Yes / Despite the growing research on the influence of stakeholder integration on organizational outcomes, our understanding of the specific firm-level conditions that may mediate the relationship between stakeholder integration and financial performance is lacking. Using primary data gathered from 233 small and medium-sized enterprises in Ghana, we found empirical support for our contention that the link between stakeholder integration and financial performance is mediated by a firm’s environmental sustainability orientation. In addition, our study demonstrated that competitive intensity moderates the indirect relationship between stakeholder integration and financial performance in such a way that the indirect effect through environmental sustainability orientation is stronger for higher levels of industry competition. We discuss theoretical and managerial implications of these findings.

This study investigates the influence of investors on the sustainability orientation of startups and the use of causation and effectuation approaches. The aim of the study is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how and why investors influence startups in their sustainability orientation, and what impact this has on the use of causation and effectuation decision-making logics. While there are several studies on how sustainability orientation affects the funding success of, for example, venture capitalists or crowdfunding campaigns, little is known about how startups deal with their sustainability orientation to attract new investors, or after they have found and collaborated with an investor. The question here is to what extent startups allow themselves to be influenced by investors in their sustainability orientation, i.e. whether they increase, maintain or decrease it. In order to explore this context, the following research question was formed:  How does investor funding affect the sustainability orientation of startups, and how does this change the ongoing decision-making approach of startups?  We chose to use a qualitative research method in which interviews were conducted with Swedish startups. The interviews included questions about participants' experiences, feelings, and perceptions of investor influence on their sustainability goals, as well as approaches to causation and effectuation based on the characteristics of the theory established in the theoretical framework. During the interviews with the startups, we looked at different funding sources such as venture capitalists, business angels and local investment companies, and also considered different rounds of funding such as seed and startup funding.  The results of the study show that investors have an impact on the sustainability orientation of startups when there is a trade-off between the sustainability goals of the startups and the economic goals of the investors. In such cases, startups tend to neglect the environmental or social goals in order to enable the achievement of the investors' economic goals. This leads to a lower sustainability orientation and a stronger focus on economic objectives. With regard to the use of causation and effectuation logics, it can be seen that the startups influenced in their sustainability orientation switch from a causation logic before investor financing to an effectuation logic after investor financing in relation to the company's goals. All other examined characteristics of causation and effectuation, such as vision, strategies, conception of the product or service and the handling of uncertainty, do not indicate any changes.  Finally, this study adds insights to the existing theory of causation and effectuation on how a change in sustainability orientation affects the use of causation and effectuation logic. However, the study also has limitations, which is why we suggest that future studies conduct the study again in a new setting, e.g. in a different country and with different startups, in order to validate the results against the limitations.

Yes / Extant research has established that environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) has a positive influence on performance outcomes. Nevertheless, several contingencies tend to affect the strength of this relationship. In this study, we draw on natural resource-based theory to introduce competitive strategies as moderators in the ESO-performance nexus. Using time-lagged data obtained from 269 firms in Ghana, this study finds that firms pursuing the differentiation strategy can positively boost performance outcomes with ESO than without differentiation strategy. We also find that firms can use the low-cost or the integrated strategy to get higher impact on performance with ESO respectively. Based on the results, firms in Ghana do not need differentiation strategy in order to boost the effect of ESO on financial performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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This paper explores a small business’s sustainability orientation through a case study, by identifying leadership and organization characteristics of the business that contribute to the sustainability orientation. The studied case is a small hardware store. The case is explored primarily through interviews and supported by in-store observations. It looks into four service areas of the business, and captures the perspective of owner, staff, customers, neighboring businesses as well as a licensee. Led by a notion developed early on in the research and reinforced by case data, business characteristics related to social interactions between the business and its customers are found to be a third dimension in the business’s sustainability orientation in combination with leadership and organization. This study puts forward the importance for small, sustainability-oriented businesses to engage in social interactions, as this is found to have the potential to strengthen the triple bottom line of the business along with leadership and organization.In order to create a deeper understanding of the case we characterize leadership, organization and social interaction impacts on the sustainability orientation of a small business. This contributes to broaden CSR theory in very small businesses and serve as a basis for practitioners. This study aims at particularizing aspects of a small business’s sustainability orientation. While it is not claimed that the results of this case study are broadly generalizable, learnings are transferrable to other like contexts.

Yes / Previous research has theorised that the link between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and performance is mediated by environmental sustainability orientation (ESO). However, firm- level factors that may moderate this relationship are lacking. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining how and when EO enhances new venture performance by considering ESO as mediator and stakeholder integration as an important contingent factor. Using primary data obtained from 242 chief executive officers (CEOs)/entrepreneurs, we found that the indirect relationship between EO and new venture performance is strengthened at high levels of stakeholder integration. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed