The Impact of Sustainable Innovations on Firm Performance – A Meta-Analysis

该研究项目探讨了企业如何通过可持续创新来协调环境责任与财务业绩。使用元分析方法，该项目追求三个目标：第一，在产品，流程和组织层面确定不同的可持续创新类型，并测试其绩效结果。然后，不同的可持续创新类型之间的潜在协同作用进行了研究。最后，该项目解决了公司外部和内部的应急因素，增强或减轻可持续创新类型对财务业绩的影响。该研究项目对研究作出了重要贡献。它提供了可推广的经验见解的方向和强度的每一个SI类型的影响，在现有的文献中缺失的性能。此外，该项目揭示了迄今为止被忽视的可持续创新类型之间的相互作用，并澄清了在哪些背景因素下，引入可持续创新类型的好处超过了它们的缺点。在实践中，澄清这些问题至关重要，有助于管理人员评估可持续创新的潜力，并优先考虑特定或组合的创新类型。研究结果还有助于从业人员将可持续创新活动与特定的市场条件和企业特征相结合。

This research project investigates how companies can reconcile environmental responsibility with financial performance through sustainable innovation. Using meta-analytical methods, the project pursues three goals: First, distinct sustainable innovation types are identified at the product, process and organizational level and their performance outcomes are tested. Then, potential synergies between different sustainable innovation types are examined. Finally, the project addresses firm-external and internal contingency factors that enhance or mitigate the impact of sustainable innovation types on financial performance. The research project makes important contributions to research. It delivers generalizable empirical insights into the direction and strength of each SI type’s effect on performance which are missing in extant literature. Further, the project sheds light on the so far neglected interplay between sustainable innovation types and clarifies under which contextual factors the benefits of introducing sustainable innovation types outweigh their downsides. In practice, clarifying these issues is of utmost importance to help managers in assessing the potential of sustainable innovation and prioritize specific or combined innovation types. The results also help practitioners to align sustainable innovation activities with specific market conditions and firm characteristics.