Purpose Rising environmental degradation and increasing stakeholder scrutiny are prompting organizations to use corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a strategic tool to enhance environmental performance. However, empirical evidence on the mechanisms through which CSR drives environmental sustainability in the hospitality industry of developing countries remain limited. Addressing this gap, the present study aims to investigate the effect of CSR on environmental performance in Pakistan's hospitality industry. Drawing on the natural resource-based view, stakeholder theory and the dynamic capabilities view, the study further explores the serial mediating role of green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) and green intellectual capital (GIC) in this relationship. Additionally, it examines if artificial intelligence (AI) change readiness strengthens the CSR–GEO relationship and whether green value co-creation enhances the influence of GIC on environmental performance. Design/methodology/approach This study used a time-lagged, multi-respondent dataset of 371 hotels collected over 3 waves. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings The results confirm that CSR not only exerts a significant direct positive effect on environmental performance but also influences it indirectly through the serial mediation of GEO and GIC. Moreover, AI change readiness positively moderates the relationship between CSR and GEO, indicating that digital adaptability strengthens the relationship between CSR and green strategic orientation. Conversely, green value co-creation does not moderate the GIC–environmental performance link, suggesting its limited boundary-spanning effect in this context. Originality/value This study offers novel insights by empirically validating a serial mediation pathway – via GEO and GIC – between CSR and environmental performance in an underexplored service sector context. It emphasizes the strategic significance of internal green capabilities, including GEO and GIC, as well as AI change readiness, in advancing environmental objectives within the hospitality industry.
Aftab et al. (Mon,) studied this question.