How do firms promote green innovation through international mergers and acquisitions: The moderating role of green image and green subsidy

Abstract

Carrying out green innovation is beneficial for firms to cope with environmental protec-tion pressure and achieve sustainable development. Existing research has paid enough attention to the driver of green innovation, but still does not reveal how green innovation can be conceived and realized. This paper answers the above question from the perspective of international M&As, exam-ines the relationship between exploratory international M&As, exploitative international M&As and green innovation performance, and further probes into how strategic and environmental factors moderate the green innovation effectiveness of exploratory and exploitative M&As. Results indicate that exploratory and exploitative international M&As both are beneficial for green innovation per-formance, and to maximize green innovation performance, implementing exploratory M&As is more beneficial for firms pursuing high green image and operating in a high green subsidy envi-ronment. By contrast, carrying out exploitative M&As is more effective for firms pursuing low green image and operating in a low green subsidy environment. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.