IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jknowl/v15y2024i1d10.1007_s13132-023-01248-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effect of Ethical Strategy and Innovation on Economic Performance: a Study on Tunisian B2B Enterprises

Author

Listed:
  • Abdullah Abdulaziz-Alhumaidan

    (Saudi Electronic University)

  • Mohammad Jamal Khan

    (Saudi Electronic University)

Abstract

The integration of ethical strategy and innovation to achieve sustainable economic performance has been recommended by researchers for a long time. However, less attention is given to this area till now by the research. Therefore, literature is scarce in explaining the relationship between ethical strategy and innovation that leads to economic performance. Further, there is literature gap explaining the mediating role of innovation between ethical strategy and economic performance. The main objective of the study was to investigate the relationships between ethical strategy, innovation, and economic performance and investigate the mediating role of innovation. A quantitative study using cross-sectional survey method was performed, and data were collected from 66 business-to-business (B2B) firms in Tunisia by using purposive sampling method. The data analysis findings explain the positive relationship between ethical strategy, innovation, and economic performance of the firms. Further, it was also found that innovation has a mediating effect on the relationship between ethical strategy and economic performance. The study findings enrich the ethical and innovation domains of business research. Further, business leaders will get the insight on the variables that have effects on enterprise performance and lead them to translate their beliefs, views and culture into generating new ideas. The research ends by suggesting some directions for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdullah Abdulaziz-Alhumaidan & Mohammad Jamal Khan, 2024. "The Effect of Ethical Strategy and Innovation on Economic Performance: a Study on Tunisian B2B Enterprises," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 2589-2606, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s13132-023-01248-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-023-01248-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13132-023-01248-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13132-023-01248-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wided Mattoussi & Mohamed Ayadi, 2017. "The Dynamics of Exporting and Innovation: Evidence from the Tunisian Manufacturing Sector," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 26(1), pages 52-66.
    2. Larue Tone Hosmer, 1994. "Strategic planning as if ethics mattered," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S2), pages 17-34, June.
    3. Priyanka Jain & Vishal Vyas & Ankur Roy, 2017. "Exploring the mediating role of intellectual capital and competitive advantage on the relation between CSR and financial performance in SMEs," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(1), pages 1-23, March.
    4. Iftekhar Hasan & Nada Kobeissi & Liuling Liu & Haizhi Wang, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Productivity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 671-688, May.
    5. Anak Agung Dwi Widyani & Nengah Landra & Nengah Sudja & Mateus Ximenes & I Wayan Gde Sarmawa, 2020. "The role of ethical behavior and entrepreneurial leadership to improve organizational performance," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 1747827-174, January.
    6. Francis Asah & Olawale Olufunso Fatoki & Ellen Rungani, 2015. "The impact of motivations, personal values and management skills on the performance of SMEs in South Africa," African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(3), pages 308-322, September.
    7. Min-Seong Kim & Brijesh Thapa, 2018. "Relationship of Ethical Leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility and Organizational Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, February.
    8. Francis Asah & Olawale Olufunso Fatoki & Ellen Rungani, 2015. "The impact of motivations, personal values and management skills on the performance of SMEs in South Africa," African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(3), pages 308-322, September.
    9. Monte Wynder & Kirsty Dunbar, 2016. "Ethical values in the evaluation of corporate social performance," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(2), pages 180-196, February.
    10. E. Schumacher & David Wasieleski, 2013. "Erratum to: Institutionalizing Ethical Innovation in Organizations: An Integrated Causal Model of Moral Innovation Decision Processes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 181-182, March.
    11. Ho Chea Hooi & Noor Hazlina Ahmad & Azlan Amran & Syed Abidur Rahman, 2016. "The functional role of entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial bricolage in ensuring sustainable entrepreneurship," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 39(12), pages 1616-1638, December.
    12. Minna Halme & Maria Korpela, 2014. "Responsible Innovation Toward Sustainable Development in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: a Resource Perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(8), pages 547-566, December.
