Business and International Management, Strategy and Management
27
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Configurations for green innovation: Assessing the impact of supply, demand, and institutional factors in domestic and exporting companies Nuno Fernandes Crespo, Ahmad Abedrabu Al-Deaja, Pedro Sánchez-Sellero International Business Review, 2026 This study examines how domestic and exporting companies differ in the factors that promote the implementation of green innovation strategies. Employing fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the results reveal five configurations for domestic firms and nine for exporting firms as conditions for implementing green innovation strategies. Internal R&D and quality products consistently emerge as core conditions, while several conditions, such as external R&D, R&D cooperation, technology development, market share, or public financial support are considered enablers of green innovation in most configurations but are also absent in specific causal configurations. This suggests that their influence is contingent on context and their interaction with other factors, rather than on their standalone effect. These findings confirm the configurational nature of ecological conditions and extend both the Resource-Based View and the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) by explaining how these condition bundles differ between domestic and exporting firms.
Driving international performance in stormy times: the role of strategic agility and international vision Dinis Macedo, Nuno Fernandes Crespo Review of Managerial Science, 2026 Recent global events have focused attention on significant challenges across social, economic, political, and environmental dimensions. Health and war crises have sparked extensive discussions within the business community on how to deal with the uncertainty and volatility. In response, companies are increasingly emphasizing the need for strategic agility to adapt quickly to dynamic market conditions, particularly crucial in competitive international markets. Effective adaptation requires organizational structures that integrate diverse perspectives to interpret global trends and respond proactively. Embracing an international perspective enables companies to align their strategies with the varied needs of global markets. International New Ventures (INVs) exemplify this by leveraging their agility to innovate continuously and sustain competitiveness amidst disruptions. This study examines how strategic agility and international vision contribute to a firm´s international performance. Using structural equation modeling on 289 Portuguese INVs, we explore their impact on international business model adaptation and international performance. Our findings enrich the theoretical understanding of organizational dynamics and offer practical insights for optimizing strategies in dynamic global environments.
Sustainable Innovation and Impact on Triple Bottom Line Performance: Are Innovation Types Simple Mediators? Nuno Fernandes Crespo, Lucas Bonacina Roldan Business Strategy and the Environment, 2026 This study investigates the way sustainable innovation, conceptualized as a second‐order construct integrating sustainable orientation and innovation culture, impacts triple bottom line (TBL) performance. It also examines the mediating roles of product, process, organizational, and marketing innovations. Data from 404 manufacturing firms were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM). Empirical findings show that sustainable innovation drives all four types of innovation, and these innovation types have also positive effects on TBL outcomes. Interestingly, the results also reveal an inverted U‐shaped effect between sustainable innovation and multiple innovation types (product, process, and organizational), indicating that although sustainable innovation enhances performance through multiple innovation types, excessive emphasis may lead to diminishing returns and resource inefficiencies. The study contributes theoretically to the literature in innovation and sustainability by framing sustainable innovation as multidimensional and identifying mediating pathways to performance, while highlighting boundary conditions through the “too‐much‐of‐a‐good‐thing” effect. From a practical standpoint, the findings suggest that managers should monitor for signs of overextension in sustainability‐driven innovation efforts, while policymakers should design balanced sustainability policies that avoid excessive regulatory pressure and unintended compliance burdens.
Enhancing sustainable performance through sustainable business model innovation Bruno Futre, Nuno Fernandes Crespo Journal of Small Business Management, 2026 In recent years, we have observed a decline in environmental conditions. Both governments and societies have increasingly focused on this issue, seeing entrepreneurship as a key approach to achieving sustainable development. Drawing on the natural resource-based view theory and stakeholder theory, this study explores the central role of sustainable business model innovation (SBMI) in new ventures’ efforts to become more sustainable. Using data from 1,172 new ventures gathered from a survey, we tested the hypothesized framework with the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Our findings show that the results of SBMI mediate the relationship between the strategic orientations (toward entrepreneurship and sustainability) and support from different stakeholder types (family, society, and government) and their sustainable performance. Our study offers insights for entrepreneurs and managers of new ventures who pursue sustainability as a cornerstone of their business.
The role of entrepreneurial alertness and temporal focus in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship in young family firms Bruno Futre, Nuno Fernandes Crespo Journal of Family Business Management, 2025 Purpose This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness, long-term and short-term focus and sustainable entrepreneurship in the context of young family firms. Additionally, we investigate how family management and long-term/short-term focus moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness and sustainable entrepreneurship. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing sustainable entrepreneurship in family firms. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative study investigated 707 young family firms in Portugal. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results indicate a positive relationship between young family firms’ entrepreneurial alertness and sustainable entrepreneurship. Also relevant is that long-term focus is positively related to sustainable entrepreneurship, while short-term focus shows a negative relationship, challenging the temporal ambidexterity of new ventures. Conversely, two moderating effects were found: family management weakens and short-term focus strengthens the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness and sustainable entrepreneurship. Originality/value As far as we know, this study is the first one to explore the link between the entrepreneurial alertness of young family firms and sustainable entrepreneurship. It is also the first study to explore the contradictory impacts of both long-term focus and short-term focus on sustainable entrepreneurship.
