Linking stakeholder and competitive pressure to Industry 4.0 and performance: Mediating effect of environmental commitment and green process innovation

Abstract

In the recent few years, with an increase in focus on sustainability, firms have been actively pursuing different strategies to contribute towards sustainability. Industry 4.0 (I4) technologies can help organizations to achieve superior environmental as well as economic performance. Through the lens of stakeholder theory (ST) and Schumpeterian view of competition (SCV), this paper examines whether stakeholder and competitive pressures towards sustainability stimulate organizations to implement I4 technologies and commensurate performance outcomes. The study further tests the mediating role of environmental commitment and green process innovation (GPI) on these relationships. The proposed hypotheses are examined using the survey data from 173 manufacturing firms in India by partial least squares (PLS) approach. Findings show that environmental commitment mediates the effect of stakeholder and competitive pressures on I4 technologies. Further, results also show that GPI mediates between I4 technologies and performance. The findings provide insights for managers on how they can best respond to stakeholder and competitive pressures on sustainability and contribute towards sustainable development.