Eco-labels marketing performance in Asian firms: shared vision, integration capability and team collaboration perspectives
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-12-2019-0355 |
| Published date | 04 October 2021 |
| Date | 04 October 2021 |
| Pages | 710-731 |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,International business |
| Author | Chi-Hsiang Chen |
Eco-labels marketing performance in
Asian firms: shared vision, integration
capability and team collaboration
perspectives
Chi-Hsiang Chen
Abstract
Purpose –Eco-labeling will grow in importance as natural resources grow scarcer and environmental
concerns increase. The purpose of this study considers team collaboration (TC) and integration
capability (IC) to examinethe possible effects of team member’s shared vision (SV) on the performance
of marketingeco-labeled products.
Design/methodology/approach –Theoretical perspectiveson SV, IC and TC were studied to evaluate
the developmentof eco-labeled products and to improvetheir marketing performance. A totalof 247 eco-
label products were sampled; confirmatory factoranalysis and structural equation modeling wereused
for statisticalanalysis.
Findings –The resultsdemonstrate that team members’ SV is positivelycorrelated with TC. Both TC and
IC are positively correlated with the performance of eco-labeled product marketing, but SV does not
correlatepositively with IC. The results herein alsodemonstrate that TC significantly mediatesthe effect of
SV on the performanceof eco-labeled product marketing.
Research limitations/implications –Firstly, this researchaimed to study the effects of SV, TC and IC,
particularly on theperformance of marketing eco-labeled products.The analysis on other organizational
performance, for example,human resource management performance or financialperformance can be
further studied. Secondly, further study of different products is necessary as different eco-labeled
products have dissimilar product life cycle patterns. As human environmental concern grows, firms
engagingin the manufacture of eco-labeling productswill increase significantly and covermany different
products. The analyses on different products or applications require further study to elucidate diverse
managementstrategies.
Practical implications –An effectiveSV can rapidly clarify the goals and directions associatedwith eco-
labeled marketing performance. Managers with high expectations of marketing performance can
improve marketing performancewhen they clearly share eco-labeled product development objectives
and directions.Proper IC and TC are also essentialto the performance of eco-labeledproduct marketing.
Originality/value –This study introduces the concept of SV to explain the relationship between TC and IC
as they pertain to eco-labeling product marketing. A theory of eco-labelingmarketing is also presented.
Keywords Collaboration, Environmental concern, Eco-labeling, Integration capability
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The rising consumer demand for eco-labeled products and the growing influence of
environmental protection increase firms’ consideration toward reducing their environmental
footprint by using eco-labeled products, which would enable them to attract enormous
related investments and drivethe rapid establishment of numerous companies that produce
eco-labeled products (Changand Lee, 2020). Research on institutional theory and strategic
Chi-Hsiang Chen is based
at the Department of
Business Administration,
Tamkang University, New
Taipei City, Taiwan.
Received 7 December 2019
Revised 31 May 2020
Accepted 2 October 2020
PAGE 710 jJOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES jVOL. 15 NO. 5 2021, pp. 710-731, ©EmeraldPublishing Limited, ISSN 1558-7894 DOI 10.1108/JABS-12-2019-0355
choice perspectives suggests that firms have the will and capability to proactively analyze
both the external environment and internal operations to reach strategic or rational choices
(Gaur et al., 2019). Consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental and social
implications of their consumption; thus, they are beginning to make purchase-related
decisions based on environmental and ethical concerns (De Chiara, 2016). More eco-
labeled products will be developed to replace numerous non-energy-saving products
(Ecolabel Index, 2019). Furthermore, as a result of this phenomenon, environmentally
responsible firms may provide higher-quality, more reliable and more transparent
information to meet the ethical expectations of stakeholders (Alipouret al., 2019).
Driven by the importance of environmentalprotection and quality of life, the main purpose of
eco-labels is to reduce the negative environmental impacts of products (So
¨rqvist et al.,
2015;Cruz-C
azares et al.,2013). In a dynamic and competitive market, the primary drivers
of demand for eco-labeled products are related to the threat of global warming, energy
shortages, technologicalinnovations and economic globalization. Eco-labeling can be used
by firms that wish to indicatethat they cause little or no pollution. Eco-labeling also indicates
the use of technologies that are designedto improve energy efficiency. The management of
natural resources has recently become a significant issue; eco-labeled products will
become critical as natural resources grow scarcer and environmental concerns become
more intense (Jin et al., 2018;Hampson, 2012;Krogh and Geilinger, 2014). In the short
term, eco-labels are expected to reduce environmental damage by reducing the sales of
highly polluting products in favor of less damaging ones. Over the longer term, eco-labels
are likely to stimulate producers to focus on research and innovation on clean technologies.
These factors present enterprises with a global challenge, but also created new markets
and opportunities.
Commercial management based on shared vision (SV), team collaboration (TC) and
integration capability (IC) has been widely practiced across the West and China for a long
time (Luvison and de Man, 2015;Hill, 2006;Chen, 2015). Kouzes and Posner (2009)
indicated that one of the best signs of a good leaderis his or her ability to share a vision. If a
leader at a firm cannot communicate effectively with individuals, then the vision, direction
and ideas of the firms will not be realized. A good chief executive officeris the source of the
vision for a company, and such a vision needs to be spread throughout the organization.
Ciampa (2017) noted that CEOs may have variousvisions, but they must all share the vision
with, and gain the buy-in of, the employees to achieve success. In China, a harmonic
working environment has been for a long time regarded as particularly important to
favorable team performance. According to Confucius, harmony has three dimensions,
which are “coordination, cooperation and good inter-personal relationships” (Kong and
Zhang, 2011). Good coordination and cooperation require a SV of a team, and all team
members must work effectively together. Extensive research in the field of modernbusiness
management has addressed the effects of SV, collaborative practices, IC and organization
performance in physical organizations and virtual communities (Li, 2005;Stevenson, 2006;
Exp
osito-Langa et al., 2015). Early in the development of this field, Martin et al. (2014)
elucidated the importance of SV and integration and observed that most leaders have both
entrepreneurial and administrative skills that facilitate the completion of diverse tasks.
Accordingly, the sharing of a vision and the ability to integrate various resources
significantly affect the outcomes of business operations. Yuliansyah et al. (2019) argued
that a firm’s strategic performance depends on the characteristics, behaviors and
experiences of the entire senior executive group, which are determined by how they work
together to take full advantage of their strengths.More recently, Rikkonen et al. (2019) found
that incongruence among the visions of various stakeholders concerning future innovation
may impede the generation of a shared interpretation of the future and, therefore, the
capturing of value. Moreover, Bouchillon (2014) argued that the facets of capital –social
ties trust, norms of reciprocity, identification of social status, SV and sharedlanguage affect
knowledge sharing among individuals in virtual communities. Extensive research has
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