Foreign ownership, board of directors and environment commitment in European international new ventures

Abstract

This study examines the effect of foreign ownership and the presence of a board of directors on commitment to environmental issues and export intensity. Based on a robust path analysis of 181 international new ventures spanning 25 European countries, it is found that foreign ownership significantly boosts the environmental commitment and exports of this breed of firms. On the contrary, board of directors bears no relationship with the aforementioned outcomes. Theoretically, this paper expands the international entrepreneurship discourse by uncommonly investigating environmental issues in the context of international new ventures. Practically, insights are offered to owners/managers of international new ventures to reflect on the distinctive value of foreign ownership and board of directors in their environmental and internationalisation agenda. Regional policymakers’ attention is drawn to the contribution of foreign ownership as a harbinger of environmental performance and greater export intensity.