Title: Does going green really pay off? A sustainability performance view

Authors: Husna Ara; Jasmine Ai Leen Yeap; Siti Hasnah Hassan

Addresses: School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jalan Sasaran, Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia ' School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jalan Sasaran, Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia ' School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jalan Sasaran, Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Abstract: The increasing environmental qualms have amplified the influences of stakeholders and in turn, changed today's competitive landscape. Consequently, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) around the world are required to embrace green-related approaches as a strategic move to achieve sustainability. This article empirically examines the impact of the stakeholders' influences on firms' decision of adopting green marketing to attain its environmental, social and economic performance. Data were collected from 114 garments manufacturing firms in Bangladesh, anchored on the theory of Natural-Resource-Based-View (NRBV) and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings highlighted stakeholders' influences as one of the dominant factors in following green marketing which helps SMEs towards the improvement in environmental and social performance. The application of green marketing emerges to have a negative effect on economic performance. This study offers pragmatic evidence to practitioners by proving that green marketing as a mode to sustainability performance.

Keywords: green marketing; natural-resource-based-view; environmental performance; social performance; economic performance; SMEs.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2020.110464

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2020 Vol.16 No.5, pp.519 - 537

Received: 12 Oct 2019
Accepted: 12 Mar 2020
Published online: 20 Oct 2020 *

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