Sustainability-Oriented Innovations in large firms. SOI enabling organizational factors

Diplomarbeit aus dem Jahr 2020 im Fachbereich VWL - Innovationsökonomik, Note: 1,3, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: This research seeks to gain insights into the enabling organizational factors of SOI in large firms by answering the following research question: How do large firms enable sustainability-oriented innovation? In this way the broad research question reflects the exploratory character of this study and provides the researcher with the opportunity to narrow the focus on specific organizational factors during the course of the data analysis. The thesis seeks to address the research question by first reviewing the literature in the field of sustainability and innovation. Thereafter, the methodology and choice of the qualitative research design is discussed. Further, the part also elaborates on the selection of the case companies. The next part represents the empirical findings and is followed by a discussion of the results. Concluding this thesis, the key findings will be re-viewed, limitations of the research design discussed, and research and managerial implications highlighted. Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in sustainability-oriented innovations by both academia and practice as a way to address mounting concerns about environmental degradation, social inequity, and over-consumption of earth s resources. By conducting a multiple case study, this thesis contributes to the still emerging field by examining sustainability-oriented innovation and its enabling organizational factors in the context of large firms. The empirical results reveal an organizational focus on sustainability, which is characterized by strong market-orientation which is supported by a variety of tools and collaborative innovation partnerships. Moreover, the cases highlight a comprehensive integration of the UN sustainable development goals in several enabling factors of sustainability-oriented innovations.