Green intellectual capital and ambidextrous green innovation: The impact on environmental performance

This study relies on a unique synthesis of ambidexterity theory and the natural resource orchestration approach to investigate how green intellectual capital elements, namely green human, structural, and relational capital, along with ambidextrous green innovation, trigger a synergy in favor of environmental performance. In particular, this paper primarily aims to test the mediating role of ambidextrous green innovation in the relationship between green intellectual capital and environmental performance. Based on a survey of 105 Iranian public listed companies, the results indicate that green intellectual capital elements are not directly associated with environmental performance. Instead, they influence environmental performance only through the channel of ambidextrous green innovation as a mediating variable. This is the first study to simultaneously embed the resource orchestration theory in the green intellectual capital and ambidexterity literature. The findings of the current study offer new insights into the issue of how organizations gain maximum benefit from the orchestration of their various green assets and capabilities, including green intellectual capital and ambidextrous green innovation.     

智力资本与企业绩效关系研究:浙江的实证

研究表明,智力资本对企业绩效的提升具有积极的影响作用,智力资本的构成要素即人力资本、结构资本及关系资本三者之间也存在相互影响关系。本文通过对浙江263家中小制造企业的问卷调查与SPSS软件数据分析,得出结论:①智力资本与企业绩效间存在着显著的正相关关系,其中结构资本对于企业绩效的影响最为明显,其次是关系资本;②智力资本的构成层面即人力资本、结构资本和关系资本之间相互影响,相互依赖,共同作用。     

Uniting partners to cope with environmental uncertainty: Disentangling the role of social capital in developing supply chain agility

Based on social capital theory, in this study, we investigate how a firm utilized social capital to coordinate partners in the achievement of supply chain agility under different levels of environmental uncertainty. We test the proposed hypotheses via a hierarchical regression analysis using questionnaire survey data collected from 190 firms in China. The empirical results show that cognitive, relational, and structural capital positively influence supply chain agility. Furthermore, environmental uncertainty positively moderates the positive relationship between relational capital and supply chain agility, whereas environmental uncertainty negatively moderates the positive roles of cognitive and structural capital. The findings suggest managers should adopt different strategies when leveraging social capital according to the business environment. In unpredictable and volatile business environments, managers should motivate their firms to embrace relational capital to obtain sufficient resources for achieving supply chain agility.     

Relational capital,environmental knowledge integration,and environmental performance of small and medium enterprises in emerging markets

Although several prior studies have examined associations between firm social capital and environmental sustainability, the links between relational resources (i.e., relational capital and ties strength), environmental knowledge integration, and environmental performance have yet to be well established at the micro-level. This study, therefore, aims to determine (1) how environmental knowledge integration serves as a mediating mechanism for the relationship between relational capital and environmental performance and (2) how this impact differs at different levels of ties strength. A quantitative approach has been adopted to examine the main hypotheses using a structural equation model (SEM) technique. Two groups of actors were surveyed, including chief executive officers (CEOs) and financial officers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In total, 216 survey responses were gathered, suggesting a response rate of 73.22%. Our findings suggest that environmental knowledge integration is a vital mediating mechanism for the relationship between relational capital and SMEs' environmental performance. Also, we find that ties strength moderates the indirect effect of relational capital on SMEs' environmental performance via environmental knowledge integration. Our empirical evidence provides recommendations for SMEs' managers and policymakers to promote environmental sustainability in the emerging market context.     

Linking sustainable business models and supply chains — Toward an integrated value creation framework

Extant literature on sustainable business models highlights that value creation stems from resources exchanged in relationships between a focal firm and its stakeholders. In this context, the literature has, so far, focused on direct relationships. However, despite the acknowledged relevance of sustainability issues in supply chains, this relational view of the focal company and its direct stakeholders has not been extended toward value creation for and with indirect stakeholders, such as stakeholders of suppliers. Addressing this gap, this conceptual article integrates a relational view of sustainable supply chain management into the management of sustainable business models. It extends the scope of sustainable business models from relationships between the focal firm and its direct stakeholders to indirect relationships with stakeholders of suppliers. A framework is developed that supports analysis and management of value-creating relationships between the focal firm, suppliers, and stakeholders of suppliers. By extending the conceptualization of sustainable business models to consider relationship chains beyond direct relationships, this article proposes that a focal firm has to actively manage interactions both with suppliers and with suppliers' stakeholders.     

