IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v26y2024i12d10.1007_s10668-024-05084-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pressure or benefits? A multidimensional heterogeneity perspective on the role of environmental self-regulation in firms’ resource acquisition

Author

Listed:
  • Meng Tian

    (Hubei University of Technology
    Hubei University of Technology)

  • Chuan Hu

    (Zhongnan University of Economics and Law)

  • Wei Huang

    (Hubei University of Technology)

  • Han Jiang

    (Hubei University of Technology)

Abstract

ISO14001 certification, as an innovative environmental self-regulation, has been widely utilized to facilitate relevant firms to implement low-carbon technologies and mitigate environmental impacts. Although ISO14001 certification has gained much attention from researchers and practitioners, its firm-level impact is underexplored. Given that, building on stakeholder theory and resource dependence theory, this study develops a theoretical framework to explain the relationship between ISO14001 certification and firms’ resource acquisition. The roles of ownership types, ISO9001 certification, and industry competition are then investigated. With a sample of Chinese listed firms from 2006 to 2018, we track their use of ISO14001 certification and then employ a fixed-effect model to conduct the empirical analysis. To address endogeneity bias, we further utilize the propensity score matching method on the empirical model. The empirical results demonstrate that ISO14001 certification has a significant and positive effect on firms’ resource acquisition including government subsidy, bank credit, and client relationship. The results also indicate that the positive association between ISO14001 certification and government subsidy is stronger in nonstate-owned enterprises than that in state-owned enterprises. Moreover, ISO9001 certification is conducive to weakening the positive association between ISO14001 certification and both government subsidy and client relationship. In addition, industry competition enhances the impacts of ISO14001 certification on the three aspects of firms’ resource acquisition. This study provides a deeper understanding of the firms’ motivations to implement environmental self-regulation from the perspective of resource acquisition and exchange based upon stakeholder theory, as well as offering practical implications for firms’ implementation of ISO14001 certification to complement traditional regulatory instruments.

