Eco-Efficiency and Private Firms’ Relationships with Heterogeneous Public Stakeholders in China

Jiawen Chen; Linlin Liu

doi:10.3390/ijerph17196983

Author(s)

Jiawen Chen
Linlin Liu

Detail(s)

Original language	English
Article number	6983
Number of pages	18
Journal / Publication	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume	17
Issue number	19
Online published	24 Sept 2020
Publication status	Published - Oct 2020
Externally published	Yes

Link(s)

DOI	DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17196983 Final Published version
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Attachment(s)	Documents 123581430.pdf Final Published version, 315 KB, PDF Publisher's Copyright Statement This full text is made available under CC-BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Link to Scopus	https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85091723944&origin=recordpage
Permanent Link	https://scholars.cityu.edu.hk/en/publications/publication(9317963f-794c-43fe-99bb-68df27a0d91a).html

Abstract

Private firms have been struggling to simultaneously achieve both environmental and economic goals. The concept of eco-efficiency captures the extent to which firms gain competitiveness through environmental management. Based on stakeholder salience theory and organizational learning theory, this study proposes that relationship with public stakeholders can hinder or promote private firms’ eco-efficiency. Our findings showed that firm eco-efficiency is reduced by a relationship with the government but is enhanced by relationships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This study also found that the effects on eco-efficiency of a firm’s relationship with public stakeholders are contingent on firm size. The findings of this study shed light on the organizational learning perspective of eco-efficiency and multi-stakeholder management by theoretically and empirically differentiating the effects on firm eco-efficiency of relationships with the government and NGOs.