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The study of barriers and drivers of Russian SMEs’ environmentally responsible behavior is essential, since this business cluster is characterized by low information openness and transparency. The goal of the study was to research attitudes of owners and managers of Russian SMEs of different sizes towards diverse factors of internal and external business environment acting as barriers and drivers of SMEs’ environmentally responsible behavior. In this context, the following research tasks were set: to identify the significance of factors in SMEs’ external and internal environment (drivers and barriers) shaping their commitment to environmentally responsible practices after analyzing a broad range of publications in the corresponding scientific domain; to compare analytical results from reviewing academic publications to findings from the empirical study of Russian SMEs’ views and opinions. The research methods were questionnaire and interviews among representatives of 151 and 20 Russian SMEs respectively. The study revealed that the majority of respondents marked factors of external business environment, first of all, actions of federal and local authorities, as most significant barriers and drivers of environmentally responsible behavior of Russian SMEs of all sizes. They also mentioned “the culture of responsible production and consumption” in this regard. Market conditions (competition, opportunities of concluding contracts within the network of responsible suppliers, etc.) can be ranked second by their significance according to respondents’ answers. Factors of internal business environment (financial, human resources, time resources, etc.) are significantly less often perceived by SMEs’ representatives as drivers and barriers for their organizations’ green business practices. In contrast to other developing market economies, where SMEs include large corporations, business associations and technological, demographic and religion factors, along with governmental activities, into the list of important drivers for environmentally responsible behavior, the priority of authorities’ actions is absolute in the ranks of Russian SMEs in this regard. Employees of micro businesses were different in their estimations of restraints to environmentally responsible behavior, as well as of benefits that their firms may get from environmentally responsible initiatives, than their colleagues from medium-sized companies. The latter group increasingly relies on international organizations’ and UN recommendations, as well as competitors’ adherence to green practices. Research outcomes allow to conclude that if large corporations within Russia consider expansion of cooperation opportunities for responsible suppliers from the SMEs segment, while professional associations and communities boost efforts for increasing their awareness and knowledge of environmentally responsible practices, the degree of Russian SMEs interest to green projects and practices may become considerably higher.

Департамент корпоративных финансов и корпоративного управления, Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации, Россия a Л. М. ЧЕГЛАКОВА, О. А. МЕЛИТОНЯН Факультет бизнеса и менеджмента, Национальный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики», Россия b При изучении социально ответственного поведения компаний необходимо учитывать влияние институциональной среды, в формировании которой национальная культура играет существенную роль. В статье рассматриваются социально ответственное поведение и деятельность российских предприятий малого и среднего бизнеса с учетом особенностей национальной культуры. Предложены эмпирические индикаторы и измерительные шкалы для соотнесения социально ответственного поведения компаний данного сегмента бизнеса в России с пятью измерениями Г. Хофстеде. Анализ проводился на основе массива данных из 61 интервью собственников и менеджеров компаний, сбор которых был осуществлен в 2015 и 2017 гг. Вывод авторов состоит в том, что черты социально ответственного поведения компаний малого и среднего бизнеса практически полностью совпадают с профилем российской национальной культуры в кросскультурных координатах Г. Хофстеде. Различия выявлены по параметрам «дистанция власти» и «маскулинность/феминность». Ключевые слова: предприятия малого и среднего бизнеса, предпринимательство, социально ответственный бизнес, корпоративная социальная ответственность, национальная культура, измерения Г. Хофстеде, институциональная теория.

This chapter focuses on identifying motivation for socially responsible behavior in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Russia. It also investigates the attitudes of owners and executives of Russian SMEs toward the concepts of business ethics and social responsibility of business. A research set the background of this chapter, including the gathering of primary data through 57 focused interviews. Results of a critical analysis conclude that top managers and owners of Russian SMEs do not thoroughly understand these concepts. However, it also shows that they do not neglect them. Research findings point to a growing level of adherence to the principles of business ethics and responsible behavior. There is strong evidence showing motivation for following principles of ethical and responsible behavior. In addition to an understanding of legal requirements, company owners and top managers are finding that positive relationships between firms and stakeholders are crucial for sustainable performance.

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