Figure 6. Theoretical Model of ESA and ESA Factors

Literature review and theoretical model | 67

presented in the review detailed above. These are the business contexts, the business models and the manager´s perspectives. (See Figure 6. Theoretical Model of ESA and ESA Factors).

Institutional Theory

Business context

Environmental Strategies Environmental Adoption Strategies Adoption

Manager’s perspective Business models

Manager’s cognitive framework RBV

Figure 6. Theoretical Model of ESA and ESA Factors

From the literature on the topic, the author proposes as a general hypothesis that business context, business models and manager’s perspective, under a unified view, influence the adoption of environmental strategies. Thus, a co-occurrence configuration is highlighted between those influencing factors (e.g. business context, business models and manager´s perspective) and the adoption environmental strategies such as green processes, green products and green systems design.

Specifically, it is proposed these propositions for the general hypothesis: (i) green processes strategy is triggered by organizational field contexts (i.e. associations and green competitors), dynamic business models and profit-oriented managers; (ii) design of green products is stimulated by green market contexts, dynamic business models and profit-oriented managers; (iii) green systems are promoted by societal needs in conjunction with transformative business models and citizenship oriented managers.

68 | Carlos Fúquene Retamoso

• ESA and influencing factors

Model used the main business context types identified by the institutional theory as influencing factors for environmental strategies adoption and associated to coercive (i.e., legal regulation) normative (i.e. green markets and associations) and mimetic forces (i.e. competitors and parent companies´ best practices) (Christmann & Taylor, 2001; A. J. Hoffman, 2001; Jennings & Zandbergen, 1995; Zhu, Cordeiro, & Sarkis, 2013) (Table 7. ESA and Influencing factors).

In turn, model used the three business models identified by the Resource Based View (RBV) affecting the adoption of environmental strategies: Stable (focused on maintaining their market portion and their business as it is), Dynamic (aimed at increasing current market portion) and Transformative (seeking to create new markets and ways to address societal needs) (Boons, 2009) (Table 7. ESA and Influencing factors).

Finally, model used the concept of manager´s cognitive frames for Corporate Sustainability that have established how decision-makers deal with environmental issues through either a business case or a paradoxical frame for sustainability (Hahn et al., 2017). In line with the manager’s cognitive frame, model used the three different manager´s perspectives that literature has established as: Compliance (focused on fulfilling the law and cultural expectations), Profits and basic social rules, and Societal (social needs beyond economic and legal obligations) (M. Schwartz & Carroll, 2003) (Table 7. ESA and Influencing factors).

Taking into account that leading question was focused on establishing what are the factors that drive Colombian big firms to adopt environmental strategies? conceptual model was used to analyze environmental strategies adoption (e.g. green products, green processes and green systems). Because of that, when collected information for the case studies, there was registered the type of regulation that applied for each case and additional sources of pressure such as mimetic (i.e. green competitors) and normative ones (market requirements).

Normative and mimetic sources were used in the conceptual model as lens to understand the influence of green markets and green industry requirements (normative sources) and of green competitors and green parent companies (mimetic sources) in the adoption of environmental strategies as is exposed by the literature by (Zhu, Cordeiro, & Sarkis, 2013).