area is substantial, research on the importance of considering corporate environmental ethics, stakeholders view of green product, and demand for green products as drivers of green innovation must be conducted. Moreover, the role of large scale data, management commitment, and human resource practices play to overcome the technological challenges, achieve competitive advantage, and enhance the economic and environmental performance have yet to be addressed. This paper develops and tests a holistic model that depicts and examines the relationships among green innovation, its drivers, as well as factors that help overcome the technological challenges and influence the performance and competitive advantage of the firm. This paper is among the first works to deal with such a complex framework which considers the interrelationships among numerous constructs and their effects on competitive advantage as well as overall organizational performance. A questionnaire was designed to measure the influence of green innovation adoption/implementation and its drivers on performance and competitive advantage while taking into consideration the impact of management commitment and HR practices, as well as the use of large data on these relationships. Data collected from a sample of 215 respondents working in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Golf-Cooperation Countries (GCC) were used to test the proposed relationships. The proposed model proved to be fit. The hypotheses were supported, and implications were discussed.
•Stakeholders view positively influence green product innovation•Green product/process innovation reduces pollution and energy consumption•Environmental ethics influences green product innovation•Large data and HR practices together enhance environmental performance
The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of sustainable capabilities driven by corporate commitment resulting from the integration of big data technologies, green supply chain management, ...and green human resource management practices, and the extent to which these capabilities can enhance the broader firm performance. The study was also designed to investigate the degree to which green human resource management practices influence the integration of big data technologies with processes and enhance the relationships between green supply chain management practices, both internal and external, as well as their influence on sustainable performance. We used dynamic capabilities theory and proposed a conceptual research model which was tested empirically. The findings of our study establish the influence of big data driven strategies on business growth in terms of sustainable performance by considering internal processes that constitute sustainable capabilities. The study recommends the integration of green supply chain management, green human resource management practices, and big data management to enhance firms’ sustainable capabilities that lead to better sustainable performance.
•Big data and green business practices impact sustainable performance.•Corporate commitment influences green innovation and green supply chain management practices.•Green human resource management practices integrate big data technologies with green supply chain management practices.
In an era of increased stakeholder pressure for sustainable environmental management practices at workplace, organization should adopt and implement environmental ethics for seamless synergy amongst ...the needs of the business, the society, and the planet. Our study used resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities (DC) theoretical lenses to examine hypotheses derived from extant literature on the linkages amongst environmental ethics, environmental training, environmental performance and competitive advantage. Using survey questionnaire, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) on 364 valid responses from managers to examine the hypotheses. The findings of our study will stir up researcher's curiosity to unravel the human side of environmental management and that will surely steer future researches in significant directions. Results suggest that environmental ethics influences environmental training, environmental performance and competitive advantage. We also found that environmental training to employees mediates the influence of environmental ethics on firm's environmental performance and competitive advantage. The findings of the study implies that organizational approach towards environmental ethical practices at workplace should be not be reactive but proactive with intentions to create and sustain synergy amongst the triads namely, profits, the society, and the environment. Environmental training should not be one-off event but a continuous process to beat competitions and improve environmental performance in the organization.
•Environmental ethics affects environmental performance and competitive advantage.•Environmental performance influences firm competitive advantage.•Environmental training mediates relationship of environmental ethics with environmental performance & competitive advantage.
The aim of this research is to explore drivers and outcomes of knowledge hiding (KH) in the workplace as well as determine mechanisms in which KH is involved. In particular, the study examines a ...novel model that explains how KH is influenced by Human Resource (HR) practices and employee perception of organizational support for creativity and how it influences employee creativity, innovative work behavior, and task performance. By exploring these relations, the study seeks to determine new mediators that explain the influence of HR practices and KH on task performance. Data collected through a survey distributed to supervisors and subordinates working in Lebanon provided empirical evidence that supports the proposed relationships. Findings show that the influence of implemented HR practices on task performance is mediated by employee perception of organizational support for creativity, KH, creativity, and innovative work behavior. Implications of these findings are also discussed.
The digital divide: A review and future research agenda Lythreatis, Sophie; Singh, Sanjay Kumar; El-Kassar, Abdul-Nasser
Technological forecasting & social change,
February 2022, 2022-02-00, 20220201, Volume:
175
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
•Digital divide is a grand societal challenge.•The pandemic has exacerbated the digital divide.•Factors affecting the divide can be classified into 9 main categories.•New forms of the digital divide ...are emerging.•Digital divide should be problematized more.
This article provides a systematic review of the digital divide, a phenomenon which refers to disparities in Information and Communications Technology access, usage, and outcomes. It uniquely identifies the factors affecting the digital divide that have emerged in recent years (2017–2021) as well as investigate if there are new forms or levels of the divide that have surfaced in recent literature. The findings, based on 50 included studies, show that the factors affecting the digital divide can be classified into three different segments and nine main categories: sociodemographic, socioeconomic, personal elements, social support, type of technology, digital training, rights, infrastructure, and large-scale events. Out of all factors, education has been linked to the digital divide the most. The majority of recent literature have studied Level 2 of the divide. Also, only one article in the sample has considered the digital divide at the firm level. Findings also show that a new form, type-of-internet access, and two potential new levels of the digital divide, algorithmic awareness and data inequalities, have been identified in the contemporary literature. The results contribute to the understanding and development of the different perspectives of the digital divide concept. They also contribute to the stream of literature on the determinants of the divide and to the social inequalities and digital inclusion literature. This review can be seen as a guide for managers to realize and understand the forms that the divide can take and to delve into their organizational capabilities on the digitalization front and evaluate where further development is needed within their organizations to help diminish the divide.
