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Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 40034

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Miltiadis Chalikias

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Guest Editor

Department of Tourism Management, School of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, University of West Attica, 12244 Egaleo, Greece
Interests: applied statistics; experimental designs; operations research; green entrepreneurship; renewable energy sources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Michalis Skordoulis

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Co-Guest Editor

Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, GR68200 Orestiada, Greece
Interests: management; green economics; green business; renewable energy sources; total quality management; social research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades worrying phenomena connected to climate change need to be treated effectively as their negative effects are becoming increasingly apparent. This is why sustainable economic development is in the spotlight of researchers and policy makers, leading businesses in front of new challenges related to sustainable environmental management. The integration of sustainable environmental management policies into businesses’ strategies can have many positive effects according to the existing literature. More specifically such policies can lead in cost reduction through environmental efficiency improvement, new marketing opportunities creation, image improvement, environmental risk reduction, more favorable terms of insurance, financial opportunities and incentives provided by the governments such as business loans with more favorable terms, green investments attraction and, through the compatibility with stakeholders’ requirements for environmental sustainability.

Based on the above analysis there is strong evidence that sustainable environmental management policies integration into business’ strategies can be connected with the establishment of a competitive advantage. The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss the relevant insights of green entrepreneurship and sustainable environmental management and their connection with competitive advantage establishment.

It is our pleasure to invite authors to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting research articles that will be subject to rigorous peer-review aiming to contribute to the development of the relevant research field.

Prof. Dr. Miltiadis Chalikias
Dr. Michalis Skordoulis
Guest Editors

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

Environmental Sustainability
Competitive Advantage
Competitive Strategy
Green Entrepreneurship
Sustainable Environmental Management
Green Business
Corporate Social Responsibility
Business Performance
Green Innovation
Competitiveness
Environmental Performance
Corporate Strategy

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Green Innovations in Organizations: Influence of Stakeholders

by Kalaivani Jayaraman, Sreenivasan Jayashree and Magiswary Dorasamy

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1133; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021133 - 6 Jan 2023

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3775

Abstract

Organizations moving towards adopting sustainable business development has become a necessity. As more and more stakeholders increasingly show interest in pollution and environmental degradation and the major impacts on the economic activities of organizations, it has become a necessity for organizations to move towards adopting sustainable business development. To achieve this goal, organizations need to invest in green innovations (GIs). Therefore, this paper examines the important influence of internal and external stakeholders on organizations that choose to pursue sustainable development with the help of implementing green innovations. It has certain theoretical and practical implications, but the following problems exist: (a) the usage of energy has increased in recent years and further creates a warning sign that precautionary measures need to be taken soon, and if not, the situation will impact the environment and organizations’ sustainable performance; (b) stakeholders’ raise concerns about pollution and environmental deterioration and urge industrialists to incorporate green innovation into all aspects of production and processes. A positivist research paradigm is applied, and the hypotheses will be tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). This study analyzes how green innovation interacts with the linkage between stakeholders and organizational sustainable performance. The contribution hopes to benefit the growth of the economy, promote a cleaner environment, and enhance the wellbeing of the country. This study will further help to enlighten the importance of embracing green innovation in industries to policy makers and manufacturers, which is currently lacking. This initiative is in line with Malaysia’s 12th plan, which aims to promote green innovation to boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and push the country above the high-income barrier. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management)

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21 pages, 2419 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mediation-Moderation Model: An Empirical Examination of Sustainable Women Entrepreneurial Performance towards Agricultural SMEs in Ivory Coast

by Ingrid R. Epezagne Assamala, Wenyuan Li, Sheikh Farhan Ashraf, Nausheen Syed, He Di and Mehrab Nazir

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6368; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106368 - 23 May 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2320

Abstract

The consistent finding of knowledge management practices with women’s entrepreneurial performance is one of the gaps intended to fill in this paper. Several previous research studies on knowledge management practices (KMPs) with sustainable women’s entrepreneurial performance (SWEP) have been drawing the attention of many researchers, and this study includes the mediating role of opportunity recognition (OR) and moderating role of family interference (FI). Smart-PLS software was used to test the proposed hypotheses with gathered data of 450 women-entrepreneur respondents. The findings show a positive and significant impact of KMPs on women’s entrepreneurship and partial mediation of opportunity recognition between sustainable women’s entrepreneurial performance and KMPs. Moreover, family interference strengthens the relationship between opportunity recognition and women’s entrepreneurial performance. The study results proposed that in Ivory Coast, entrepreneurial women face several challenges in running their businesses. Therefore, it is suggested that a combined effort of women entrepreneurs, family interference, society, market opportunities, and researchers can overcome their challenges. Discussion is based on the study findings, and suggestions have been made for researchers and practitioners. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management)

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18 pages, 450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Mediating Role of Firm Strategy in the Relationship between Green Entrepreneurship, Green Innovation, and Competitive Advantage: The Case of Medium and Large-Sized Firms in Greece

by Michalis Skordoulis, Grigorios Kyriakopoulos, Stamatiοs Ntanos, Spyros Galatsidas, Garyfallos Arabatzis, Miltiadis Chalikias and Petros Kalantonis

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3286; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063286 - 11 Mar 2022

Cited by 43 | Viewed by 4835

Abstract

The present research examines both the relationship between green innovation and green entrepreneurship and the mediating role of firm strategies in the relationship between green entrepreneurship, green innovation, and competitive advantage. A total of 225 managers responsible for the environmental strategy of medium and large-sized firms operating in Greece were used as a sample for the study. To measure the research variables, a structured questionnaire was used. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inductive statistics, including principal components analysis, correlation analysis, a multivariate generalized linear model, and a structural equations model. The empirical results indicate a positive influence of green entrepreneurship in green product innovation and green process innovation. Furthermore, the mediating role of firm strategies in the relationship between green entrepreneurship, green innovation, and competitive advantage is confirmed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management)

