Determinants of international environmental strategies of Korean firms: An explorative case-study approach

Abstract

The existence of negative externalities of businesses on the natural environment is widely accepted and firms are therefore pushed on various dimensions to be more environmentally responsible. In reaction, antecedents and determinants of corporate environmental strategies (CESs) have been identified that could support the internalisation of negative environmental impacts. However, these analyses often remain situated within a single industrialised-country context. They are therefore likely to not appropriately capture the behaviour of internationally active businesses in less industrialised regions and the transfer of environmental strategies across borders. We explore the determinants of international environmental strategies (IESs) of Korean firms and contrast them to CESs by analysing rationale, incentives and barriers in three case studies. Our results indicate that IES and CES have mainly common determinants. However, implemented IESs often only cover a subset of CES. This suggests that the home market plays a major role in the design and implementation of environmental strategies and that certain practices are not easily transferable internationally. From these findings we develop testable propositions. We expand the CES literature, theoretically by adding and assessing an international dimension to the concept and empirically through the Korean context. Our results carry recommendations for businesses and policymakers.

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Adoption of corporate environmental policies in Turkey

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