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The goal is to investigate the relationship between financial performance and environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators and disclosures for a sample of Latin American firms.

Dynamic panel data regressions are used to analyze a sample of 114 companies listed on the Latin American Integrated Market, MILA (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) for the period 2011–2020. The Altman Z-score and Piotroski F-score are used as indicators of the probability of default and comprehensive financial strength. Models are developed in which the relationship between economic value added (EVA) and Jensen’s alpha are evaluated against firms’ ESG practices.

A direct relationship between ESG strategies and financial performance was found. Better practices and transparency in ESG are related to lower probability of bankruptcy, greater financial strength, greater EVA and superior risk-adjusted returns.

ESG data were obtained from the Bloomberg system based on a methodology that may differ from other sources. The sample covers four Latin American countries and large corporations. Independent variables were selected for their perceived validity, given their frequent use in previous studies.

Evidence for company management regarding the importance of strengthening ESG practices and reporting should be part of their balanced scorecards. For investors, the results support the importance of evaluating ESG practices in asset selection.

The present study is the first research to present empirical evidence on the relationship between ESG scores and disclosures for MILA countries, using a comprehensive set of financial performance indicators (Altman Z-scores, Piotroski F-scores, EVA and Jensen’s alpha).

The purpose of this study is to explore green innovation and its role in driving competitiveness in Ecuadorian manufacturing firms, focusing on structural equation modelings, which account for more than 90% of the productive units and aggregate national income. The manufacturing sector in Ecuador reports variable growth since the start of the COVID pandemic, drawing more attention from practitioners, regulators and scholars alike, due to its distinctive footprint on people, profit and planet, particularly in the context of developing economies.

A model with two second-order constructs is developed and tested in a sample of 325 managers from manufacturing firms in Ecuador, using quantitative and cross-section methods.

After obtaining adjusted and validated metrics, a structural equation model is presented, where the main hypothesis is confirmed, supporting the positive impact of green innovation on competitiveness.

The research provides evidence on how manufacturing firms favoring green innovation in their long-term planning can unlock and sustain competitiveness. Policymakers could then offer incentives for firms to embed sustainable practices, with potential ripple effects along the supply chain, aggregating up competitiveness to industry and national levels.

The study aims to bridge the existing knowledge gap on the interplay of green innovation and competitiveness, claiming that the former significantly influences the latter, in an emerging market context, with incremental gains for all stakeholders, as posited by stakeholder theory.

El propósito de esta investigación es explorar la innovación verde y su rol en la generación de competitividad en las empresas manufactureras ecuatorianas, centrándose en las PYMES, que representan más del 90 por ciento de las unidades productivas y del ingreso nacional agregado. El sector manufacturero en Ecuador reporta un crecimiento variable desde el inicio de la pandemia de COVID, lo cual atrae la atención de profesionales, reguladores y académicos por igual, debido a su huella distintiva en la sociedad, la rentabilidad y el planeta, particularmente en el contexto de las economías en desarrollo.

Se desarrolla y estima un modelo con dos constructos de segundo orden, en una muestra de 325 gerentes de empresas manufactureras del Ecuador, utilizando métodos cuantitativos y transversales.

Tras obtener métricas ajustadas y validadas, se presenta un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, donde se confirma la hipótesis principal, sustentando el impacto positivo de la innovación verde en la competitividad.

Aportamos evidencia empírica sobre cómo las empresas manufactureras que favorecen iniciativas ecológicamente innovadoras en su planificación a largo plazo, pueden generar y sostener competitividad. Los reguladores podrían eventualmente diseñar incentivos para que las empresas incorporen prácticas sustentables, acumulando beneficios en la cadena de suministro, e incrementando así la competitividad a nivel de la industria y de la economía en su conjunto.

Nuestro estudio aspira contribuir a cerrar la brecha en la literatura en la convergencia entre la innovación verde y la competitividad, argumentando que la primera influye significativamente en la segunda, en un contexto de mercado emergente, con beneficios incrementales para todas las partes interesadas, como lo postula la teoría de stakeholders.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é explorar a inovação verde e seu papel na promoção da competitividade nas empresas manufatureiras equatorianas, com foco nas PMEs, que representam mais de 90% das unidades produtivas e da renda nacional. O sector manufatureiro no Equador regista um crescimento variável desde o início da pandemia da COVID, atraindo mais atenção tanto de profissionais, reguladores como académicos, devido à sua pegada distinta nas pessoas, nos lucros e no planeta, particularmente no contexto das economias em desenvolvimento.

Um modelo com dois construtos de segunda ordem é desenvolvido e testado em uma amostra de 325 gestores de empresas industriais no Equador, utilizando métodos quantitativos e transversais.

Após a obtenção de métricas ajustadas e validadas, é apresentado um modelo de equações estruturais, onde é confirmada a hipótese principal, apoiando o impacto positivo da inovação verde na competitividade.

A nossa investigação fornece evidências sobre como as empresas industriais que favorecem iniciativas ecologicamente inovadoras no seu planeamento a longo prazo, podem aumentar e sustentar a competitividade. Os decisores políticos poderiam então oferecer incentivos às empresas para incorporar práticas sustentáveis, com potenciais efeitos em cascata ao longo da cadeia de abastecimento, agregando competitividade aos níveis industrial e nacional.

