How Big Data Analytics Capability Promotes Green Radical Innovation? The Effect of Corporate Environment Ethics in Digital Era

Abstract

In the digital economy era, firms pursue innovation while also considering their environmental impact to ensure alignment with sustainability. However, existing research offers limited insights into how corporate environmental ethics influence the relationship between big data analytics capabilities (BDACs) and green radical innovation (GRI). This study investigates the impact of BDACs, environmental ethics, and GRI, using a sample of 291 firms and integrating resource-based theory with an environmental ethics perspective. Empirical results indicate that environmental ethics positively moderate the positive relationships between the three dimensions of BDAC—managerial, technical, and talent capability—and GRI. Moreover, there are differences in the moderating effects on this relationship. This study enriches boundary condition research on how BDACs impact GRI. Additionally, it contributes to understanding the mechanisms through which environmental ethics affect GRI, highlighting the combined effect of environmental ethics and BDAC. Furthermore, this study advances research on the heterogeneous role of environmental ethics, emphasizing the importance of enhancing corporate environmental ethics in transforming BDA technical capability into GRI. This contribution offers a new perspective on how firms can more effectively leverage their BDAC toward sustainable development.

Keywords

• big data analytics capability
• environmental ethics
• green radical innovation