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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Ying YangORCiD, Dr Yan JiangORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
By integrating the perspectives of age dependence and resource dependence theory (RDT), this paper explores the relationship between dependence on age-distant suppliers and green innovation. Meanwhile, considering the mechanisms adopted by firms to manage supplier dependence, we also examine the moderating effects of various dependency management mechanisms. Utilizing a dataset of 1427 dyad-year observations comprising 369 unique Chinese high-polluting listed firms between 2008 and 2020, we find that the age distance between a buyer and its suppliers has a positive effect on green innovation. However, this positive association is weakened as the buyer firm progresses along its lifecycle stages, possesses state ownership (formal links with the government), or exhibits a high degree of board network centrality (informal links with other stakeholders). Our study contributes to the literature by offering important theoretical and practical implications and further refines RDT in the context of green innovation.
Author(s): Yang Y, Jiang Y
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Business Strategy and the Environment
Year: 2025
Pages: Epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 03/11/2025
Acceptance date: 08/10/2025
Date deposited: 17/10/2025
ISSN (print): 0964-4733
ISSN (electronic): 1099-0836
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70313
DOI: 10.1002/bse.70313
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