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Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity as Complementary Drivers of Green Product and Process Innovation Performance

Author

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  • Gema Albort-Morant

    (Department of Social Sciences, Centro Universitario San Isidoro, 41092 Seville, Spain
    Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands)

  • Jörg Henseler

    (Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
    Nova Information Management School, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1070-312 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Gabriel Cepeda-Carrión

    (Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Marketing, Universidad de Sevilla, 41018 Seville, Spain)

  • Antonio L. Leal-Rodríguez

    (Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
    Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Marketing, Universidad de Sevilla, 41018 Seville, Spain)

Abstract

Nowadays, companies need to absorb new knowledge from external sources to grasp environmental issues. However, the internal mechanisms through which external knowledge is turned into green innovations remain scarcely addressed. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the relationships between the two dimensions of absorptive capacity (potential and realized) with green products and process innovation performance. This study contributes to the literature by disentangling how companies need to acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit external environmental knowledge to develop green innovations. To this aim, this empirical study is based on a sample shaped by 112 firms belonging to the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector. The results provide evidence to show that potential and realized absorptive capacities are positively related to both green product innovation performance and green process innovation performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Gema Albort-Morant & Jörg Henseler & Gabriel Cepeda-Carrión & Antonio L. Leal-Rodríguez, 2018. "Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity as Complementary Drivers of Green Product and Process Innovation Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:2:p:381-:d:129791
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    References listed on IDEAS

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