推还是拉？制度压力下资源型企业低碳转型行为研究

Push or pull? Low-carbon transformation of resource-based enterprises under institutional pressure

摘要:

“碳中和”背景下的资源型企业低碳转型存在投入高、周期长、见效慢等问题,转型动因亟待研究。不同制度压力可能对组织低碳转型产生“拉动力”或“推动力”,由此引发企业采取主动或被动的各种应对行为。以资源型企业“陕西钢铁集团”形成低碳转型理念的过程为例,基于制度理论使用案例研究解释资源型企业低碳转型观念形成的制度化过程,不仅能识别出企业低碳转型面临从宏观到微观的不同制度压力,同时还探究这些制度压力驱动资源型企业采取对应转型行动的理论路径。研究表明：①资源型企业在低碳领域面临的制度压力包括由强制性政策管制构成的规制压力、由行业规范和同行竞争构成的规范压力以及由企业内部战略导向构成的认知压力；②规制、规范和认知三种制度压力分别驱动企业采取节能降耗、研发创新和制度机制调整三种低碳转型行为；③三种不同制度压力下的低碳转型举措分别实现了环保绩效、经济绩效与发展绩效。研究丰富了制度理论和企业可持续行为领域文献,同时为更好驱动资源型企业低碳转型实践提供理论支持。

Abstract:

Under the context of carbon neutrality, low-carbon transformation of resource-based enterprises often faces issues such as high investment, lengthy duration and low efficiency, which necessitates the study of the motivation for such transformations. Different institutional pressures may exert either a "pull" or a "push" effect on organizational low-carbon transformation, leading to various proactive or reactive responses by the companies.This study takes the process of low-carbon transformation by the resource-based enterprise, Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group, as an example, and employs institutional theory to explain the institutionalization process of low-carbon transformation of resource-based enterprises. This approach identifies the different institutional pressures from macro to micro in the low-carbon transformation and explores the evolution path of these institutional pressures driving resource-based enterprises to form low-carbon transformation. ①The findings demonstrate that the institutional pressures faced by resource-based firms in the low-carbon area include regulatory pressures constituted by mandatory policy controls, normative pressures constituted by industry norms and peer competition, and cognitive pressures constituted by firms" internal strategic orientation. ②The three types of institutional pressures, namely regulation, norms, and cognition, respectively drive enterprises to adopt three types of low-carbon transformation behaviors, namely energy conservation and production reduction, research and development innovation, and adjustment of institutional mechanisms. ③The low-carbon transformation activities under the three different institutional pressures result in environmental performance, economic performance, and development performance. The study enriches the literature in the field of institutional theory and corporate sustainable behavior, while providing theoretical support to better drive resource-based firms" low-carbon transition practices.