Page 19 - Hojnik, Jana. 2017. In Persuit of Eco-innovation. Drivers and Consequences of Eco-innovation at Firm Level. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 19
Introduction 19
for sustainability is through implementation of eco-innovation, which by
bringing benefits to the environment and companies presents a win-win
situation. Therefore, we will strive to fill the gap by empirically testing an
integrative model of eco-innovation. Finally, our aim is also to propose a
definition of eco-innovation, with more focus on entrepreneurial orien-
tation and its influence on company competitiveness.
In this study we thus aim to analyze the relationships between the
drivers of eco-innovation, implementation of different types of eco-in-
novation (product, process and organizational eco-innovation and, last-
ly, eco-innovation construct) and its outcomes at firm-level, based on a
sample of Slovenian companies. We have first conducted the qualitative
analysis to determine whether the identified drivers are appropriate for
the Slovenian environment/companies. Drivers for implementation of
eco-innovation were tested in this way by employing a qualitative study
in the first stage (interviews with companies’ environmental managers
about the drivers and outcomes of eco-innovation). While the qualita-
tive research was followed by a quantitative study in which we empirical-
ly tested the integrative model based on Slovenian companies.
The structure of the study is presented below in Figure 1, and it is as
follows: 1) Introduction, 2) Eco-innovation (definition and its main di-
mensions), 3) Drivers of eco-innovation, 4) Consequences of eco-innova-
tion, 5) Research design, 6) Methodology, 7) and 8) Results, 9) Summary
of findings and discussion, and 10) Conclusion.
Figure 1: Structure of the study
for sustainability is through implementation of eco-innovation, which by
bringing benefits to the environment and companies presents a win-win
situation. Therefore, we will strive to fill the gap by empirically testing an
integrative model of eco-innovation. Finally, our aim is also to propose a
definition of eco-innovation, with more focus on entrepreneurial orien-
tation and its influence on company competitiveness.
In this study we thus aim to analyze the relationships between the
drivers of eco-innovation, implementation of different types of eco-in-
novation (product, process and organizational eco-innovation and, last-
ly, eco-innovation construct) and its outcomes at firm-level, based on a
sample of Slovenian companies. We have first conducted the qualitative
analysis to determine whether the identified drivers are appropriate for
the Slovenian environment/companies. Drivers for implementation of
eco-innovation were tested in this way by employing a qualitative study
in the first stage (interviews with companies’ environmental managers
about the drivers and outcomes of eco-innovation). While the qualita-
tive research was followed by a quantitative study in which we empirical-
ly tested the integrative model based on Slovenian companies.
The structure of the study is presented below in Figure 1, and it is as
follows: 1) Introduction, 2) Eco-innovation (definition and its main di-
mensions), 3) Drivers of eco-innovation, 4) Consequences of eco-innova-
tion, 5) Research design, 6) Methodology, 7) and 8) Results, 9) Summary
of findings and discussion, and 10) Conclusion.
Figure 1: Structure of the study
