THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON GREEN AMBIDEXTROUS INNOVATION IN ENTERPRISES WITHIN NORTHERN VIETNAM’S INDUSTRIAL ZONES

Authors: Thi-Trang-Nhung Nguyen*, Anh-Dat Tran, Minh-Hang Nguyen & Thu-Phuong Nguyen

ABSTRACT

This study examined the impact of environmental social responsibility on ambidextrous green innovation among enterprises operating in Northern Vietnam’s Industrial Zones. Building on foundational theories, including stakeholder theory, organizational learning theory, dynamic capability theory, and ambidexterity theory, the study develops an integrated theoretical model in which environmental social responsibility serves as the independent variable, ambidextrous green innovation as the dependent variable, and green learning orientation, green intellectual capital, and green knowledge acquisition as mediating variables. Research data were collected from 474 valid survey responses from enterprises located in Northern Vietnam’s Industrial Zones and were analyzed using Cronbach’s Alpha, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SPSS and AMOS. The findings indicate that environmental social responsibility has a positive and statistically significant impact on the mediating variables, with the strongest effect observed on green learning orientation, followed by green knowledge acquisition and green intellectual capital. These mediating factors, in turn, further promote firms’ ambidextrous green innovation. The study contributes to the growing body of empirical evidence on the mechanism through which environmental social responsibility is transformed into green innovation outcomes in the context of industrial enterprises in Vietnam. It also offers several managerial implications to enhance innovation capability and foster sustainable development.

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