Stakeholder pressures and sustainability practices in manufacturing: Consideration of the economic development context

Abstract

In the context of global concern for the environment and considering the observation that very few manufacturing companies have taken a more proactive position on sustainability, it has been suggested that the stakeholder approach can contribute to the study of sustainability management. Hence, this paper analyzes the relationship between a set of individual stakeholders pressures (STP) from different groups and the adoption and implementation of some specific sets of sustainability practices (SP) in manufacturing: internal and external monitoring and external collaborative. It also contributes to the open debate around the “monolithic” versus differentiated reaction to perceived STP, showing that companies respond selectively to the different stakeholder groups. Finally, this research also considers the possible influence of different country development contexts (developed vs. emerging countries), which may be very informative in the context of the growing globalization of operations. Using a large, worldwide, multicountry, and multi‐informant sample of manufacturing plants from three industry sectors located in 15 emerging and developed countries, this study shows that the different stakeholders play different roles in the adoption and implementation of different sustainability practices, thus contributing to the open debate around a suitable balance of stakeholder pressures. This research further contributes to the debate around the convergence and divergence perspectives by supporting the “universal” adoption of sustainability practices (convergence perspective) as no statistical differences are found in stakeholder pressures in different country development contexts.

Sustainability isomorphism in buyer–supplier relationships: The impact of supply chain leadership

“…The HPM is a large‐scale, multi‐country and multi‐industry project that was conducted to investigate the operation of manufacturing plants and their associated performance. This project was initially launched by Schroeder and Flynn in 1991 and regularly updated and developed through different rounds (Bello‐Pintado et al, 2023; Schroeder & Flynn, 2001).…”

“…In this context, companies face increasing pressure from various stakeholders to demonstrate greater environmental awareness and promote sustainability initiatives throughout their supply chains (Bello‐Pintado et al, 2023). According to institutional theory (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983), these pressures take the form of coercive, normative and mimetic pressures, which may drive companies to adopt best practices (Hoejmose, Grosvold, & Millington, 2014; Ketchen & Hult, 2007) and emulate supplier relationship management strategies used by their competitors (Dubey et al, 2019).…”

“…These two mechanisms are contradictory in nature and produce different outcomes and responses from suppliers (Klassen & Vachon, 2003). While the majority of sustainability practices in this study focus on environmental concerns, social practices are also included, and the general concept of sustainability practices is used (Ahmadi‐Gh & Bello‐Pintado, 2022; Bello‐Pintado et al, 2023; Danese et al, 2019). Sustainable supplier evaluation of performance refers to the buying firm's perception of the supplier's sustainability improvement through post‐selection evaluation of the major suppliers by means of certification, reputation and the application of sustainability initiatives.…”

Intellectual capital and sustainability practices of manufacturing firms in Uganda

“…2.2.5 Summary of literature review. The existing body of literature on sustainability encompasses various aspects, although the predominant focus has been on specific areas such as sustainability reporting practices (Van der Zahn, 2023; Bananuka et al, 2023), sustainability performance disclosures (Bananuka, Nkundabanyanga, Kaawaase, Mindra, & Kayongo, 2022), environmental practices in the wine industry (Bandinelli, Acuti, Fani, Bindi, & Aiello, 2020), environmental SP of multinational mining companies (Amoah & Eweje, 2022), sustainability implementation in the mining industry (Amoah & Eweje, 2023), business sustainability (Li, Bhutto, Waris, & Hu, 2023), stakeholder pressures and SP in manufacturing (Bello-Pintado et al, 2023), the impact of digital technologies and SP on circular supply chain management (Romagnoli, Tarabu, Maleki Vishkaei, & De Giovanni, 2023), the operationalization of sustainable business models (Bonfanti, Mion, Brunetti, & Vargas-S anchez, 2023), IC and sustainable development (Alvino, Di Vaio, Hassan, & Palladino, 2021), SP among manufacturing firms in Uganda (Alinda et al, 2022). However, it is noteworthy that studies specifically focusing on the IC and SP of manufacturing firms are relatively scarce in the literature.…”

Nexus Among Stakeholder Pressure, Access to Green Finance and Green Investments: A Mediation Moderation Model

“…The influence exerted by the stakeholders has been acknowledged as the prominent catalyst in promoting environmental consciousness within the organizations (Pintado et al, 2023). When various stakeholders, including customers, employees, investors, and civil society, express their concerns and expectations regarding the sustainable practices, organizations are motivated to enhance their awareness of their environmental impact & obligations (Benito & Benito, 2010).…”