Institutional Pressures, Top Managers' Environmental Awareness and Environmental Innovation Practices:An Institutional Theory and Upper Echelons Theory Perspective

Abstract

Abstract:

Although institutional pressures have a significant impact on the environmental innovation, there is no comprehensive multi-theoretical analysis framework formed yet, especially lacking empirical researches into the impact of top managers' environmental awareness on the environmental innovation under China's Economic New Normality. Based on Institutional theory and Upper Echelons theory, this paper examines links among institutional pressures, top managers' environmental awareness and environmental innovation. Survey data from the 209 manufacturers in China shows that:Coercive pressure(CP) has an inverse U-shape relationship with environmental innovation strategy(EIS), and mimetic pressure(MP) has an inverse U-shape relationship with environmental innovation activity(EIA). We also find that top managers' environmental general awareness(GA) fully mediates the relationship between CP and EIS, and the relationship between MP and EIS. Besides, further analysis reveals that top managers' environmental awareness is positively correlated with the interaction of institutional pressures and EIS, while its correlation with the interaction of institutional pressures and EIA is not significant. Finally, based on these empirical results, we provide the relevant managerial implications and policy suggestions.

Key words: environmental innovation, top managers' environmental awareness, institutional pressures

Xu Jianzhong, Guan Jun, Lin Yan. Institutional Pressures, Top Managers' Environmental Awareness and Environmental Innovation Practices:An Institutional Theory and Upper Echelons Theory Perspective[J]. , 2017, 29(9): 72-83.

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