Suggested Citation

  • Meng Tian & Chuan Hu & Wei Huang & Han Jiang, 2024. "Pressure or benefits? A multidimensional heterogeneity perspective on the role of environmental self-regulation in firms’ resource acquisition," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(12), pages 32253-32286, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:26:y:2024:i:12:d:10.1007_s10668-024-05084-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-024-05084-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-024-05084-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-024-05084-5?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vikrant Shirodkar & Eshani Beddewela & Ulf Henning Richter, 2018. "Firm-Level Determinants of Political CSR in Emerging Economies: Evidence from India," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 673-688, March.
    2. Johan Graafland & Hugo Smid, 2016. "Environmental Impacts of SMEs and the Effects of Formal Management Tools: Evidence from EU's Largest Survey," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(5), pages 297-307, September.
    3. Dayuan Li & Linna Xin & Xiaohong Chen & Shenggang Ren, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility, media attention and firm value: empirical research on Chinese manufacturing firms," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 1563-1577, July.
    4. Ren, Monica & Manning, Stephan & Vavilov, Stanislav, 2019. "Does state ownership really matter? The dynamic alignment of China's resource environment and firm internationalization strategies," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 1-1.
    5. Alberto Abadie & Guido W. Imbens, 2016. "Matching on the Estimated Propensity Score," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 84, pages 781-807, March.
    6. Michael J. Lenox & Scott F. Rockart & Arie Y. Lewin, 2007. "Interdependency, Competition, and Industry Dynamics," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(4), pages 599-615, April.
    7. Kalle Pajunen, 2006. "Stakeholder Influences in Organizational Survival," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(6), pages 1261-1288, September.
    8. Valta, Philip, 2012. "Competition and the cost of debt," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(3), pages 661-682.
    9. Hanley, Aoife & Monreal Pérez, Joaquín, 2012. "Are newly exporting firms more innovative? Findings from matched Spanish innovators," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 116(2), pages 217-220.
    10. Johnstone, Nick & Labonne, Julien, 2009. "Why do manufacturing facilities introduce environmental management systems? Improving and/or signaling performance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 719-730, January.
    11. Nur Farrahanie Ahmad Tarmizi & Rayenda Khresna Brahmana, 2022. "The Impact of Political Connections on Firm Performance: Evidence from Upstream Oil and Gas Companies," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-12, November.
    12. Kumar, Surender & Shetty, Shivananda, 2018. "Corporate Participation in Voluntary Environmental Programs in India: Determinants and Deterrence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 1-10.
    13. James Cordeiro & Manish Tewari, 2015. "Firm Characteristics, Industry Context, and Investor Reactions to Environmental CSR: A Stakeholder Theory Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(4), pages 833-849, September.
    14. Andreea Barbu & Ștefan-Alexandru Catană & Dana Corina Deselnicu & Lucian-Ionel Cioca & Alexandra Ioanid, 2022. "Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior toward Green Products: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-18, December.
    15. Lucia Gatti & Babitha Vishwanath & Peter Seele & Bertil Cottier, 2019. "Are We Moving Beyond Voluntary CSR? Exploring Theoretical and Managerial Implications of Mandatory CSR Resulting from the New Indian Companies Act," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(4), pages 961-972, December.
    16. Dahlin, Peter & Ekman, Peter & Röndell, Jimmie & Pesämaa, Ossi, 2020. "Exploring the business logic behind CSR certifications," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 521-530.
    17. Birger Wernerfelt, 1984. "A resource‐based view of the firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(2), pages 171-180, April.
    18. Rosemary Horry & Colin A. Booth & Abdul–Majeed Mahamadu & Patrick Manu & Panos Georgakis, 2022. "Environmental management systems in the architectural, engineering and construction sectors: a roadmap to aid the delivery of the sustainable development goals," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(9), pages 10585-10615, September.
    19. Feng, Yunting & Lai, Kee-hung & Zhu, Qinghua, 2020. "Legitimacy in operations: How sustainability certification announcements by Chinese listed enterprises influence their market value?," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    20. Bu, Maoliang & Qiao, Zhenzi & Liu, Beibei, 2020. "Voluntary environmental regulation and firm innovation in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 10-18.
    21. Wenbin Long & Sihai Li & Huiying Wu & Xianzhong Song, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility and financial performance: The roles of government intervention and market competition," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 525-541, March.
    22. Lewis, Tracy R. & Sappington, David E. M., 1995. "Using markets to allocate pollution permits and other scarce resource rights under limited information," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 431-455, July.
    23. Jing‐Lin Duanmu & Maoliang Bu & Russell Pittman, 2018. "Does market competition dampen environmental performance? Evidence from China," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(11), pages 3006-3030, November.
    24. Feng Liu & Hui Lin & Huiying Wu, 2018. "Political Connections and Firm Value in China: An Event Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 551-571, October.
    25. Li, Xiaoxia & Cai, Guilong & Luo, Danglun, 2020. "GDP distortion and tax avoidance in local SOEs: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 582-598.
    26. Naqvi, Asjad & Zwickl, Klara, 2017. "Fifty shades of green: Revisiting decoupling by economic sectors and air pollutants," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 111-126.
    27. Treacy, Raymond & Humphreys, Paul & McIvor, Ronan & Lo, Chris, 2019. "ISO14001 certification and operating performance: A practice-based view," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 319-328.
    28. Wenlong He & Wei Yang & Seong-jin Choi, 2018. "The Interplay Between Private and Public Regulations: Evidence from ISO 14001 Adoption Among Chinese Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 477-497, October.
    29. Singh, Neelam & Jain, Suresh & Sharma, Prateek, 2015. "Motivations for implementing environmental management practices in Indian industries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1-8.
    30. Stucki, Tobias & Woerter, Martin & Arvanitis, Spyros & Peneder, Michael & Rammer, Christian, 2018. "How different policy instruments affect green product innovation: A differentiated perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 245-261.
    31. José María Liberti, 2018. "Initiative, Incentives, and Soft Information," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(8), pages 3714-3734, August.
    32. Fernando, Yudi & Bee, Poh Swan & Jabbour, Charbel Jose Chiappetta & Thomé, Antônio Márcio Tavares, 2018. "Understanding the effects of energy management practices on renewable energy supply chains: Implications for energy policy in emerging economies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 418-428.
    33. Justin Tan & Mike W. Peng, 2003. "Organizational slack and firm performance during economic transitions: two studies from an emerging economy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(13), pages 1249-1263, December.