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26 pages, 1136 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Capabilities and Opportunities: Linking Knowledge Management Practices of Textile-Based SMEs on Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Organizational Performance in China

by Aleem Ahmad Qader, Jingwei Zhang, Sheikh Farhan Ashraf, Nausheen Syed, Khaoula Omhand and Mehrab Nazir

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2219; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042219 - 15 Feb 2022

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3764

Abstract

Most researchers hold the role of dynamic capability (DC) as a key factor of achieving sustainable entrepreneurship performance (SEP) and Organizational Performance (OP) with the competitive advantage of knowledge management practices (KMPs). However, the effects of KMPs with SEP and OP are still under discussion. Moreover, the ambidexterity view, exploring the direct impact of KMPs mediated by dynamic capabilities (DC), gives evidence of sustainable entrepreneurship and organizational performance. Measuring the gathered data of 480 textile-based SME entrepreneurs and organizations through structural equation modeling, the study’s finding shows that KMPs positively and significantly influence sustainable entrepreneurship and organizational performance. Furthermore, this study explores the partial mediation of dynamic capabilities among KMPs with SEP and organization performance. At the same time, opportunity recognition is a moderator that strengthens the relationship between DCs with sustainable entrepreneurship and organizational performance. The study is limited to male textile-based SMEs and can be enhanced by female entrepreneurs. Furthermore, this research contributes to entrepreneurship students by encouraging better research work in current and existing studies, and practically assists government and private policymakers and business practitioners to formulate better strategies for the sustainability and economic growth of a country. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management)

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19 pages, 2178 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating Customer Satisfaction in Energy Markets Using a Multicriteria Method: The Case of Electricity Market in Greece

by Dimitrios Drosos, Grigorios L. Kyriakopoulos, Garyfallos Arabatzis and Nikolaos Tsotsolas

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3862; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093862 - 9 May 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4845

Abstract

During the last decade, the demand for electricity has increased significantly, both for companies and consumers. Therefore, in every country, there are companies developing and functioning to provide various forms of electric energy. The quality of the services that they provide has been of major concern for these companies for the last few years. The objective of this study is to examine residential customers’ satisfaction of electricity providers in Greece regarding various factors, such as the products, services, customer service, and the pricing policy. The present research was conducted with the use of a specially developed website questionnaire; 689 questionnaires were collected from January to June, 2019. The results were analyzed with the multicriteria satisfaction analysis (MUSA) method, which is considered as an aggregation–disaggregation approach developed on the qualitative analysis regression. The results of the study showed that the residential customers were quite satisfied. More specifically, the average global satisfaction index of the residential customers was about 52.15%. Using the results of this study, electricity providers will have the chance to frame their future products and services so as to keep their industrial customers satisfied. This empirical study may serve as a reference for other electricity providers who desire to carry out similar studies in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management)

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18 pages, 1092 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Indoor Vertical Farming in the Urban Nexus Context: Business Growth and Resource Savings

by Dafni Despoina Avgoustaki and George Xydis

Sustainability 2020, 12(5), 1965; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12051965 - 4 Mar 2020

Cited by 87 | Viewed by 17677

Abstract

In recent years, a new urban environment in the large metropolitan areas, the so-called “megacities”, has emerged. It is estimated that more than five billion people will be located in urban areas by 2030. Many projects have been initiated in the megacities to support the new ecosystem services in providing the most sustainable and efficient food supply solutions, as well as for transporting fresh and clean vegetables. One of the most important focus areas is research on energy sustainability, including how to optimize energy efficiency to meet the needs of citizens and companies. Indoor urban vertical farming (IUVF) is one of the greatest achievements of our time in agriculture, as it is entirely focused on meeting the food needs of people living in urban areas with the lowest environmental and energy costs. IUVF creates a new foundation in the urban food production system, providing opportunities for many other sustainable activities, such as energy and grey water recycling, but beyond all, it helps citizens to have access in fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables and to become more creative building up their skills regarding sustainable food production. In this study, the internal rate of return (IRR) and the net present value (NPV) indexes were used to compare IUVF and greenhouse (GH) facilities under various financing schemes. Consistent with similar studies, this research also confirms that IUVF is much more profitable for investors, saving significant resources compared to GHs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management)

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Review

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18 pages, 1414 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Paradox in the Ecological Side of Corporate Entrepreneurship Sustainability: A Research Agenda and Policy Direction

by Yangfan Lu, Abdella Kosa Chebo, Shepherd Dhliwayo and Semu Bacha Negasa

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 15198; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215198 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1512

Abstract

The ecological devastation observed in the 21st century requires everyone’s participation, including corporates. Many companies have, therefore, incorporated these ecological concerns into their sustainability decisions. We reviewed studies on the nexus of ecological and entrepreneurial sustainability in the context of corporates (large enterprises). The review focuses on clarifying concepts and building a conceptual framework to enhance a better and comprehensive understanding of the ecological side of corporate entrepreneurship sustainability. Through a systematic review of 53 selected papers, we provide inputs for integrating the ecological aspects into company policies and philosophy, in order to build a green business that balances business opportunities with environmental commitments. The study initiates new research agendas by creating a new construct—sustainable corporate ecological entrepreneurship (SCEE). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Competitive Advantage Establishment through Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Environmental Management)

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