O nosso estudo visa colmatar a lacuna de conhecimento existente sobre a interação entre inovação verde e competitividade, alegando que a primeira influencia significativamente a última, num contexto de mercado emergente, com ganhos incrementais para todas as partes interessadas, conforme postulado pela teoria dos stakeholders.

Despite the evident link between digitalisation and sustainability, many organisations have these two strategies operating on a parallel basis and not in a coordinated manner. Hence the objective of this work, which consists of proposing a model to analyse the connection existing between both strategies within the business environment, additionally relating them to innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

With that aim, the results of a survey answered by 98 managers of Spanish enterprises are examined using the PLS software, especially suited for the study of structural equations like the one put forward in this paper.

The conclusions drawn suggest that the most innovative firms are indeed the ones that invest to a greater extent in digitalisation and sustainability. It was also possible for us to verify that digitalisation exerts a positive influence on sustainability and that both the latter and digitalisation directly relate to CSR strategies. However, innovation as such does not constitute a requirement for CSR; instead, these Social Responsibility actions will take place when innovations rely on digitalisation and sustainability strategies.

Until now, most studies have addressed digitalisation and sustainability independently, with contradictory theoretical approaches in the literature about these two topics and a paucity of empirical results about the link between digitalisation and sustainability. The present study clarifies the relationships between sustainability and digitalisation, also relating them to innovation and CSR in the business environment.

This study aims to explore how logistics firms exploit lean logistics and corporate green practices as significant catalysts for achieving business excellence via the mediation roles of green internal stakeholder satisfaction and green external stakeholder satisfaction.

Questionnaire is used in garnering data from 137 Ghanaian logistics firms. Structural equation modeling, particularly partial least squares, was applied to test all hypotheses.

The results confirm the notion that although lean logistics has positive effect on business performance, the effect is insignificant; hence, it is the concurrent implementation of lean logistics and corporate green practices that leads to superior business performance. The mediation analysis further confirms that both green internal stakeholder satisfaction and green external stakeholder satisfaction are significant precursors through which logistics firms can achieve superior business performance when lean logistics and corporate green practices can influence business performance.

Data is collected from logistics firms from a single country. Hence, the results obtained cannot be imported to reflect the general occurrence in other geographical settings.

This study informs managers of logistics firms that lean and green strategies are compatible when implemented together; hence, it should not be treated in isolation. Managers are further enlightened that in their pursuit of business excellence, there is a need to prioritize green internal stakeholder satisfaction and green external stakeholder satisfaction via prudent investment in lean and green practices.

The research model proposed in this study magnifies the literature on lean and environmental management via bridging the literature gap concerning the interrelationship between lean logistics, corporate green practices, green internal stakeholder satisfaction, green external stakeholder satisfaction and business performance.

This study aims to investigate how Lean Six Sigma (LSS), a widely used paradigm that promotes competitive advantage of different organisations in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way, affects operational performance in different organisational contexts. Although LSS is widely used to improve operational performance, the impact of LSS on operational performance appears to be different in different organisational contexts, prompting the attention of researchers and managers to shift from lean philosophy to the impact of contextual variables on the effectiveness of LSS implementation.

This study uses a quantitative research design and conducts an empirical study in Pakistan. The sample consists of 339 management employees with an effective response rate of 67.8% in various sectors. In this study, partial least square structural equation modelling is used to examine the relationships among the variables using the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability theory (DCT) to support the model of this study.

This study reveals that the relationship between LSS and operational performance is partially mediated by green human resource management (GHRM) and internal environmental management (IEM). The moderating effect of the organisational developmental culture between LSS and operational performance is not identified, implying that the effect of developmental culture could vary under different cultures.

There is a lack of empirical studies investigating the role of GHRM, IEM and developmental culture in developing countries. This study extends the literature on the RBV and DCT in operational performance. The study’s outcome provides theoretical and practical implications for enhancing the effect of LSS implementation on operational performance in focal small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through human and environmental management factors.

This paper proposes an assessment method for lean and sustainability (LS) practices for shop-floor workers, designed to evaluate their current practice culture.

The method is developed in five phases: setting predefined indicators, constructing the assessment mechanism, implementing the assessment procedure, analyzing data and delivering results with recommendations. Validation is performed using two worker groups – line supervisors and operators – within the light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturing industry.

The results showed that workers’ familiarity and understanding of LS practices do not always correspond to their awareness levels. Key recommendations include prioritizing training for critical cases and adapting training approaches to fit the specific knowledge profiles identified.

Firstly, the company should integrate the proposed assessment into an online platform that can automatically generate individual statistical results and priority levels. This reduces the burden of manual work and makes large-scale assessments more practical. Secondly, the study should expand to other shop-floor workers, such as technicians and engineers, to assess their knowledge profiles for future LS development initiatives.

The recommendations provide managers and training departments with guidelines to revise current training approaches. The methodology is validated, enabling the identification and mapping of each worker’s knowledge profile.

