Environmental sustainability research in international business and strategy: a bibliometric analysis and integrated framework

Purpose While research on environmental sustainability in international business (IB) and strategy has gained momentum, the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in advancing sustainability remains contested. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of environmental sustainability research in IB and the environmental strategy choices of MNEs. Design/methodology/approach The author conducted a bibliometric analysis of 232 papers from 13 IB and strategy journals over the past 50 years (1973–2023). The author used the first and second-order themes and sub-themes to develop an integrated framework for adopting environmental strategies. Findings The author unveil the descriptive, conceptual, intellectual and social structures of the corporate environmental sustainability research trajectory. Moreover, based on the conceptual and intellectual structures, the author have developed an integrated framework that highlights the individual, interactive and dynamic roles of country- and firm-level enablers and inhibitors in explaining the MNE’s adoption of higher- or lower-, or mixed-order environmental strategies. The environmental strategy choices are dynamic and evolve in response to changing configurations of country- and firm-level enablers and inhibitors, as well as in response to the underlying context. Originality/value The contribution lies in providing a holistic understanding of environmental sustainability research in IB and strategy, and in developing a novel, dynamic MNE-specific 2x2 framework that explains MNEs’ environmental strategy choices. The framework enables managers to choose their environmental strategies based on firm- and country-level enablers and inhibitors, as well as the evolving nature of these enablers and inhibitors. The author also suggest future research opportunities in this area.