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Antecedents of Corporate Environmental Commitments: The Role of Customers

Author

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  • Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi

    (CENTRUM Católica Graduate Business School, Lima 15023, Peru
    Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima 15023, Peru)

  • Alexander Brem

    (School of Business and Economics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 90429 Nuremberg, Germany
    Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation (TEI), University of Southern Denmark, 6400 Sønderborg, Denmark)

Abstract

The management of natural environments has become a fundamental issue for companies in recent years. A firm’s environmental commitment affects all levels of its operation. In this study, we investigated whether having an effective and constant relationship with customers over time (customer capital) makes a difference to firms with a high environmental commitment compared with less environmentally committed firms. We found support for our idea by using original survey data from 149 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Iran (2016–2017). Furthermore, we found that customer capital enhances environmental collaboration with customers which, in turn, has a positive impact on the firm’s environmental commitments. These findings provide empirical evidence for the important role of “getting closer to customers” as a way of enhancing corporate environmental responsibility in developing countries with weak institutional environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi & Alexander Brem, 2018. "Antecedents of Corporate Environmental Commitments: The Role of Customers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-10, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:6:p:1191-:d:151066
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    2. Colin B. Gabler & Omar S. Itani & Raj Agnihotri, 2023. "Activating Corporate Environmental Ethics on the Frontline: A Natural Resource-Based View," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 186(1), pages 63-86, August.
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    4. Yuan Ma & Qiang Zhang & Qiyue Yin & Bingcheng Wang, 2019. "The Influence of Top Managers on Environmental Information Disclosure: The Moderating Effect of Company’s Environmental Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-15, April.

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