Non-Fungible Tokens and Consumer Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda Paul Griffiths, Nuno Fernades Crespo, Carlos J. Costa International Journal of Consumer Studies, 2025 Non‐fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital artifacts built on blockchain technology that have achieved notoriety for their rapid consumer adoption, technical sophistication, and dramatic price swings. This paper synthesizes contemporary academic research on NFT consumer behavior to better understand the current state of the field, to explore its focus and quality, and to identify the authors and subjects that are driving the research. Applying the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR‐4‐SLR) protocol and using an ACO‐TCM framework systematic review of literature, this study of 53 curated articles organizes the existing body of research on NFT consumer behavior to identify current themes and gaps in the academic literature, finding ample opportunities for further research. Finally, this paper proposes areas for further study based on the emerging opportunities in research streams, both in depth and in breadth, concerning NFT consumer behavior.
Unveiling the power of supplier-country image on B2B customers' perceptions: Beyond the product's beauty Cátia Fernandes Crespo, Nuno Fernandes Crespo, Susana C. Silva International Business Review, 2025 Researchers in business-to-business (B2B) sectors often assume that findings regarding country-of-origin (COO) effects on end consumers can be directly applied to the industrial marketing context. This tendency to generalize can result in an inaccurate understanding of how buyers perceive COO information in B2B scenarios. This study investigates the effect of supplier-country image on international customers’ perceptions of both perceived product quality and relationship quality in a B2B market environment. We further examine the consequences of perceived product quality and relationship quality on supplier awareness and customer loyalty. Data collected from 182 international B2B buyers in the Portuguese footwear, molds, and wood products and furniture industries were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that supplier-country image influences the relationship quality dimensions (trust, commitment, and satisfaction) and perceived product quality. Moreover, trust and commitment enhance customer loyalty, while trust and satisfaction leverage supplier awareness. In contrast, perceived product quality only influences customer loyalty, albeit to a weaker extent. Thus, relationship quality plays a more significant role than perceived product quality in influencing supplier awareness and customer loyalty in B2B environments. These results challenge the notion that the impact of COO on end consumers can be equally applied in B2B contexts, and they expand our understanding of how supplier-country image affects relationship quality in the industrial setting. Furthermore, they draw managers’ attention to the importance of mitigating a potentially negative COO image through measures aimed at improving relationships. • COO image influences the relationship quality dimensions. • COO image affects perceived product quality. • Trust, commitment, and satisfaction enhance customer loyalty. • Trust and satisfaction leverage supplier’s awareness. • Relationship quality is more influent than perceived product quality in B2B markets.
Changing the sails to survive the storm: Strategies that foster international business model innovation during a crisis Nuno Fernandes Crespo, Cátia Fernandes Crespo, Graça Silva, Beatriz Barros Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 2024 Persisting global crises, such as COVID-19, pose significant challenges for international companies. The increase in uncertainty and instability in foreign markets has profoundly affected firms' strategic decisions, forcing them to adapt to dynamic conditions in order to maintain or improve their international performance. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities view, this study examines how exploration and exploitation strategies drive international business model innovation, ultimately affecting international performance and expectations concerning crisis survival during the COVID-19 crisis.Utilizing survey data from 1455 internationalized companies, we use structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. The results show that, although both exploration and exploitation strategies foster international business model innovation, exploration has a stronger effect than exploitation. The results further emphasize that international business model innovation has a positive impact not only on the expectation of crisis survival but also on the international performance.
Behind the bubble: Exploring the motivations of NFT buyers Paul Griffiths, Carlos J. Costa, Nuno Fernandes Crespo Computers in Human Behavior, 2024 Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represent a multibillion-dollar global market. While considerable speculation exists about the future utility of NFTs, there has been limited research into the consumer behaviors of market participants. This research paper examines the motivations of NFT buyers through the lens of self-determination theory. Using a sample of 482 participants, the authors tested a conceptual framework to better understand both NFT buyers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. This study expands the literature on NFTs in three different ways: i) it is the first study, as far as we know, to focus exclusively on NFT buyers and their motivations in purchasing NFTs; ii) it explores a variety of potential motivations theorized in the literature; and iii) it tests the expected future value of NFTs as both a motivation and as a moderator for NFT buyers. The authors determined that intrinsic motivation had the most substantial effect on purchase intention, and the expectations of NFTs’ future value positively moderated the effect of amotivation on purchase intention. In contrast, high expectations of future value moderated the effect of external regulation on purchase intention. The results suggest that NFT buyers are not as impacted by potential social or monetary gain as often characterized in the academic literature but behave more like traditional buyers of luxury goods.