Measuring Audit Firms＇ Intellectual Capital as a Determinant of Audit Quality： A Suggested Model

The intellectual capital is a main source of competing advantage. Many studies developed measure（s） of intellectual capital of industrial and service firms. Few studies have tried to develop a reliable measure of intellectual capital in audit firms. This study extends the current models to provide more insight into the role of intellectual capital in audit firms. The aim of this study is to develop a quantitative model to measure audit firms＇ intellectual capital. The suggested model can be used to explore the relationship between the intellectual capital in audit firms and audit quality. The model combines the main components of intellectual capital （human capital, structural capital, and relational capital）. The suggested model provides a tool that may help to better manage the intellectual capital in audit firms. As this is a theoretical study, a number of hypotheses are presented for testing in the future.     

Firm resources and the development of environmental sustainability among small and medium‐sized enterprises: Evidence from the Australian wine industry

Scholars and industry professionals want clarification of the specific firm resources that influence the adoption and development of environmentally sustainable strategies. This paper, set in the context of the Australian wine industry, explores different firm resources that are beneficial for environmentally sustainable development and examines the role of management attitudes and norms in moderating this relationship. It establishes which resources small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) should invest in to be more successful in following environmental principles. The findings of a survey of the owner‐managers of Australian wine‐producing SMEs are reported, and partial least squares structural equation modelling is utilized to analyze the data. Results clearly indicate that successful firms that manage their resources more effectively influence the application of environmental behaviour, with one distinct resource significantly influencing the disclosure of such behaviour. A moderating effect is established which supports the notion that pro‐environmental decision‐making in SMEs is heavily influenced by the attitudes and norms held by management.     

The impact of green supplier integration on firm performance: The mediating role of social capital accumulation

Although green supplier integration has received widespread attention, how it impacts various types of firm performance remains unclear. Based on social capital theory, this study explores the influence of green supplier integration on three dimensions of social capital accumulation, which further affect economic and environmental performances. To verify the hypotheses, we collect two-wave survey data from 206 Chinese manufacturers. Results show that green supplier integration significantly affects social capital accumulation. Relational and structural capital accumulations have positive effects on both economic and environmental performances, while cognitive capital accumulation only has a positive impact on environmental performance. Additionally, relational and structural capital accumulations partially mediate the effects of green supplier integration on economic and environmental performances, whereas cognitive capital accumulation only partially mediates the impact of green supplier integration on environmental performance. This research deepens the understanding of how green supplier integration influences firm performance via social capital accumulation, and provides a theoretical basis for firms attempting to enhance their performance.     

Does intellectual capital mediate the relationship between HRM and organizational performance? Perspective of a healthcare industry in Taiwan

Previous studies indicate that the linkage between human resource management (HRM) practices and organizational performance is tenuous. Some key intermediate elements evidently have not been accounted for. In an era where intangibles have become the source of wealth and progress, intellectual capital could be one of the missing links. Therefore, this study predicts that the three components of intellectual capital, namely, human capital, relational capital, and organizational capital, mediate the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance. Data from 277 hospitals, with a response rate of 56%, confirm the mediation role of intellectual capital in explaining the effect of HRM practices on organizational performance.     

