Environmental Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance: The Role of Environmental Innovation and Stakeholder Pressure

Abstract

In response to the deterioration of the global environment, more and more firms are adopting eco-friendly strategies such as an environmental entrepreneurial orientation. We use the resource-based view of the firm and stakeholder theory to examine how environmental entrepreneurial orientation improves firm performance. We construct and test a moderated mediation model using survey data from 416 Chinese firms and find that environmental innovation mediates the positive effect of environmental entrepreneurial orientation on firm performance, stakeholder pressure positively moderates the influence of environmental entrepreneurial orientation on environmental innovation, and environmental entrepreneurial orientation influences firm performance through environmental innovation. This study makes theoretical contributions to the literature and provides management insights.