Differentiation of Companies’ Environmental Initiatives in the Light of the Research Results

Barbara Fura, Flavia Alex Bonga

Abstract


Theoretical background: The deteriorating condition of the natural environment, as a result of human activity, is one of the global problems that contemporary business entities must face. Companies in their attempts to comply with principles of environmental protection undertake activities aimed at better utilization of resources, production materials or improved efficiency. Such endeavours include the elimination of pollution, recycling of materials, reduction of waste generated, reduction of fuels and energy consumption, and limiting water usage. This contributes to improving corporate economic performance, thus, making production more efficient, more economical and safer.

Purpose of the article: The purpose of this article is to identify the company’s behavior with regard to environmental protection issues. The study tests the research hypothesis that the companies’ characteristics (i.e. company size, type of activity – production/non production, the scale of activity – local and regional, national, international) are factors that significantly differentiate the involvement of companies in activities for the environmental protection.

Research methods: The empirical analysis is based on primary data from 68 companies. It was carried out using the Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square independence test, and the correspondence analysis. The strength of the examined relationships was expressed by the V-Cramer coefficient.

Main findings: The research showed that the level of implementation of environmental initiatives depended on both the type of business activity and the size of the company. In the opinion of the surveyed entities, the implementation of pro-environmental activities aims at improving the company’s image and, to a lesser extent, at obtaining specific economic benefits. Large companies were often involved in the implementation of pro-environmental activities more than small and medium-sized entities. Production entities were more involved in it, compared to non-production companies.


Keywords


environmental initiatives; company; environmental protection; competitiveness

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adamczyk, J. (2014). Obszary i kryteria oceny społecznej odpowiedzialności przedsiębiorstw. Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu. Społeczna odpowiedzialność organizacji – diagnoza i doskonalenie, 338.

Bugdol, M., Puciato, D., & Borys, T. (2019). Development of tourism – barriers to shaping and recommendations for further research. Problems of Sustainable Development, 14(2).

Eryigit, N., & Özcüre, G. (2015). Eco-innovation as modern era strategy of companies in developing countries: Comparison between Turkey and the European Union. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Science, 195. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.06.246

Hadryjańska, B. (2015). Ekologizacja procesu produkcji a kształtowanie konkurencyjności w przedsiębiorstwach przetwórstwa mleczarskiego. Poznań: Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne.

Jacobs, B.W., Singhal, V.R., & Subramanian, R. (2010). An empirical investigation of environmental performance and the market value of the fim. Journal of Operation Management, 28(5). doi:10.1016/j.jom.2010.01.001

Koszarek-Cyra, A. (2016). Inicjatywy ekologiczne sektora MSP w państwach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Śląskiej. Organizacja i Zarządzanie, 93.

Kożuch, M. (2012). Inwestycje ekologiczne a konkurencyjność przedsiębiorstw. Studia i Prace Wydziału Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania, 25.

Liao, Z. (2018). Environmental policy instruments, environmental innovation and the reputation of enterprises. Journal of Cleaner Production, 171. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.126

Li, G., Wang, X., Su, S., & Su, Y. (2019). How green technological innovation ability inflences enterprise. Technology in Society, 59. doi:10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.04.012

O’Connor, J., & Keil, M. (2017). The effects of construal level and small wins framing on an individual’s commitment to an environmental initiative. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 52. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.04.010

Olejniczak, K. (2014). Reguła 3E jako podstawa zarządzania współczesnym przedsiębiorstwem. Studia Ekonomiczne, 180(2).

Paton, R.B. (2000). Voluntary environmental initiatives and sustainable industry. Business Strategy and the Environment, 9.

Sen, P., Roy, M., & Pal, P. (2015). Exploring role of environmental proactivity in financial performance of manufacturing enterprises: A structural modelling approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 108. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.076

Seroka-Stolka, O. (2017). Green initiatives in environmental management of logistics companies. Transportation Research Procedia, 16. doi:0.1016/j.trpro.2016.11.045

Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Śląskiego (UMWŚ). (2009). Analiza skali zastosowania w MSP produktów i procesów przyjaznych dla środowiska oraz ich wpływ na środowisko naturalne województwa śląskiego. Raport końcowy. Katowice. Retrieved from https://efs.slaskie.pl/zalaczniki/2009/12/08/1260275397.pdf.

Wassmer, U., Cueto, D.C., & Switzer, N. (2014). The effect of corporate environmental initiatives on firm value: evidence from Fortune 500 fims. M@n@gement, 14(1). doi:10.3917/mana.171.0001

Zutshi, A., & Creed, A. (2015). An international review of environmental initiatives in the construction sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 98. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.06.077




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/h.2020.54.3.7-17
Date of publication: 2020-12-01 08:37:38
Date of submission: 2020-03-28 14:13:05


Statistics


Total abstract view - 1173
Downloads (from 2020-06-17) - PDF - 0

Indicators



Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2020 Barbara Fura, Flavia Alex Bonga

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.