International Journal of Business Environment (10 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• The power of connections: how shared independent directors influence corporate environmental responsibility in China  
  by Jalal Khan, Wu Fengyun, Farrukh Shahzad, Ruin Fatimah 
  Abstract: Corporate environmental responsibility is increasingly recognised as an effective approach for tackling climate change, mitigating environmental issues, and promoting sustainable development. Drawing on social network theory and resource-dependence theory, this article scrutinises the relationship between independent director interlocks and corporate environmental responsibility. Using the data from listed Chinese companies from 2010 to 2021, this study finds that independent director interlocks can significantly promote corporate environmental responsibility. This research further finds that internal corporate contexts can also influence the relationship between independent director interlocks and corporate environmental activities. Moreover, the results indicate that firm business proactivity and operational risk positively moderate the relationships between independent director interlocks and corporate environmental responsibility. This research offers important insights for companies aiming to improve their environmental responsibility as well as for policymakers looking for effective strategies to achieve carbon reduction goals.
  Keywords: interlocks; business proactivity; resource dependence theory; independent directors; environmental responsibility; operational risk.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2025.10073500
   
  
• Key predictors of engagement in global virtual teams: an empirical study in the automotive industry  
  by Marc Marti Toro, Gaizka Garechana Anacabe, Ibon Zamanillo Elguezabal 
  Abstract: This paper examines a broad theoretical model of predictors of engagement in the context of global virtual teams set in the automotive industry. The model is tested on data from team members (n = 169) of 19 different nationalities belonging to 11 functional groups, employed in a FTSE-100 automotive company, analysing how these theoretical predictors influence the employees engagement values. The results of the study confirm the positive influence of trust, transformational leadership, social interaction, and shared vision to achieve an engaged virtual workforce, hampered only by organisational politics. Another relevant finding is the positive effect of the personal resources (persistence, independence and learning motivation) that should be considered when recruiting or developing team members.
  Keywords: global virtual team; engagement; social capital; trust; personal resources; organisational politics; transformational leadership.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10079152
   
  
• Scientometric analysis of scientific production on digital transformation banking  
  by Álvaro Cepeda-Ortiz, Miguel Angel Gonzalez 
  Abstract: Banks have rapidly adopted digitalisation, driven by advances in technologies and mobile services. As a result, digital transformation in banking has become increasingly important in recent years. However, comprehensive studies analysing scientific research indexed in the WoS are lacking. This innovative study aims to map the academic production on digital banking transformation to identify trends, key authors, and research opportunities. A scientometric analysis of 312 publications from 2002 to May 2023 indexed in WoS was conducted. Standardised techniques of citation counts, cooperation network analysis, and co-citation mapping were applied. There has been an exponential growth in publications since 2018, with a dominance of topics such as fintech, blockchain, and open banking. The most prolific authors were Robert Kauffman and Markos Zachariadis. The study offers a comprehensive perspective on the progression of academic literature about banking digitalisation, revealing maturing areas together with gaps in the literature to guide future research.
  Keywords: digital transformation; banking; financial services; scientometrics; Web of Science; VosViewer.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10076386
   
  
• The moderating role of product market competitions in the relationship between regulatory quality and firms’ innovation  
  by Samuel Amponsah Odei, James Okrah 
  Abstract: While it is acknowledged that regulatory quality influence innovation, our understanding about the mechanisms through which regulatory quality influence new products or services development is underexplored. This study aims to empirically reveal the relationship between regulatory quality and innovation in emerging markets firms while investigating the moderating role of product market competition in this relationship. This study focused on analysing over 21,000 firms from 44 African countries using firm-level data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys complemented with national level dataset from the World Bank. Data analysis was conducted using the logit model with two-way fixed effects. We also used the marginal effect approach to analyse how different levels of the moderator impact the relationship. The results revealed that regulatory quality has a positive and statistically significant influence on new product or service development. The study also found that product market competition positively moderates the relationship between regulatory quality and new product or service development such that any increase in regulatory quality and product market competition marginally improves the relationship. Policymakers in emerging countries aiming to improve their innovation potential must strengthen the regulatory environment through better policies, institutions, and conditions to create a conducive market environment for firms operations.
  Keywords: regulatory quality; product innovations; product market competitions; institutional theory; emerging markets.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10076769
   
  
• Greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth: an empirical analysis on BRICS, EU and USA  
  by Francesco Busato, Claudia Ulloa Severino, Monica Varlese 
  Abstract: As environmental concerns continue to intensify globally, understanding the role of ecological pressures in shaping economic development trajectories has become increasingly relevant. This paper explores the interplay between economic performance and key structural factors, including emissions, energy use, urbanisation, and foreign investment, in BRICS countries, the EU27, and the USA, using a fixed effects regression approach. Findings point to significant differences across country groups. While emissions appear to support economic activity in emerging economies, they are negatively associated with growth in advanced ones, reflecting divergent stages in the transition toward low-carbon development. Renewable energy emerges as a consistent driver of growth, while the role of FDI, urbanisation and energy prices vary widely depending on national contexts. These results highlight the need for differentiated policy approaches. BRICS economies should direct FDI towards environmentally sustainable sectors through targeted incentives and green industrial policies. In contrast, advanced economies could reinforcing regulatory frameworks for clean energy deployment to accelerate fossil fuel reduction to achieve net-zero commitments. Eventually, at global level, urban policies should also reflect the varying economic impacts of urbanisation, balancing density and efficiency with quality of life and sustainability considerations.
  Keywords: renewable energy; economic growth; greenhouse gas emission; panel data regression; USA.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10077015
   
