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Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success
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Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 12477

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Clyde Eiríkur Hull

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Saunders College of Business, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
Interests: corporate social responsibility; sustainability; entrepreneurship; strategy; innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A great deal of sustainability research has focused on changes in business practices and the environmental benefits yielded by sustainable changes. Relatively few studies, however, pay attention to the competitiveness, or lack thereof, of these potential changes. Some of the literature even suggests that the ideal approach would be for businesses to forgo profits while becoming sustainable. Businesses need profits to survive, however. The goal of this Special Issue is to explore how sustainability can be pursued competitively, because profitable sustainability that outcompetes non-sustainable practices will be enacted faster than proposed sustainability practices for which no business case can be been made.

Papers accepted for this Special Issue will offer new insights into topics such as:

  • How the existing conclusions of sustainability research can be rapidly enacted through demonstrated profitability;
  • How management theory and empirical work can support the profitable pursuit of sustainability;
  • Policy approaches that make sustainability more profitable.

Prof. Dr. Clyde Eiríkur Hull
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • economic growth
  • circular economy
  • industrial symbiosis
  • profit
  • financial performance

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 217 KiB  
Editorial
Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success
by Clyde Eiríkur Hull
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16420; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416420 - 8 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1499
Abstract
Sustainability that beats the competition is different from sustainability that does not [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

