The role of green finance, infrastructure, and technological capabilities in enhancing competitiveness resilience of Pakistani manufacturing firms: a sequential mediation-moderation analysis

The present study investigates the strategic mechanisms employed by manufacturing firms to transform green finance initiatives into resilient capabilities amidst prolonged turbulence. Drawing from the resource-based view and the integration-responsiveness framework, the study explores the impact of green finance and green and blue infrastructure on sustainable competitive advantages and resilience amid ongoing political and economic uncertainty in Pakistan, with additional moderation by smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms capabilities. Data were collected from 390 executives in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan, and the analysis was conducted through a two-stage structural equation modeling-artificial neural network approach. The findings reveal that green and blue infrastructure acts as mediators in the relationship between green finance and firms' competitive advantages and resilience. Furthermore, sustainable competitive advantages sequentially mediate the relationship from green finance to green/blue infrastructure and subsequently to firm resilience. Organizational smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms capabilities moderate these relationships, strengthening the association between green/blue infrastructure, competitive advantages, and firm resilience. Apart from providing empirical insights, this study offers actionable guidance for corporate executives and policymakers, emphasizing the strategic importance of green finance in boosting organizational performance amidst the challenging environment of political and economic uncertainty within the manufacturing sector.