This study presents an original assessment method for evaluating the knowledge profiles of shop-floor workers regarding LS practices. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no prior literature has reported on an assessment method targeting this specific group. The proposed approach supports the decision-making process for better LS practices in the company.

Industry 4.0 (I4.0), the Fourth Industrial Revolution, integrates Big Data analytics, blockchain, cloud computing, digitisation and the Internet of Things to enhance supply chain (SC) activities and achieve sustainable growth through dynamic capabilities (DCs). This approach equips businesses with the necessary tools to optimise their operations and remain competitive in a dynamic business environment. The value proposition of a business encompasses a wide range of activities that add value at each stage. By leveraging DCs, a firm can achieve innovation, gain a competitive advantage and enhance its adaptability. Conversely, effective value chain management can amplify the influence of a firm's DCs on SC sustainability, by reducing waste, optimising resource utilisation and fostering strategic partnerships. This mutually beneficial connection takes the form of a dynamic interaction in which I4.0 technologies act as a catalyst to help organisations become more resilient, adaptive and responsive. The adoption of these technologies denotes a comprehensive approach to business shift, not merely technical integration. I4.0 has an impact on several organisational disciplines outside of manufacturing, from automation and efficiency advantages to quality enhancements. This chapter offers an extensive literature review to explore the level of SC sustainability that a business can achieve by combining its DCs and implementing strategic I4.0 adoption. The function of value chain management in moderating the effects of I4.0 and DCs on SC sustainability is also assessed. This study proposes a theoretical model that is grounded in the insights extracted from the literature review.

The purpose of this paper is to test and develop a method for generation and selection of six sigma projects. This is done by testing the use of the generation and selection method for six sigma projects (GSM_SSP) in a Brazilian manufacturing industry with the participation of managers, aiming to gather the user’s perspective and improvement opportunities for the approach itself.

The work adopts the action research (AR) approach once the researchers were busily involved in the training, implementation and use of the GSM_SSP. The intervention was performed in on a series of 15 workshops, with a group of managers, during six months.

The application of the eight steps of the GSM_SSP approach assisted the company’s management team to generate nine project candidates and also to select three six sigma projects. This study also finds and discusses barriers and lessons learned used to improve the GSM_SSP.

This study presents an example of how six sigma project generation and selection has been applied to a manufacturing industry by adapting AR to the process using the eight steps of GSM_SSP, demonstrating how the management team was involved. This study should be replicated in different companies because AR is limited in its generalization.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first use of AR methodology in six sigma project selection. This study contributes a method that can generate and select six sigma projects. In doing so, the research offers a simple approach that can be used by managers. In addition, the steps of the approach before selection were explored.

This study aims to carry out a systematic literature review (SLR) on the integration of Lean, Industry 4.0 and the supply chain or the Lean Supply Chain (LSC) 4.0. The research analyses the current research on the LSC 4.0 concept in an increasingly digitalised world. The authors present the benefits, motivations, critical success factors and challenges of integrating the LSC with Industry 4.0 technologies within this emerging area of research.

An SLR is carried out on how Lean can be integrated with Supply Chain 4.0. Using the search strings of “Lean Supply Chain 4.0,” “Lean Supply Chain Management 4.0” and “Lean Supply Chain Digitalisation,” a review of published literature was carried out via searches on academic databases.

Industry 4.0 has a synergistic effect on the LSC and, depending on the technology and sector applied in, can complement and enhance the LSC. Similarly, the LSC is a precursor for digitalisation. There are considerable implications in the LSC 4.0 for green and sustainable processes.

Organisations can use this study to understand what the LSC 4.0 means to industry, the benefits and motivating factors for implementation, the critical success factors (CSFs) to implementation and the challenges for implementation.

This study adds to state of the art around the LSC 4.0 and future directions in this nascent research area. This study will aid organisations in understanding how Lean, supply chain management and Industry 4.0 can be integrated.

Measuring shared value (SV) created in innovation ecosystems (IEs) is increasingly relevant but complex, given the multidimensional and multiactor nature of both concepts, which challenges traditional performance measurement systems (PMSs). Moving from this gap, the authors propose an integrated approach to extend the balanced scorecard (BSC) for measuring and monitoring SV creation at IE level.

The proposed approach combines the most recent contributions on PMS in IEs and SV to define perspectives and dimensions that are better suited to deal with the nature of both IEs and SV. The approach is also applied to the real case (Alpha) of an Italian IE through a step wise method. Starting from the IE vision, the authors identify in the strategy map the specific objectives related to each perspective/dimension combination and then associate a performance indicator with each objective.

The resulting SV BSC is composed of indicators interconnected along different perspectives and dimensions. The application of the approach to the real case proves its feasibility and highlights characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the SV BSC when used at IE level. The authors also provide guidelines for its application to other IEs.

The study contributes to the research on PMS by introducing and applying to a real case an integrated approach to assess SV in IEs, overcoming the shortcomings of PMS framed for single firms. It can be of interest for both researchers in the field of ecosystems value creation and practitioners managing or promoting such complex structures.