Driving mechanism model of enterprise green strategy evolution under digital technology empowerment: A case study based on Zhejiang Enterprises

Abstract

Digital technology innovation is sweeping the world, endowing the development of enterprises with the new feature of “digital + green,” which improves the efficiency of enterprises in implementing green strategy. Previous studies emphasized the driving force of enterprise green strategy evolution under the traditional economic model, but often ignored its driving mechanism under digital technology empowerment. Collecting the data from first‐hand interviews and second‐hand documents and selecting 11 case enterprises in Zhejiang, China, this study adopts multiple case method to construct a driving mechanism model of enterprise green strategy evolution under digital technology empowerment. This study proposed as follows, first, the enterprise green strategy is innovatively divided into five evolution stages (green beginner, green responder, green adapter, green activist, and green leader), and it is found that most case enterprises reached a higher stage. Second, digital technology empowerment affects the enterprise green strategy evolution through the mediating role of managerial perception, enterprise competitive capabilities, data and information elements, enterprise resource utilization efficiency, green product design, and whole process digitalization and digital marketing. Third, corporate governance (including public ownership, ownership concentration, independence, and diversity of the board of directors) significantly and positively moderate between various factors and enterprise green strategy evolution. Finally, a series of policy implications and managers' coping strategies are proposed.

Impact of enterprise digitalization on green innovation performance under the perspective of production and operation

“…Enterprises that lag behind in the process of digitalization transformation should turn their emphasis to digitalization management, make its “mindsponge” mechanism closer to digitalization, and help further the development of green innovation. Moreover, the pharmaceutical industry and the food industry are closely related to public health, so we combine our research with that of He et al ( 26 ) and Thøgersen and Zhou ( 54 ) to make these recommendations. Enterprises belonging to the pharmaceutical industry should actively integrate digitalization and green concepts into production operations, and help enterprises to innovate activities more conducive to sustainable development.…”

“…Additionally, He et al ( 26 ) found the following information through the investigation of 11 Chinese industrial enterprises covering the pharmaceutical industry and the automobile industry: digitalization technology empowers management perception, enterprise competitiveness, data and information elements, and enterprise resource utilization efficiency, green product design, process digitalization, and other intermediary roles affect the evolution of enterprise green strategy. This will also ultimately promote green innovation for enterprises.…”

Digitalization transformation and ESG performance: Evidence from China

“…Green innovation refers to the innovation of processes, technologies, or products that reduce environmental pollution and promote energy and resource efficiency (Schiederig et al, 2012). Firms can use advanced technologies to optimize the product production process, improve the research and design, production process, and manufacturing of products, and increase the efficiency of raw material use (Wu et al, 2016); they can also use big data, artificial intelligence, and other technologies to accurately control corporate pollution emissions and measure, price, and trade corporate carbon emissions (He et al, 2023). Therefore, the digital transformation of businesses can strengthen their green innovation capability, and a stronger green innovation capability in turn enhances firms' technical capability in practicing environmental and social responsibilities, resulting in an improvement in their ESG performance.…”

The relationship between rural information consumption and regional economic development with spatial Durbin model—A case study of Zhejiang, China

“…In 2019, Zhejiang, China was selected as the national pilot zone for digital economic innovation and development. Two years later, the province was selected as the first common prosperity demonstration zone in China [ 40 ]. In 2021, Zhejiang, China decided to implement the digital economy "No.…”