IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v190y2025ics0148296325000529.html

Overcoming reactance to climate change: The business-ecology nexus

Author

Listed:
  • Liyanaarachchi, Gajendra
  • Gamage, Thilini Chathurika
  • Viglia, Giampaolo
  • Charton-Vachet, Florence

Abstract

This study explores how concerns around misinformation, data integrity, and information asymmetry fuel psychological reactance among small business owners, impeding their adaptability to climate change initiatives. Through interviews with 25 small business owners across four countries, we uncover this reactance stemming from information risks. We propose the ’Business Ecology Nexus’ framework to address these challenges. Grounded in co-creation and customer engagement principles, this framework manages psychological reactance by balancing ecological and business values, providing a strategic pathway for small businesses to mitigate information risks and drive climate change adaptation. Our work offers actionable recommendations for businesses, climate authorities, technical experts, and policymakers to implement environmental strategies that protect businesses, consumers, and ecosystems.

Suggested Citation

  • Liyanaarachchi, Gajendra & Gamage, Thilini Chathurika & Viglia, Giampaolo & Charton-Vachet, Florence, 2025. "Overcoming reactance to climate change: The business-ecology nexus," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:190:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325000529
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115229
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296325000529
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115229?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vargo, Stephen L. & Wieland, Heiko & O'Brien, Matthew, 2023. "Service-dominant logic as a unifying theoretical framework for the re-institutionalization of the marketing discipline," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    2. Friedman, Nicola & Ormiston, Jarrod, 2022. "Blockchain as a sustainability-oriented innovation?: Opportunities for and resistance to Blockchain technology as a driver of sustainability in global food supply chains," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    3. Rashidi-Sabet, Siavash & Madhavaram, Sreedhar & Parvatiyar, Atul, 2022. "Strategic solutions for the climate change social dilemma: An integrative taxonomy, a systematic review, and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 619-635.
    4. Ko Ruyter & Debbie Isobel Keeling & Kirk Plangger & Matteo Montecchi & Maura L. Scott & Darren W. Dahl, 2022. "Reimagining marketing strategy: driving the debate on grand challenges," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 13-21, January.
    5. Lim, Weng Marc & Rasul, Tareq & Kumar, Satish & Ala, Mamun, 2022. "Past, present, and future of customer engagement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 439-458.
    6. Jeffrey E. McGee & Ryan P. Terry, 2024. "COVID-19 as an external enabler: The role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial orientation," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(2), pages 1058-1083, March.
    7. Georgia Warren-Myers & Anna Hurlimann & Judy Bush, 2020. "Barriers to climate change adaption in the Australian property industry," Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(5), pages 449-462, March.
    8. Tiberio Daddi & Niccolò Maria Todaro & Maria Rosa De Giacomo & Marco Frey, 2018. "A Systematic Review of the Use of Organization and Management Theories in Climate Change Studies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(4), pages 456-474, May.
    9. Sarah Williams & Anja Schaefer, 2013. "Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises and Sustainability: Managers' Values and Engagement with Environmental and Climate Change Issues," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 173-186, March.
    10. Magnani, Giovanna & Gioia, Denny, 2023. "Using the Gioia Methodology in international business and entrepreneurship research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2).
    11. Su‐Yol Lee & Robert D. Klassen, 2016. "Firms’ Response to Climate Change: The Interplay of Business Uncertainty and Organizational Capabilities," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(8), pages 577-592, December.
    12. Smith, Hannah & Discetti, Roberta & Bellucci, Marco & Acuti, Diletta, 2022. "SMEs engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals: A power perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 112-122.
    13. Sıddık Bozkurt & David Gligor & Nichole Gligor, 2022. "Investigating the impact of psychological customer engagement on customer engagement behaviors: the moderating role of customer commitment," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(4), pages 408-424, December.
    14. Won‐Moo Hur & Tae‐Won Moon & Hanna Kim, 2020. "When and how does customer engagement in CSR initiatives lead to greater CSR participation? The role of CSR credibility and customer–company identification," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1878-1891, July.
    15. Hennink, Monique & Kaiser, Bonnie N., 2022. "Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    16. Simon Cadez & Albert Czerny & Peter Letmathe, 2019. "Stakeholder pressures and corporate climate change mitigation strategies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 1-14, January.
    17. Liyanaarachchi, Gajendra & Mifsud, Matthieu & Viglia, Giampaolo, 2024. "Virtual influencers and data privacy: Introducing the multi-privacy paradox," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    18. Alam, Ashraful & Du, Anna Min & Rahman, Mahfuzur & Yazdifar, Hassan & Abbasi, Kaleemullah, 2022. "SMEs respond to climate change: Evidence from developing countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    19. Calder, Bobby J. & Malthouse, Edward C. & Schaedel, Ute, 2009. "An Experimental Study of the Relationship between Online Engagement and Advertising Effectiveness," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 321-331.
    20. Filieri, Raffaele & Acikgoz, Fulya & Du, Hao, 2023. "Electronic word-of-mouth from video bloggers: The role of content quality and source homophily across hedonic and utilitarian products," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    21. Viglia, Giampaolo & Pera, Rebecca & Bigné, Enrique, 2018. "The determinants of stakeholder engagement in digital platforms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 404-410.
    22. Kathie M. d'I. Treen & Hywel T. P. Williams & Saffron J. O'Neill, 2020. "Online misinformation about climate change," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(5), September.
