Bibliometric Review of Natural Resource-Based View as an Environmental Sustainability-Based Management Approach

Abstract

Purpose - To describe the current state, thematic research clusters, development trends, and future directions of the Natural Resource-Based View literature from a macro perspective to guide researchers who wish to work in the field. This purpose is based on the fact that the Natural Resource-Based View is one of the management theories developed under the umbrella of management sciences and guiding the practice for businesses to aim for environmental sustainability and to be managed sustainably, as well as its increasing popularity in recent years. Design/Methodology/Approach – The study, in which the bibliometric analysis method is preferred, was conducted in Web of Science and Scopus databases and covers the period between 1995, when the Natural Resource-Based View was first introduced, and 31.12.2023. Descriptive analyses, source analyses, author analyses, document analyses, author keyword analyses, citation analyses, co-citation analyses, and co-word analyses were applied to the study. Bibliometrix package based on R programming software was preferred for data analysis and mapping. Findings - Regarding the three research questions that were determined, the journals and authors who dominate the field in terms of the number of highly effective publications and citations were revealed. The studies that can be expressed as the building blocks in the field, guiding and intellectually nourishing the field, have been reached. In addition, thematic research clusters in the literature and future directions in the field have been explored. Discussion - Green innovation, circular economy, firm performance, and corporate social responsibility stand out as the most current topics in the literature. The future directions and trends of the literature are to improve firms' environmental, financial, and firm performance through green innovation and to create a circular economy. In addition, sustainability practices, which are generally carried out by large-scale firms, are expanding to include SMEs. Based on the results, it is recommended that researchers focus on green innovation and performance issues in the context of SMEs.