  
• The CSR-HRM Nexus in light of digitalisation and work-life balance: a bibliometric analysis  
  by Iza Gigauri, Simona Andreea Apostu 
  Abstract: Under the current circumstances of a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment, the focus on employees and recognition of their dominance plays a pivotal role in business models. Advancing digitalisation and the recent pandemic impacted the workplace causing changes in jobs, tasks, work-life balance, and consequently, employee wellbeing. Moreover, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) demanded by various stakeholders requires the sustainability transformation of business strategies. Thus, the digital, sustainable, human-centric industry is emerging, leading to alterations in human resources management (HRM). Therefore, a bibliometric analysis was applied to explore the complex relationships between CSR and HRM. This research examines the implications of CSR and digitalisation on HRM, which is related to work-life balance and employee well-being, considering the rise of remote working due to the increased digitalisation. The research results particularly contribute to the theory and practice by intertwining CSR with HRM and providing recommendations for organisations.
  Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR; human resource management; HRM; work-life balance; employee wellbeing; digitalisation; technological advancements.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10077057
   
  
• CSR practices, ethical leadership and innovation performance  
  by H.T.M. Quader Newaz 
  Abstract: The purpose of this study is to analyse how CSR practices to different stakeholders affect the innovation performance of RMG Industry in Bangladesh. At the same time, it assesses the moderating effect of ethical leadership on the relationships between CSR practices to different stakeholders and innovation performance. The study collected data from 499 top level executives who have been working in the RMG industry for more than ten years. partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method has been used for analysing the collected data with the support of Smart PLS Software 4.0. The statistical findings indicate that CSR to employees is the most significant factor influencing innovation performance followed by CSR to suppliers, CSR to customers and CSR to environment. The moderating effect test findings reveal that ethical leadership positively and significantly moderates the relationship between CSR to employees, CSR to customers, CSR to suppliers and innovation performance. The implications of the findings have been discussed both in theoretical and practical aspects.
  Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR practices; ethical leadership and innovation performance.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10077385
   
  
• Digital business models: a literature review from CNKI and WOS databases with an analytical framework and future research agenda  
  by Lianju Ning, Qifang Gao, Jingtao Liu 
  Abstract: Digital transformation, driven by digital technologies, is reshaping business models for competitive advantage, yet lacks a clear analytical framework like the business model canvas. To bridge this gap, the study examined 102 seminal pieces of literature sourced from the China National knowledge infrastructure and web of science databases. The focus of this analysis was on the value proposition, creation, and capture within digital business models. Through this examination, the study constructs a comprehensive analytical framework that delineates the unique characteristics and internal structure of digital business models. This framework not only fills the theoretical gap in existing research but also provides important management insights for enterprises to design and optimise their business models in a digital environment. Furthermore, it offers insights into potential avenues for future research in this domain.
  Keywords: digital business model; research agenda; digital technology; analytical framework.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10077596
   
  
• Subjective well-being, family-to-business support and new venture performance  
  by Rytha Picado-Arroyo, Ronald Mora-Esquivel, Juan Carlos Leiva 
  Abstract: This article investigates the relationships between subjective well being (SWB), both emotional and instrumental family-to-business support, and new venture performance. Based on social support theory and using a sample of 15,153 new venture entrepreneurs taken from the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students Survey (GUESSS), this study provides evidence for several key findings. First, SWB is positively and significantly related to business performance. Second, instrumental family support positively moderates this relationship, but emotional family support does not, and can even attenuate it. Third, our supplementary analysis shows that emotional and instrumental family support act complementarily, rather than separately; emotional support potentiates instrumental support in the relationship between subjective well-being and business performance. Finally, the implications of our work are discussed at both theoretical and practical levels.
  Keywords: new ventures; subjective well-being; SWB; instrumental family support; emotional family support; business performance; GUESSS.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10078511
   
  
• Green strategic orientation and green technology innovation as determinants of sustainable performance in sport companies  
  by Seyed Mohammad Javad Razavi, Haywantee Ramkissoon, Mary Amponsah, Mehdi Salimi 
  Abstract: In recent years, green strategic orientation (GSO) has become a crucial factor in determining a companys sustainable performance, since attention to green technology innovation (GTI) gives sport companies a competitive advantage in the market. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of GSO dimensions as drivers of GTI and to assess the impact of GTI on sustainable performance in sport companies. An online questionnaire was conducted among employees of sport manufacturing firms (n = 513). The results indicate that green entrepreneurial orientation, green market orientation, green technology orientation, and green learning orientation are the dimensions of GSO that have positive impacts on GTI. Moreover, the results show that GTI positively influences sustainable performance. Our research helps the ongoing development of the proposed theory in strategic orientation and innovation by focusing on green policies. This study has significant implications for developing sustainable performance and creating a competitive advantage in sport companies.
  Keywords: green strategic orientation; GSO; green technology innovation; GTI; sustainable performance; sport companies; green innovation; sustainability.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2026.10080769