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Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

03-01-2024 | Original Empirical Research

Engaging customers and suppliers for environmental sustainability: Investigating the drivers and the effects on firm performance

Authors: Amalesh Sharma, Sourav Bikash Borah, Tanjum Haque, Anirban Adhikary

Published in: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

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Abstract

While firms engage stakeholders in their sustainability practices to contribute to a better world resiliently and responsibly, little is known about what drives their ability to generate customer engagement (CE) and supplier engagement (SE) for sustainability purposes. This paper identifies, theorizes, and empirically validates the differential roles of board oversight and incentivization, along with contingencies (a chief marketing officer’s (CMO) presence and governance disclosure), in driving CE and SE. Using data from 308 firms, the paper finds that while board oversight and incentivization positively affect CE, only incentivization positively affects SE. The paper also finds significant moderation effects of CMO presence and governance disclosure. Through multiple post hoc analyses, the paper explores how CE and SE influence firm performance. The paper provides a nuanced understanding of incentive types’ effects and contributes to the literature on grand challenges connecting firms’ strategies and sustainability objectives to customer and supplier engagement.

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Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
4
In this paper, we use the terms sustainability and environmental sustainability interchangeably.
 
18
Conagra Brands CDP Climate Change 2020 Report. Retrieved June 18, 2023, from https://​www.​conagrabrands.​com/​files/​cag-cdp-climate-change-2020
 
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Metadata
Title
Engaging customers and suppliers for environmental sustainability: Investigating the drivers and the effects on firm performance
Authors
Amalesh Sharma
Sourav Bikash Borah
Tanjum Haque
Anirban Adhikary
Publication date
03-01-2024
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
Print ISSN: 0092-0703
Electronic ISSN: 1552-7824
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-023-00995-7