Based on institutional theory and the dynamic capability view, this study delves into the relationship between a firm’s climate change adaptation (CCA) capability and its performance, with a focus on the mediating influence of business-to-business (B2B) marketing capability. The study poses two main research questions: RQ1: What role do institutional pressures play in fostering CCA capability among B2B firms in both developed and developing countries? RQ2: How does the CCA capability of B2B firms impact their performance? To validate the theoretical model developed, data is collected through surveys conducted in a developed country (Australia) and a developing country (South Africa). The study holds significance on two fronts: (a) being among the first to examine the influence of institutional pressures on CCA capability development, and (b) uncovering the mediating role of marketing capability in enhancing B2B firm performance through CCA capability. The study’s novel contribution lies in identifying pivotal elements for driving exceptional B2B firm performance amidst climate change, while employing institutional theory and the dynamic capability view to elucidate underlying mechanisms.
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The sociomaterial lens within IS research holds that agency should not be considered as a property solely of humans, or of technology, but instead arises from an emergent interaction between the two. This, emergent, account of agency deepens our understanding of unfolding IS practice, but its largely cognitive orientation remains naïve towards affectively-sensed motivations that also form part of this interaction. By implication, a sociomaterial perspective lacking an affective dimension offers an incomplete conceptualisation of information systems. In response, an affectively-informed negative ontology encourages IS researchers to extend their focus beyond the visible, to encompass how actors’ receptiveness towards material objects (discourses, technologies) is shaped by deep, affectively-derived motivations of which they are not focally aware, but which nonetheless acquire agency in contributing to a sociomaterial outcome. A central argument, and illustrative empirical vignette, demonstrate how the concepts of sociomateriality, affect, and negative ontology combine to offer researchers an enhanced understanding of relational agency. A discussion follows, exploring some initial ontological, epistemological and methodological implications of an affectively-informed negative ontology for IS research.
- Research
- Information Systems, Organizational Theory
