Digitalisation and environmental management activities: The effects of family ownership

Abstract

While digitalisation has significant implications for environmental management activities, this nexus has received minimal attention in research. Given this backdrop, this study uses a unique survey dataset of 386 micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and conducts an OLS regression analysis to examine the impact of digitalisation on environmental management activities. The study also investigates how family ownership moderates this relationship. The study finds that digitalisation supports environmental management activities as an important strategic mechanism, and that family ownership has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between digitalisation and environmental management activities. This study contributes to ‘institutional theory’ by highlighting its applicability to the new context of MSEs in emerging markets. Further, the study provides managerial insights into how to ensure environmental management practices in the digital age.