HRM practices for human and social capital development: effects on innovation capabilities

This paper analyzes the effect of systems of human resource management (HRM) practices on a company's innovation capabilities. To date, few studies have analyzed the way a firm may be more innovative by using specific sets of high-performance HRM practices from an intellectual capital-based view of the firm. From an extensive literature review, a model was established and tested through structural equation modelling, using the statistical technique of partial least squares. The study was applied to a sample of technological firms in Spain and the results show that high-profile personal HRM practices positively influence human capital while collaborative HRM practices influence social capital, which, in turn, affect innovation capabilities by means of, respectively, total and partial mediating effects. Managerial and HRM implications of these results are drawn by the authors, highlighting the idea of paying increased attention to managing firms with a focus on strategic intangible assets in order to gain competitive advantages based on innovation.     

Value relevance on intellectual capital valuation methods: the role of corporate governance

Development of a knowledge economy has changed the main value of a firm from traditional physical assets to intellectual capital or intangible assets. Therefore, the accumulation and management of intellectual capital is the competitive advantage of knowledge-based industries. Intellectual capital valuation is the essential factor in firm valuation. Scholars have presented valuation methods of intellectual capital, such as Tobin’s Q, Knowledge Capital Earnings (KCE), and Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC). Management power of modern firms is separate from ownership, and easily occurs in the agency problem; therefore, firms must implement corporate governance to solve this problem. Researchers have presented that a complete appraisal of the firm value includes the effect of corporate governance. This study is the first to apply multi-regression models to examine value relevance on valuation methods of intellectual capital, and to further analyze the role of corporate governance for the information and electronic industry in Taiwan. The results show that Tobin’s Q, KCE, and VAIC have a positive relationship to firm value. The characteristic of director board, including board size, the ratio of outside directors, employed independent directors, and the manager concurrently the director, are correlated with the valuation of intellectual capital.     

Does adoption of ISO 56002-2019 and green innovation reporting enhance the firm sustainable development goal performance? An emerging paradigm

Reporting is a means of communication for companies to their respective stakeholders. The literature on non-financial reporting has mostly focused on operational, Carbon Discloser Project (CDP), and environmental disclosure to firm performance. This reporting and disclosure approach adopted by companies in their sustainability practices appears to be a normative approach. However, there has been a growing demand by stakeholders to incorporate proactive approach in business activities. To meet that, green innovation practices (GIPs) has been integrated as a new element in environmental reporting, thereby reflecting the proactiveness of companies in their adoption of green innovation reporting (GIR). The objective of this study is to advocate for greater disclosure on sustainability reporting by incorporating the GIPs of companies and substantial, sustainable development goal contribution, along with the moderation of the newly upgraded ISO 56002-2019 innovation management system. Adoption of green innovation reporting and ISO 56002-2019 will enhance the level of transparency of business activities and create greater stakeholder confidence along with enhancing the firm's sustainable development of goal performance. Furthermore, an extensive literature review was undertaken to create a GIR framework (i.e., product, process, service and technology) for firms to integrate GIPs into sustainability reporting. The conceptual model proposed the adoption of green innovation reporting and ISO 56002-2019 innovation management system to firm sustainable development goal. This needs to be injected into the sustainable reporting of companies to reflect their innovativeness, actual sustainable business practices and sustainable development goal performance for the firm.     

Strategic human resource management,human capital and competitive advantage: is the field going in circles?

The resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm has been consistently used as a backdrop in strategic human resource management (SHRM) research and has the potential to bridge the ‘micro–macro’ divide. The tension between the SHRM and the strategic human capital literature, however, signifies that RBV has not reached its potential. In this paper, we begin with a brief review of the conceptual logic linking human resource management (HRM) practices and firm outcomes that aim at highlighting the different treatment of RBV in the SHRM and strategic human capital literatures. We then propose a conceptual model that suggests that HRM practices are not simple levers that enable firms to create sustainable competitive advantage, as most of the strategic human capital research postulates. On the contrary, we argue that HRM practices can contribute to a firm's sustainable competitive advantage not only by enhancing employees' ability, and offering motivation and opportunities, but also by shaping supply‐side and demand‐side mobility constraints.     

