Programa del congreso

Objetivo: analizar si la expansión del movimiento B Corp está influenciada por el entorno y, más concretamente, por el isomorfismo institucional mimético.

Marco teórico: este trabajo se enmarca en la teoría institucional y, de forma más concreta, en el concepto de isomorfismo institucional, entendido como el proceso por el cual las empresas tienden a parecerse entre sí debido a presiones coercitivas (leyes y regulaciones), miméticas (imitación de empresas exitosas) o normativas (expectativas sociales).

Metodología: se aplican métodos de análisis espacial que, haciendo uso de la posición geo-referenciada de las empresas, identifican patrones y tendencias espaciotemporales estadísticamente significativas en la distribución de las empresas certificadas.

Resultados: el crecimiento del movimiento B sigue un patrón no aleatorio de tipo concentrado, en línea con la teoría institucional y, más concretamente, con el isomorfismo institucional. En otras palabras, los resultados apuntan que la existencia de otras empresas certificadas es un factor que influye positivamente en la certificación de nuevas empresas. Adicionalmente, los análisis realizados han reforzado la idea de que, tal y como señala la teoría institucional, las condiciones del entorno afectan a las empresas a la hora de adoptar modelos de gestión más sostenibles y, en concreto, la certificación B Corp.

The rapid adoption of advanced digital technologies, along with the pressing need for the transition to a greener economy, are disrupting most industries and posing significant challenges to SMEs. In this study, we analyze how disruptive digital technologies and innovation may contribute to developing sustainable business practices in SMEs in two ways. First, the utilization of these technologies may directly reduce negative environmental impacts, enabling greater resource efficiency, waste reduction, and optimization of processes and operations. Second, as an indirect effect, these technologies may facilitate innovations that in turn may result in more sustainable business practices. Additionally, we introduce the concept of business model compatibility and analyze its role in moderating both relationships. The arguments above are captured in a moderated mediation model tested on a sample of 11,309 European Firms. The results provide empirical support for direct and indirect hypothesized relationships. Our findings also show that business model compatibility strengthens the direct relationships between disruptive technologies and sustainability. We conclude that digitalization brings significant opportunities for more environmentally-friendly businesses; the ability of SMEs to seize such opportunities and contribute to the transition to a greener economy partially depends on their innovation activities and the design of their business models.

In recent years, companies have been subjected to great pressures from different stakeholders, including the integration of environmental requirements and the need to disclose information related to these environmental changes. In addition, the conflict of interests existing in large companies has led some companies to integrate the interests of certain stakeholders in a superficial or symbolic way, without carrying out the required integration process within the strategic decisions. From the theoretical approaches of agency and stakeholders, this paper delves into the phenomenon known as stakeholders’ engagement and the company's response to this integration, in a superficial or deep way, through the disclosure of environmental information. The results of the analysis of a sample of 540 US large companies over a period of 13 years reveal that the superficial integration of environmental requirements through the presence of independent board members increases the disclosure of environmental information. However, if this integration is done in a deep or substantive way, with a modification of processes and concrete objectives and measures in the company, the disclosure of environmental information is higher, and there is a creation of financial value.

Environmental preservation has emerged as a critical focal point on the future global agenda. Corporations now recognize the imperative of integrating a dedicated commitment to the natural environment as a strategic necessity in their competitive endeavours. While stakeholders and sustainable development are acknowledged as pivotal drivers of corporate performance, an unexplored dimension exists regarding the interplay between stakeholders, commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the promotion of environmental performance (EP). In addressing this knowledge gap, our study contributes to stakeholder theory through a compressive analysis of the influence of stakeholder engagement and SDGs on EP. The empirical analysis relies on a cross-country sample of 1,460 public companies from 2017 to 2021 released by Eikon Thomson Reuters. Our findings reveal that both stakeholder engagement and commitment to SDGs 7 and 12 play decisive roles in enhancing the EP of European public companies. This study thus deepens the understanding of the intricate dynamics between stakeholders, SDG commitments and EP within the ever-evolving landscape of environmental strategy.

Environmental innovation is a critical strategy for firms seeking to mitigate their environmental impact. Given that various corporate governance actors share environmental responsibilities, it is essential to consider them collectively when analyzing this issue. Boards leverage social capital as a mechanism to fulfill their service role in corporate decisions related to environmental innovation. This study examines how both external and internal board social capital may contribute to fostering environmental innovation, in conjunction with other governance mechanisms such as CEO entrenchment, institutional ownership, and ownership concentration. Employing a configurational approach and applying the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to a sample of 67 listed firms, our findings identify three distinct configurations that consistently lead to high levels of environmental innovation. These configurations represent three governance archetypes—ambidextrous, bridging, and bonding boards—that emerge from complementarities enabling boards to enact their service role regarding other powerful actors (CEOs and owners) in ways that drive high environmental innovation