Why diverse boards are market game-changers: driving the sustainable future from the lens of proactive eco-innovation for firm market performance
摘要
Reactive Eco-innovation (REI) has gained considerable attention due to its potential to mitigate sustainability issues. However, post-COVID, there is a need to unlearn reactive behavior and relearn proactive behavior in innovative activities. Proactive eco-innovation (PEI) is hope or hype for the firm is yet to be explored. The prime objective of this study is to examine the impact of proactive eco-innovation on firm market performance (FMP). This research also investigated the moderation role of independent directors (ID) and women's diversity in provocative eco-innovation. This study bridges the gap by developing a proactive eco-innovation index for the energy sector to outperform the five (5) years of panel data of 31 listed firms at Bursa Malaysia. The findings showed that proactive eco-innovation has a direct relationship with FMP. The findings also found that independent directors moderate the relationship between proactive eco-innovation and FMP. In contrast, women's diversity has no moderating effect on the relationship above. The findings suggest corporations and policymakers should adopt proactiveness in eco-innovation practices due to their cost advantage and pollution-prevention potential.