Abstract:
Purpose – Using the institutional and natural resource-based view theories, the purpose of this study is to
examine the influence of religious, cultural and mimetic orientations on proactive environmental strategy,
corporate environmental responsibility and traditional environmental strategy. Relying on data collected from
managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the study further examines how proactive
environmental strategy, corporate environmental responsibility and traditional environmental strategy drive
relational capital and firm performance of SMEs operating in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a survey research design, a quantitative approach
and a partial least square structural equation modelling technique in making data analysis and interpretations
due to its appropriateness for predictive research models.
Findings –The results suggest that mimetic orientation robustly and significantly influence the dimensions of
environmental orientation. While religious orientation only had a robust and significant influence on proactive
environmental strategy, cultural orientation robustly and significantly influences both proactive and
traditional environmental strategies. Despite the positive and significant interactions that exist between
proactive environmental strategy, corporate environmental responsibility, traditional environmental strategy,
relational capital and firm performance, the findings particularly revealed that proactive and environmental
strategies insignificantly correlated with relational capital contrary to past study findings.