21 pages, 1880 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Motivation Complexity of Grassroots Ecopreneurs at the Base of the Pyramid
by Norma Juma, Joy Olabisi and Eliada Griffin-EL
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14092; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114092 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1758
Abstract
This qualitative study focuses on the factors that motivate grassroots ecopreneurship at the base of the pyramid (BoP). Our study is anchored by the research question, “How are grassroots ecopreneurs at the BoP of Kenya motivated?” The participants were mainly drawn from beneficiaries [...] Read more.
This qualitative study focuses on the factors that motivate grassroots ecopreneurship at the base of the pyramid (BoP). Our study is anchored by the research question, “How are grassroots ecopreneurs at the BoP of Kenya motivated?” The participants were mainly drawn from beneficiaries of a multinational Non-Governmental Organization. Using a grounded theory approach, we conducted 12 qualitative case studies, 10 focus groups and 2 interviews, recording 61 participants. We triangulated data sources through data collected from primary and secondary sources, such as archival documents and archival interviews. Extant research suggests that grassroots ecopreneurs (GEs) at the BoP primarily engage in necessity-driven ventures. However, this study demonstrates that GEs’ motives to launch new ventures appear to be multifaceted and simultaneous (not linear or sequential). We also observed an interlinkage of environmental and economic motives in GEs who diversified their investments into related and unrelated areas. Our findings also indicate that GEs at the BoP developed socio-ethical motives-the GEs’ concerns toward other members of the community-and a desire to create social value beyond private value. All these motives contributed to the GEs establishing and sustaining viable businesses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success)
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23 pages, 2832 KiB  
Article
Informal Competition Effect on SMEs’ Innovation: Do Credit Constraints Matter? Evidence from Eastern European Countries
by Zaineb Hlioui, Mohamed Gabsi and Abdelwahed Omri
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13874; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113874 - 25 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1700
Abstract
This paper examines the influence of informal competition on SME innovation in the Eastern European transition economies. Using the BEEPS VI, which covers the period from 2018–2020, we investigated the conditional mediation of credit constraints moderated by business plan elaboration. Looking at SMEs’ [...] Read more.
This paper examines the influence of informal competition on SME innovation in the Eastern European transition economies. Using the BEEPS VI, which covers the period from 2018–2020, we investigated the conditional mediation of credit constraints moderated by business plan elaboration. Looking at SMEs’ product innovation, process innovation, radical innovation, and green innovation, we find that informal competition’s direct effect enhances all the innovation proxies. Besides, the informal sector increases SMEs’ credit constraints, which indirectly leads to less corporate innovation. The negative indirect effect is alleviated by the business strategy development. Finally, using bootstrap resampling, we confirm the significant conditional mediation effect of credit constraints on the informal competition and the innovation proxies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success)
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17 pages, 856 KiB  
Article
Inter-Firm ESG Rivalry: A Competitive Dynamics View
by Laharish Guntuka
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13665; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013665 - 21 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2529
Abstract
Sustainability literature has largely focused on business practices that result in environmental benefits that might not always be profitable to the firm, and thus, tend to be less appealing to the corporate board rooms. In this study, I examine if the rival firm’s [...] Read more.
Sustainability literature has largely focused on business practices that result in environmental benefits that might not always be profitable to the firm, and thus, tend to be less appealing to the corporate board rooms. In this study, I examine if the rival firm’s sustainability behavior is driven by the focal firm’s behavior. Although a growing number of firms globally have voluntarily adopted and carried out a wide range of sustainability practices, there are firms that are driven by the position taken by industry competitors. Here, I examine such phenomena, to determine if a focal firm’s sustainability behavior is influenced by the rival’s sustainability behavior. In addition, I also examine how the competitive landscape of the focal firm, in the form of the focal firm’s size, the rival’s sustainability reputation, and industry concentration moderates the behavioral influence. I find a positive association between the rival firm’s sustainability performance and the focal firm’s sustainability performance. I also find that the focal firm’s size and industry concentration positively moderate the rivalry. Rival firms’ sustainability reputation does not have an impact on the rivalry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success)
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15 pages, 728 KiB  
Article
Making Sustainability a Core Competency: Consumer Response to Sustainable Innovative Products
by Clyde Eiríkur Hull, Jennifer D. Russell and Monika Kukar-Kinney
Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11688; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811688 - 17 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2442
Abstract
Research suggests that sustainability may not be sufficient to yield a competitive advantage. Building on the resource-based view, this research evaluates three questions: (1) Can using sustainability as a differentiator lead to consumers choosing sustainable products? (2) Does product sustainability appeal more to [...] Read more.
Research suggests that sustainability may not be sufficient to yield a competitive advantage. Building on the resource-based view, this research evaluates three questions: (1) Can using sustainability as a differentiator lead to consumers choosing sustainable products? (2) Does product sustainability appeal more to environmentally concerned consumers? (3) Does product sustainability appeal more when paired with innovation? To test the hypotheses, an online survey of 344 US respondents was conducted. Consumers were given a hypothetical budget for an office chair and asked to choose between two products at a time. Hypotheses were tested with frequency and Chi-square tests and logistic regression. Findings indicate that the innovative product was preferred over the undifferentiated one, but the sustainable product was preferred over both innovative and undifferentiated products. The sustainability–innovativeness bundle was not preferred over the sustainable product. Environmental concern increased preference for the sustainable product over the innovative product, but not over the undifferentiated one. These findings suggest that sustainability is a stronger differentiator than innovation, but that bundling both features does not further enhance product choice. Attitude toward the environment may not predict behavior. Instead, preference for the sustainable product may originate in variety-seeking behavior, with sustainability seen as an innovation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success)
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18 pages, 704 KiB  
Article
Diffusing Environmental Management Practices within the Firm: The Role of Information Provision
by Michael J. Lenox and Michael W. Toffel
Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 5911; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105911 - 13 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1715
Abstract
Why are some firms more successful in adopting profitable environmental management practices than others? A key role of corporate managers is to encourage subsidiaries to adopt innovative practices. We examine the conditions under which corporate managers use information provision to encourage subsidiaries to [...] Read more.
Why are some firms more successful in adopting profitable environmental management practices than others? A key role of corporate managers is to encourage subsidiaries to adopt innovative practices. We examine the conditions under which corporate managers use information provision to encourage subsidiaries to adopt advanced environmental management practices. Focusing on the distribution of expertise across subsidiaries, we propose that corporate managers are more likely to elect an information provision strategy when subsidiaries (i) possess moderate levels of related expertise, (ii) exhibit significant heterogeneity in this expertise, and (iii) are more diversified and less concentrated. We study the diffusion of pollution prevention practices by firms in the information and communication technology sector in the United States and find empirical support for our four hypotheses. These findings promote a greater understanding of which firms adopt advanced environmental management practices and when firms adopt information provision strategies to encourage knowledge transfer within the organization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Sustainability: The Intersection of Sustainability and Business Success)
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