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How Proactive Environmental Strategy Facilitates Environmental Reputation: Roles of Green Human Resource Management and Discretionary Slack

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  • Jinguo Zhao

    (School of Management, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China)

  • Huanxin Liu

    (School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China)

  • Wei Sun

    (School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China)

Abstract

Based on natural resource-based theory, we examined how firms’ environmental strategies and environmental reputation depended on their green human resource management and discretionary slack. From the perspective of human resource management, we hypothesized that proactive environmental strategy predicted firms’ environmental reputation through the mediation of green human resource management. We further proposed that slack resources, which can be used discretely by managers for environmental management, enhanced the hypothesized relationships. Using data from firms in environmentally sensitive industries in eastern China, we provided empirical support for our hypotheses. The findings highlight the vital roles played by managers and green human resource management in implementing firms’ environmental strategies and promoting firms’ environmental reputation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jinguo Zhao & Huanxin Liu & Wei Sun, 2020. "How Proactive Environmental Strategy Facilitates Environmental Reputation: Roles of Green Human Resource Management and Discretionary Slack," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:3:p:763-:d:311246
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Saqib Yaqoob Malik & Yukun Cao & Yasir Hayat Mughal & Ghulam Muhammad Kundi & Mudassir Hayat Mughal & T. Ramayah, 2020. "Pathways towards Sustainability in Organizations: Empirical Evidence on the Role of Green Human Resource Management Practices and Green Intellectual Capital," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-24, April.
    4. Fangyu Gu & Yu Xie, 2022. "The differential impacts of coercive pressure from environmental law and proactive environmental strategy on corporate environmental performance: The case study of a pulp and paper company," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1909-1925, September.
    5. Shetu Ranjan Biswas & Mouri Dey & Swadip Bhattacharjee & Md. Aftab Uddin, 2021. "How Does Corporate Environmental Strategy Contribute to Voluntary Environmental Behavior? Influence of Psychological Green Climate, Firms’ Size, and Employees’ Age," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440211, March.
    6. Engin Ari & Osman M. Karatepe & Hamed Rezapouraghdam & Turgay Avci, 2020. "A Conceptual Model for Green Human Resource Management: Indicators, Differential Pathways, and Multiple Pro-Environmental Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Stanley Y. B. Huang & Chih-Wen Ting & Yu-Ming Fei, 2021. "A Multilevel Model of Environmentally Specific Social Identity in Predicting Environmental Strategies: Evidence from Technology Manufacturing Businesses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-13, April.
    8. Hsiang-Te Liu, 2021. "The Influence of Public Servants’ Perceived Formalism and Organizational Environmental Strategy on Green Behavior in the Workplace," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-24, October.
    9. Anastasia Pavlova & Hanna Salminen & Malla Mattila, 2022. "Green Human Resource Management – An Employee Perspective," Eurasian Journal of Social Sciences, Eurasian Publications, vol. 10(2), pages 110-123.

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