    13. Saeidi, Sayedeh Parastoo & Sofian, Saudah & Saeidi, Parvaneh & Saeidi, Sayyedeh Parisa & Saaeidi, Seyyed Alireza, 2015. "How does corporate social responsibility contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of competitive advantage, reputation, and customer satisfaction," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 341-350.
    14. Chi-Shiun Lai & Chih-Jen Chiu & Chin-Fang Yang & Da-Chang Pai, 2010. "The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Brand Performance: The Mediating Effect of Industrial Brand Equity and Corporate Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(3), pages 457-469, September.
    15. Joel Marcus & Heather MacDonald & Lorne Sulsky, 2015. "Do Personal Values Influence the Propensity for Sustainability Actions? A Policy-Capturing Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 459-478, March.
    16. Velasquez, Manuel, 1996. "Why Ethics Matters: A Defense of Ethics in Business Organizations," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(2), pages 201-222, April.
    17. Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru & Claudiu George Bocean & Michael Marian Nicolescu, 2021. "Rethinking Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability in Light of Economic Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-21, March.
    18. Van Ha Nguyen & Frank W. Agbola & Bobae Choi, 2022. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Enhance Financial Performance? Evidence from Australia," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 32(1), pages 5-18, March.
    19. Giulio Cainelli & Rinaldo Evangelista & Maria Savona, 2004. "The impact of innovation on economic performance in services," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 116-130, January.
    20. Noha Sami Omar, 2019. "Innovation and economic performance in MENA region," Review of Economics and Political Science, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 4(2), pages 158-175, June.
    21. Zhu, Qinghua & Sarkis, Joseph & Lai, Kee-hung, 2008. "Confirmation of a measurement model for green supply chain management practices implementation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(2), pages 261-273, February.
    22. Mehran Nejati & Ali Quazi & Azlan Amran & Noor Hazlina Ahmad, 2017. "Social Responsibility and Performance: Does Strategic Orientation Matter for Small Businesses?," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(S1), pages 43-59, December.
    23. Ilona Szőcs & Bodo B. Schlegelmilch & Thomas Rusch & Hamed M. Shamma, 2016. "Linking cause assessment, corporate philanthropy, and corporate reputation," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 376-396, May.
    24. Noor Hazlina Ahmad & Pi-Shen Seet, 2009. "Understanding business success through the lens of SME founder-owners in Australia and Malaysia," International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(1), pages 72-87.
    25. Giulio Cainelli & Rinaldo Evangelista & Maria Savona, 2006. "Innovation and economic performance in services: a firm-level analysis," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 30(3), pages 435-458, May.
    26. Mohammed Shahedul Quader & Md. Mostafa Kamal & A.B.M. Enamol Hassan, 2016. "Sustainability of positive relationship between environmental performance and profitability of SMEs," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 10(2), pages 138-163, May.
    27. Frank Wiengarten & Chris K. Y. Lo & Jessie Y. K. Lam, 2017. "“How does Sustainability Leadership Affect Firm Performance? The Choices Associated with Appointing a Chief Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility”," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 477-493, February.
    28. Ian Worthington & Monder Ram & Trevor Jones, 2006. "Exploring Corporate Social Responsibility in the U.K. Asian Small Business Community," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 67(2), pages 201-217, August.
    29. Long-Zeng Wu & Ho Kwan & Frederick Yim & Randy Chiu & Xiaogang He, 2015. "CEO Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Moderated Mediation Model," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(4), pages 819-831, September.
    30. E. Schumacher & David Wasieleski, 2013. "Institutionalizing Ethical Innovation in Organizations: An Integrated Causal Model of Moral Innovation Decision Processes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 15-37, March.
    31. Weber, Manuela, 2008. "The business case for corporate social responsibility: A company-level measurement approach for CSR," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 247-261, August.
    32. Abdul Waheed & Qingyu Zhang, 2022. "Effect of CSR and Ethical Practices on Sustainable Competitive Performance: A Case of Emerging Markets from Stakeholder Theory Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 175(4), pages 837-855, February.
    33. Singh, Sanjay Kumar & Chen, Jin & Del Giudice, Manlio & El-Kassar, Abdul-Nasser, 2019. "Environmental ethics, environmental performance, and competitive advantage: Role of environmental training," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 203-211.
    34. Ho Chea Hooi & Noor Hazlina Ahmad & Azlan Amran & Syed Abidur Rahman, 2016. "The functional role of entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial bricolage in ensuring sustainable entrepreneurship," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 39(12), pages 1616-1638, December.