    23. Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Balakrishnan, Janarthanan & Das, Ronnie & Dutot, Vincent, 2023. "Resistance to innovation: A dynamic capability model based enquiry into retailers’ resistance to blockchain adaptation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    24. R. Filieri & F. Acikgoz & D. Hao, 2023. "Electronic word-of-mouth from video bloggers: The role of content quality and source homophily across hedonic and utilitarian products," Post-Print hal-04713695, HAL.
    25. Pucci, Tommaso & Casprini, Elena & Galati, Antonino & Zanni, Lorenzo, 2020. "The virtuous cycle of stakeholder engagement in developing a sustainability culture: Salcheto winery," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 364-376.
    26. Yogesh K. Dwivedi & J. Balakrishnan & R. Das & Vincent Dutot, 2023. "Resistance to Innovation: A Dynamic Capability Model Based Enquiry into Retailers' Resistance to Blockchain Adaptation," Post-Print hal-04292611, HAL.
    27. Frances E. Bowen & Pratima Bansal & Natalie Slawinski, 2018. "Scale matters: The scale of environmental issues in corporate collective actions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(5), pages 1411-1436, May.
    28. Beverly B. Tyler & Brooke Lahneman & Daniele Cerrato & Allan Discua Cruz & Karin Beukel & Nathalie Spielmann & Marco Minciullo, 2024. "Environmental practice adoption in SMEs: The effects of firm proactive orientation and regulatory pressure," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(5), pages 2211-2246, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xiao, Shuhan & Song, Xiaohua, 2026. "Environmental value co-creation in the power system: The role of green transformation on both power supply and demand sides," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PH).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gajendra Liyanaarachchi & Fidan Kurtaliqi & Giampaolo Viglia & Moreno Frau, 2026. "The virtue-value spectrum: Managing ethical and pragmatic tensions in virtual reality retail for consumer wellbeing," Post-Print hal-05345849, HAL.
    2. Liyanaarachchi, Gajendra & Kurtaliqi, Fidan & Viglia, Giampaolo & Frau, Moreno, 2026. "The virtue-value spectrum: Managing ethical and pragmatic tensions in virtual reality retail for consumer wellbeing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    3. Vecchietti, Giuseppe & Liyanaarachchi, Gajendra & Viglia, Giampaolo, 2025. "Managing deepfakes with artificial intelligence: Introducing the business privacy calculus," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    4. Köcher, Sören & Alkire, Linda & Köcher, Sarah & Myrden, Susan & O’Connor, Genevieve E., 2025. "Consumers’ climate change engagement: Conceptualization, scale development, and assessment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    5. Gamage, Thilini Chathurika & Tajeddini, Kayhan & Liyanaarachchi, Gajendra & Gnanapala, Athula, 2025. "The personal paradox matrix: understanding and mitigating customer tensions in phygital marketing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    6. Niccolò Maria Todaro & Francesco Testa & Tiberio Daddi & Fabio Iraldo, 2021. "The influence of managers' awareness of climate change, perceived climate risk exposure and risk tolerance on the adoption of corporate responses to climate change," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1232-1248, February.
    7. Azmat, Fara & Lim, Weng Marc & Moyeen, Abdul & Voola, Ranjit & Gupta, Girish, 2023. "Convergence of business, innovation, and sustainability at the tipping point of the sustainable development goals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    8. Alnoor, Alhamzah & Abbas, Sammar & Sadaa, Abdullah Mohammed & Chew, XinYing & Bayram, Gül Erkol, 2025. "Navigating the power of blockchain strategy: Analysis of technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework and innovation resistance theory using PLS-SEM and ANN insights," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    9. Li, Feng & Liu, SiTong & Wang, Huanzhang, 2026. "Collaborative filtering or content-based recommendation? The effects of digital platform recommendation type on consumer's intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    10. Kumar, V. & D. Hollebeek, Linda & Sharma, Amalesh & Rajan, Bharath & K Srivastava, Rajendra, 2025. "Responsible stakeholder engagement marketing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    11. Duarte Alonso, Abel & Vu, Oanh Thi Kim & Nguyen, Trung Q. & McClelland, Robert & Nguyen, Ngan M. & Huynh, Hoa Thi Ngoc & Akbari, Mohammadreza & Nguyen, Trung Thanh, 2025. "Beyond technology: A socio-technical lens on Industry 4.0 value-adding across industries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    12. Suhaib Ahmed & Tahir Islam & Abdul Ghaffar, 2024. "Shaping Brand Loyalty through Social Media Influencers: The Mediating Role of Follower Engagement and Social Attractiveness," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    13. Jean Pfiffelmann & Olga Untilov & John Thøgersen & Romain Franck, 2025. "Conflicting consumer beliefs influencing eco-innovation adoption: Motives and barriers for accepting the laser marking of organic products," Post-Print hal-04957879, HAL.
    14. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Lim, Weng Marc & Kumar, Satish & Donthu, Naveen, 2022. "Guidelines for advancing theory and practice through bibliometric research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 101-115.
    15. Nadine Schröder & Carsten D. Schultz & Friederike Paetz & Alicja Grzadziel & Melanie Clegg, 2025. "Unraveling the Influence: Exploring the Role of User Generated Content Along the Customer Journey and Understanding Its Relevance for Research and Practice," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 77(3), pages 457-496, September.
    16. Lim, Weng Marc & Rasul, Tareq, 2022. "Customer engagement and social media: Revisiting the past to inform the future," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 325-342.
    17. Benevento, Elisabetta & Aloini, Davide & Roma, Paolo & Bellino, Davide, 2025. "The impact of influencers on brand social network growth: Insights from new product launch events on Twitter," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    18. Khan, Imran, 2023. "Customer engagement outcomes in mobile applications: Self-congruence as a moderator," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    19. Wang, Xueying & Zhang, Yuexian, 2025. "Product-independent or product-dependent: The impact of virtual influencers’ primed identity on purchase intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    20. Fang Ling & Hongxian Zhen & Chao Wang & Jingyi Li & Jingjing Zhao, 2025. "Environmental protection strategic alliance and enterprise green innovation," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:190:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325000529. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.