Purpose
Studies show that corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are driven by ethical practices. The relationships between corporate ethics, CG and CSR have been heavily ...studied indicating significant associations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of CG on the relationship between ethics and CSR.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through questionnaires from small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. The results were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results indicate that ethical practices have positive impact on CG, and in turn CG has a positive impact on CSR. The results also reveal a mediating effect of CG on the relationship between ethics and CSR.
Research limitations/implications
The sample selected is based on two countries in the MENA region, Egypt and Lebanon. Only SMEs are considered.
Practical implications
The innovative capabilities of SMEs in developing and emerging economies could be enhanced through corporate ethical practices which guide management for more CSR engagement through good CG.
Originality/value
The study contributes to corporate ethics, CG and CSR literature by providing evidence from a significant region, with both developing and emerging economies, on the mediating role of CG on the relationship between ethics and CSR.
Purpose
Research has shown that information and communication technologies (ICT) are crucial for economic growth. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that would depict and examine the ...nature of the relationship between ICT use and organizational performance in the Lebanese market, taking into consideration the impact that innovation and corporate entrepreneurship may have on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
To investigate the proposed model a survey targeting employees, and managers who adopted ICT applications in SMEs located in Lebanon was conducted.
Findings
The results indicate that ICT and innovation are strategic resources. However, their contribution to sustainable competitive advantage vitally depends on the implicitness and entrepreneurial behaviors of those involved. It is through this capability that ICT and ICT-based innovations could make a difference in organization’s performance – both present and future.
Research limitations/implications
First, the respondents were selected using the convenience sampling technique. Second, the data were collected through self-report questionnaires. Finally, the use of perceptual data related to performance may have a bias effect on the study results.
Practical/implications
At the practical level, the study results have repercussions for managers, technology suppliers, and innovation adopters and managers, as this may contribute to better understanding of the factors that could influence the adoption, management, and use of ICT resources for enhancing the competitiveness level of the firm.
Originality/value
The results of this study have implications for ICT adoption in Lebanese SMEs. More importantly, they suggest a framework which depicts the relationship between ICT and the organization’s innovation level on one hand, and a company’s performance on the other, taking entrepreneurship as a mediator in this relationship.
Purpose
Sustainability focuses on the effect of present actions on societies, environments and ecosystems of the future. The purpose of this paper is to discover to what extent the MENA (Middle East ...and North Africa) region corporations carry out various aspects of corporate sustainability. This paper studies corporate sustainability practices and examines the association between corporate sustainability practices and performance in the MENA region.
Design/methodology/approach
A thorough literature review was conducted. The findings indicate six key categories/constructs that can be used as indicators for measuring corporate sustainability and performance. Based on the literature review, a theoretical framework was constructed and tested. Data for this quantitative and explanatory study were obtained through a self-administered survey which was distributed to senior managers at corporations in the MENA region.
Findings
The findings of this study show that the corporations operating in the MENA region are underachieving in all aspects of sustainability except for the energy management facet. Larger-sized companies tend to be more involved in corporate sustainability practices in the categories of internal and external education, external health and resources and energy management. This study finds the existence of a strong positive relationship between each sustainability category and each performance category.
Originality/value
Most studies on sustainability focus on North America, Europe and East Asia, not the MENA region. The findings will help corporations in the MENA region become aware of the importance of increasing their engagement in the sustainability aspects that they lack, as this will lead to a boost of their overall performance.
Abstract
This study explores a novel process linking participative leadership (PL) to responsible innovation (RI) perceptions through ethical climate. It also investigates the moderating role of ...managerial discretion in this process. Two-wave survey data were collected from employees working for technology firms in South Korea. Findings show that the link between PL and RI perceptions is mediated by ethical climate and that the relationship between ethical climate and RI as well as the indirect relationship between PL and RI are moderated by managerial discretion. This study expands the theoretical research perspective on consequences and mechanisms of PL, uncovers a new driver of ethical climate, expands research on the outcomes of ethical work climates, discovers new antecedents of RI perceptions, and enriches the RI literature by exploring mechanisms and boundary conditions in which RI perceptions are formed within organizations in Asia Pacific, specifically South Korea. This study provides a good approach for managers in Asian countries to follow if they wish to establish positive perceptions of an ethical climate and RI among their employees that are important to achieve organizational success.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative agile methodology that proposes fundamental changes in managing the development of in-house information systems in small- and ...medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and benchmarks it with one of two database technologies enabling these systems to be both efficient and competitive.
Design/methodology/approach
The objectives are achieved by presenting an elaborated design of the agile methodology that manages the system development process by addressing three basic components: roles played by system players, process needed to fulfill the system development, and artifacts to document the project. A case study is conducted as a proof of the effectiveness of the proposed methodology and measures whether the selection of the database technology affects the effectiveness of the system development process.
Findings
Results show that, compared with traditional methodologies, the proposed methodology reduced the cost of system development and testing by 30 percent and enhanced the IT – business alliance. Further, this work found that the selection of a suitable database technology is strongly related to the complexity and interrelationships between the data used.
Originality/value
Such research did not receive the needed attention (Hunter, 2004) even in the past decade. Successful adoption of IT by companies could be in the form of customized IS which could be expensive for SMEs to adopt due to a lack in technical expertise and financial resources. The proposed methodology has the potential to promote sustainable development through helping SMEs in reducing the time and cost of IT project development.
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