Green marketing in B2B organisations: an empirical analysis from the natural‐resource‐based view of the firm

Abstract

Purpose -Following the natural resource based view of the firm, this paper seeks to analyse the influence of a green marketing strategy on the performance of business-to-business organisations. Also, it aims to explore the role of organisational resources as drivers of proactive environmental management. Design/methodology/approach -A model based on structural equations with partial least squares analysis is used to test the hypotheses. This model was tested on a sample of 181 industrial organisations. Findings -The findings confirm that managers indirectly play a key role in the design and development of green marketing strategies through the integration of environmental values into the organisational culture. They also reveal that, while market-oriented practices directly determine economic performance, internally oriented activities indirectly influence financial results through the improvement of the firm's environmental performance.Research limitations/implications -This research partially integrates organisational resources as drivers of environmental behaviour, and does not explore the role of capabilities. The article proposes different implications considering the competitive consequences of a green marketing strategy. Practical implications -The article includes different practical implications about the effect of different environmental practices on different dimensions of organisational performance. It sheds light on the controversial link between environmental proactivity and performance. Originality/value -This research tests empirically some of the theoretical underpinnings of the natural resource based view of the company in an under-researched context like the business-to-business context.

Sustainable value propositions: Framework and implications for technology suppliers

“…However, these approaches tend to emphasize environmentally friendly product attributes and socially responsible supplier behavior as the basis of the firm's marketing messages, while focusing less on the actual value added, or potential benefits that a prospective customer may receive (c.f., Polonsky, 2011). In the industrial marketing literature, research on sustainability has thus far focused largely on "greening" the primary supply chain, or more specifically, how to reduce the environmental impacts of operations and signal to external stakeholders a commitment to environmental values (Fraj, Martínez & Matute, 2013;Sharma et al, 2010;Gupta et al, 2014). However, what still remains relatively less well understood is the role of technology suppliers in sustainable marketing (Chan et al, 2012).…”

Does sustainability marketing strategy achieve payback profits? A signaling theory perspective

“…Since SMS may greatly reduce a firm's pollution emissions, previous studies indicated that SMS is positively linked with environmental performance (Chen et al, ). Thus, we focus on financial performance to explore how it is influenced by SMS in order to better explain previous inconsistent findings (Chan, ; Fraj et al, ; Fraj‐Andrés et al, ; C. N. Leonidou et al, ).…”

“…First, the few studies linking SMS with firm performance revealed mixed findings about the impact of SMS. While some literature reported a positive effect of SMS on firm performance (Chan, ; Fraj‐Andrés, Martinez‐Salinas, & Matute‐Vallejo, ), others uncovered an insignificant impact of SMS on firm performance (Fraj, Martínez, & Matute, ; C. N. Leonidou et al, ). In this case, managers may have no idea of whether building SMS makes sense.…”

Green Marketing for Sustainable Development: an Industry Perspective

“…The role of managers in the design and development of green marketing strategies through the integration of environmental values into the organizational culture has been highlighted by Fraj et al . (). Jain and Kaur () have discussed the role of government agencies, non‐government organizations, firms and individual consumers in marketing of green ideas and products.…”