    34. Susan L Young & Mona V Makhija, 2014. "Firms’ corporate social responsibility behavior: An integration of institutional and profit maximization approaches," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(6), pages 670-698, August.
    35. Hojnik, Jana & Ruzzier, Mitja, 2017. "Does it pay to be eco? The mediating role of competitive benefits and the effect of ISO14001," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 581-594.
    36. Angeloantonio Russo & Francesco Perrini, 2010. "Investigating Stakeholder Theory and Social Capital: CSR in Large Firms and SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 207-221, January.
    37. Aravind, Deepa & Christmann, Petra, 2011. "Decoupling of Standard Implementation from Certification: Does Quality of ISO 14001 Implementation Affect Facilities’ Environmental Performance?," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(1), pages 73-102, January.
    38. 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.
    39. Nicole Darnall & Irene Henriques & Perry Sadorsky, 2010. "Adopting Proactive Environmental Strategy: The Influence of Stakeholders and Firm Size," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(6), pages 1072-1094, September.
    40. Tiberio Daddi & Maria Rosa De Giacomo & Marco Frey & Fabio Iraldo, 2018. "Analysing the causes of environmental management and audit scheme (EMAS) decrease in Europe," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(13), pages 2358-2377, November.
    41. Cebenoyan, A. Sinan & Strahan, Philip E., 2004. "Risk management, capital structure and lending at banks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 19-43, January.
    42. Christin Seifert & Edeltraud Guenther, 2020. "Who cares?—Stakeholder relevance for voluntary environmental management in hospitals," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1786-1799, July.
    43. Shenggang Ren & Duojun He & Tao Zhang & Xiaohong Chen, 2019. "Symbolic reactions or substantive pro‐environmental behaviour? An empirical study of corporate environmental performance under the government's environmental subsidy scheme," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1148-1165, September.
    44. Pablo Arocena & Raquel Orcos & Fedaous Zouaghi, 2021. "The impact of ISO 14001 on firm environmental and economic performance: The moderating role of size and environmental awareness," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 955-967, February.
    45. Irene M. Herremans & Jamal A. Nazari & Fereshteh Mahmoudian, 2016. "Stakeholder Relationships, Engagement, and Sustainability Reporting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(3), pages 417-435, October.
    46. Kurronen, Sanna, 2018. "Natural resources and capital structure," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 385-396.
    47. Hu, Guoqiang & Wang, Xiaoqi & Wang, Yu, 2021. "Can the green credit policy stimulate green innovation in heavily polluting enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Pablo Arocena & Raquel Orcos & Fedaous Zouaghi, 2021. "The impact of ISO 14001 on firm environmental and economic performance: The moderating role of size and environmental awareness," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 955-967, February.
    2. Marcos Carchano & Inmaculada Carrasco & Angela González, 2025. "Examining environmental proactivity in the Spanish wine industry: The moderating role of size," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(1), pages 127-157, January.
    3. Ullah, Farid & Jiang, Ping & Elamer, Ahmed A. & Owusu, Andrews, 2022. "Environmental performance and corporate innovation in China: The moderating impact of firm ownership," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    4. Ziyu Zhao & Mengyang Wang & Qiyuan Zhang, 2024. "The double-edged sword effect of government-initiated CSR on organizational profitability: Moderating roles of slack resources and competition intensity," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 2091-2118, December.
    5. Konstantinos Iatridis & Effie Kesidou, 2018. "What Drives Substantive Versus Symbolic Implementation of ISO 14001 in a Time of Economic Crisis? Insights from Greek Manufacturing Companies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(4), pages 859-877, April.
    6. Tian, Meng & Chen, Yang & Tian, Guanghao & Huang, Wei & Hu, Chuan, 2023. "The role of digital transformation practices in the operations improvement in manufacturing firms: A practice-based view," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    7. Wu, Jianxian & Nie, Xin & Wang, Han & Li, Weijuan, 2023. "Eco-industrial parks and green technological progress: Evidence from Chinese cities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    8. Michele Molin & Lisa Pizzol & Marco Pesce & Alessandro Maura & Matteo Civiero & Elisa Gritti & Simone Giotto & Alberto Ferri & Lorenzo Liguoro & Carlo Bagnoli & Elena Semenzin, 2023. "An integrated decision‐making framework for corporate sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1145-1160, May.
    9. Artitzar Erauskin‐Tolosa & Eugenio Zubeltzu‐Jaka & Iñaki Heras‐Saizarbitoria & Olivier Boiral, 2020. "ISO 14001, EMAS and environmental performance: A meta‐analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1145-1159, March.
    10. Liu, Fuzhen & He, Chaocheng & Lai, Kee-hung, 2024. "Market reaction to responsible production practices adoption: The role of firm size and financial slack," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    11. Lihua Sun & Chunguang Bai & Joseph Sarkis, 2024. "Reward or punishment? The impact of heterogeneous environmental regulatory intervention on the firm market value," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 4004-4023, July.
    12. Michael Greiner & Jing Sun, 2021. "How corporate social responsibility can incentivize top managers: A commitment to sustainability as an agency intervention," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(4), pages 1360-1375, July.
    13. Pritika Dua & Surender Kumar, 2023. "Nature of corporate environmentalism in large-listed Indian firms: empirical evidence from Indian companies," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 13(4), pages 602-616, December.
    14. Suqin Shen & Sunil Venaik & Yunxia Zhu, 2023. "A Dynamic Model of Internationalization and Innovation in Emerging Market Enterprises: Knowledge Exploration, Transformation, and Exploitation," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 63(4), pages 561-601, August.
    15. Sofie Balcaen & Sophie Manigart & Hubert Ooghe, 2011. "From distress to exit: determinants of the time to exit," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 407-446, August.
    16. H. L. Zou & R. C. Zeng & S. X. Zeng & Jonathan J. Shi, 2015. "How Do Environmental Violation Events Harm Corporate Reputation?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(8), pages 836-854, December.
    17. Sulu Zhu & Pengqun Gao & Zhen Tang & Ming Tian, 2022. "The Research Venation Analysis and Future Prospects of Organizational Slack," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, October.
    18. Michael Sheppard, 2020. "The relationship between discretionary slack and growth in small firms," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 195-219, March.
    19. Petra Andries & Ute Stephan, 2019. "Environmental Innovation and Firm Performance: How Firm Size and Motives Matter," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-17, June.
    20. Schembri, Joe & Tang, Yee Kwan & Fletcher, Margaret & Dimitratos, Pavlos, 2019. "How do European trade promotion organisations manage their stakeholders?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 1-1.

    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:spr:endesu:v:26:y:2024:i:12:d:10.1007_s10668-024-05084-5. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.