This is likely because the more developed
the country, the more stringent is the legislation regulating
environmental issues, the more sensitize are citizens on ecological
issues, and the more evident is the presence of pressure groups
that care about and seek environmental protection (Christmann,
2004).
6. Conclusions and implications
This empirical inquiry highlights the instrumental role of
certain external (i.e., foreign environmental public concern and
foreign competitive intensity) and internal (i.e., top management
green sensitivity and organizational green culture) forces in
sensitizing exporting firms to the deployment of a business
strategy that is more friendly to the environment when operating
in foreign markets. The adoption of such a strategy was more
evident in the case of larger firms and more experienced exporters,
as well as among firms producing industrial goods, having a high
technological intensity, and operating in more economically
advanced countries. We found that the implementation of an
environmentally friendly export business strategy facilitated the
achievement of competitive advantage in terms of product
differentiation rather than cost leadership. By capitalizing on an
ecologically based product differentiation advantage, the exporting
firm was in a position to improve both its market performance
and financial performance. However, attempting to pursue a cost
leadership advantage did not have a positive effect on either