    35. Muhammad Abdullah Khalid & Yousaf Ali, 2020. "Economic impact assessment of natural disaster with multi-criteria decision making for interdependent infrastructures," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 7287-7311, December.
    36. Raiswa Saha & Shashi & Roberto Cerchione & Rajwinder Singh & Richa Dahiya, 2020. "Effect of ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility on firm performance: A systematic review," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 409-429, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nikolina Markota Vukic & Mislav Ante Omazic & Ana Aleksic, 2019. "Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Reporting: Overview of Practice in Selected European Countries," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 17(2-B), pages 355-367.
    2. M. Isabel Sánchez-Hernández & Tomás M. Bañegil-Palacios & Ramón Sanguino-Galván, 2017. "Competitive Success in Responsible Regional Ecosystems: An Empirical Approach in Spain Focused on the Firms’ Relationship with Stakeholders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Raiswa Saha & Shashi & Roberto Cerchione & Rajwinder Singh & Richa Dahiya, 2020. "Effect of ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility on firm performance: A systematic review," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 409-429, March.
    4. Muel Kaptein, 2019. "The Moral Entrepreneur: A New Component of Ethical Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 1135-1150, June.
    5. Weiwei Wu & Jian Shi & Yexin Liu, 2024. "The impact of corporate social responsibility in technological innovation on sustainable competitive performance," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Pål Børing, 2019. "The relationship between firm productivity, firm size and CSR objectives for innovations," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(3), pages 269-297, September.
    7. Rizwan Raheem Ahmed & Munwar Hussain Pahi & Shahid Nadeem & Riaz Hussain Soomro & Vishnu Parmar & Fouzia Nasir & Faiz Ahmed, 2023. "How and When Ethics Lead to Organizational Performance: Evidence from South Asian Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-29, May.
    8. Muhammad Yusuf & Batara Surya & Firman Menne & Muhlis Ruslan & Seri Suriani & Iskandar Iskandar, 2022. "Business Agility and Competitive Advantage of SMEs in Makassar City, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-23, December.
    9. Stefan Schaltegger & Roger Burritt, 2018. "Business Cases and Corporate Engagement with Sustainability: Differentiating Ethical Motivations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 241-259, January.
    10. Hyun-ju Choi, 2021. "Effect of Chief Executive Officer’s Sustainable Leadership Styles on Organization Members’ Psychological Well-Being and Organizational Citizenship Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-29, December.
    11. Rob Lubberink & Vincent Blok & Johan Van Ophem & Onno Omta, 2017. "Lessons for Responsible Innovation in the Business Context: A Systematic Literature Review of Responsible, Social and Sustainable Innovation Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-31, May.
    12. Byung-Jik Kim & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Tae-Hyun Kim & Taejoong Kim, 2018. "Doing Good Is Not Enough, You Should Have Been Authentic: Organizational Identification, Authentic Leadership and CSR," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, June.
    13. Gerda Barauskaite & Dalia Streimikiene, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility and financial performance of companies: The puzzle of concepts, definitions and assessment methods," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 278-287, January.
    14. Slobodan Marić & Nemanja Berber & Agneš Slavić & Marko Aleksić, 2021. "The Mediating Role of Employee Commitment in the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance in Serbia," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    15. SangRyeong Lee & Jin-Woo Park & Sukhoon Chung, 2022. "The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Corporate Reputation: The Case of Incheon International Airport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-19, September.
    16. Presley K. Wesseh & Boqiang Lin & Yixuan Zhang & Preslyn Sharon Wesseh, 2024. "Sustainable entrepreneurship: When does environmental compliance improve corporate performance?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 3203-3221, May.
    17. David Bruce Audretsch & Maksim Belitski & Georg Maximilian Eichler & Erich Schwarz, 2024. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems, institutional quality, and the unexpected role of the sustainability orientation of entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 503-522, February.
    18. Jose Benitez & Laura Ruiz & Ana Castillo & Javier Llorens, 2020. "How corporate social responsibility activities influence employer reputation: The role of social media capability," Post-Print hal-02462583, HAL.
    19. Jiaqi Luo & Mingxiao Bi & Haibo Kuang, 2021. "Design of Evaluation Scheme for Social Responsibility of China’s Transportation Enterprises from the Perspective of Green Supply Chain Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-23, March.
    20. Zaheer Alam & Yasir Bin Tariq, 2023. "Corporate Sustainability Performance Evaluation and Firm Financial Performance: Evidence from Pakistan," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s13132-023-01248-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.