Green organizational antecedents of managerially perceived green brand image in wineries: a dual-path mediation analysis through green knowledge management

Purpose This study examines the relationships between green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO), green transformational leadership (GTL), green knowledge management (GKM) and managerially perceived green brand image (GBI) in Spanish wineries. Specifically, it analyses the associations of GEO and GTL with GKM and GBI, as well as the mediating role of GKM in the relationships between GEO and GBI and between GTL and GBI. Age, size and membership in a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) are also included as control variables. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model integrating the knowledge-based view and the natural resource-based view was tested using PLS-SEM on single-informant survey data collected from 207 Spanish wineries. Findings The results indicate that GKM is positively associated with managerially perceived GBI. GEO and GTL also show positive relationships with both GKM and GBI. In addition, GKM partially mediates the relationships between GEO and GBI and between GTL and GBI, operating as a shared organizational mechanism across two indirect pathways. GEO shows a numerically stronger association with GKM, whereas GTL shows a numerically stronger direct association with GBI. Among the control variables, only firm size shows a significant positive relationship with GBI. The findings provide evidence concerning managerial assessments of environmental brand positioning, while warranting caution regarding causality and external stakeholder views. Originality/value This study offers a context-specific contribution by examining GEO and GTL as distinct organizational antecedents of managerially perceived GBI and GKM as a shared mechanism linking both antecedents to GBI.