Clarifying the effect of organization learning on service innovation: the mediating role of intellectual capital

Abstract

The study of intellectual capital has gained interest in today’s highly competitive landscape. Using intellectual capital as a mediator, this paper developed an integrated model to examine whether organization learning affects and increases the capacity for new service development (NSD). The results from the study of 598 hotel managers support this model across multi-dimensions of intellectual capital and show that intellectual capital plays a mediating role between organizational learning and NSD. This paper also finds exploitative organization learning enhances the positive effect of organization capital because it fosters a positive link between relational capital and human capital. The study also discusses how this intriguing pattern of mediation could be explained by using theory and research with a regulatory focus.     

Firms' human resource in information system and sustainable performance: does their organizational identity matter?

Research suggests that firms' human resource management (HRM) in information technology (IT) may have a positive effective effect on their strategies of sustainable development. Based on the perspective of organizational identity orientation, we argue that firms' collectivistic orientation may moderate the relationship between the HRM and the implementation of the strategy. Focusing on firm performance in environmental protection, we test our predictions with empirical data from China's manufacturing industry. The results show a significant direct effect of the HRM and a significant moderating effect of identity orientation on the dependent variable, i.e. performance in sustainable development.     

智力资本对中国高新技术企业的绩效影响研究

知识经济时代,知识的创造、积累、共享和整合是高新技术企业创造价值的主要动力。利用回归分析对2008─2010年间沪深两市高新技术企业的智力资本与企业绩效的相关性进行实证分析。研究发现:客户资本和结构资本与企业绩效显著相关,而人力资本并未充分发挥自身优势,与企业绩效的相关度较弱,故高新技术企业在发展的过程中应特别关注与企业绩效显著相关的智力资本,如人力资本,从而提升企业绩效。     

Whose Human Capital? The Challenge of Value Capture When Capital is Embedded

abstract    Current approaches that position human capital as central to value generation in knowledge-based industries obscure the importance of the relational nature of knowledge production. That is, separable and embodied forms of capital are interdependent in value creation and capture processes. We identify a relational form of capital, embedded capital, which we argue is the critical resource in knowledge-based industries such as professional services firms, because it allows us to include agency and interdependency in the value capture process. These dimensions have previously been overlooked by the resource-based view of the firm. Examples of embedded capital include brand value, processes and procedures. The deployment of embedded capital is also not clearly controlled by either the firm or individual employees. A model is developed to illustrate the links between each form of capital, and the processes of value capture. This conceptual identification of the embedded form of capital is therefore of importance to future value creation and capture debates.     

Social capital configuration, legal bonds and performance in buyer-supplier relationships

Academics have increasingly recognized the benefits derived from social networks embedded within companies’ buyer-supplier relationships. However, prior research has only examined the influence of social capital elements on performance, either individually or in part. We propose an integrative model examining the relationships among relational, structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital, and between these dimensions and the cost and innovation performance of the firm. A sample of 163 buyer-supplier relationships is used to test the model. Regression results indicate that the relational dimension of social capital fully or partially mediates the effect of the cognitive dimension on performance, and partially mediates the link between the structural dimension, operationalized as social interaction ties, and innovation performance. Further, high levels of legal bonds were found to moderate the relationship between the relational dimension of social capital and performance outcomes. Implications for theory and managers are discussed.     

The influence of international human capital on global initiatives and financial performance

The major aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among international human capital (input-based international human capital, transformational, output-based, and competency of top management team), global initiatives (global learning and global marketing) and financial performance. The open systems view is introduced to develop a comprehensive measurement of international human capital, the human capital that enables a firm to compete globally. The structural equation modelling technique is then employed to investigate the proposed relationships. The results support our expectation that international human capital is positively associated with a firm's global initiatives and financial performance. The importance of the role of top management team competency is identified because it is positively associated with the other three international human capital components. It also indirectly fosters a firm's financial performance and global initiatives through its positive association with input-based, transformational, and output-based international human capital.