Commitment to Sustainability in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: The Influence of Strategic Orientations and Management Values

Abstract

Ecosystem degradation and social sustainability have become important issues in the corporate sphere during the last few decades. However, research discussing corporate social responsibility and related concepts has often focused on larger companies, sometimes neglecting the specifics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between two common strategic orientations, market orientation (MO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO), in relation to sustainability commitment, sustainability practices and management values in SMEs. Questionnaire responses from 450 Swedish SMEs were analyzed, confirming the influence of MO, EO and sustainability practices on commitment to sustainability, implying that firms committed to sustainability see both market and entrepreneurial advantages of sustainability. The results also show that different parts of MO and EO differ in importance for commitment to sustainability among SMEs. Implications concern the importance for firms and policymakers to work with sustainability issues using both internal and external perspectives.

Entrepreneurial orientation and engagement of Pakistani small and medium enterprises in sustainable development practices: Mediating role of knowledge management

“…Moreover, KM is positively associated with each dimension of SD (a) environment ( β = 0.369, t = 4.778, p < 0.001), (b) human resource management ( β = 0.532, t = 4.955, p < 0.001), and (c) community and local development ( β = 0.812, t = 12.518, p < 0.001). These findings meant that businesses, which promote their management to explore, exchange, and implement the new knowledge (whether this knowledge is about the business process, business policies, technological developments, or other new trends in the business environment), are more likely to engaged in SD practices, especially regarding environment, human resource management, community and local development, and can become unique and gain competitive edge in this contemporary business environment (Ayuso & Navarrete‐Báez, ; Jansson et al, ), hence proved H2a, H2b, and H2c.…”

“…EO encourages environmental and social welfare practices (Hernández‐Perlines & Rung‐Hoch, ; Jansson et al, ). Organizations withstand to EO and sustainable environmental practices would get market and entrepreneurial advantage for longer run (Jansson et al, ). Organizations focused on sustainable entrepreneurship sets guidelines for green‐oriented firms (Silajdžić, Kurtagić, & Vučijak, ).…”

Effects of Socially Responsible Supplier Development and Sustainability‐Oriented Innovation on Sustainable Development: Empirical Evidence from SMEs

“…Companies that regard sustainability as an important innovation issue are more likely to acquire long-term competitiveness and growth opportunities (Provasnek et al, 2016). For SMEs that adopt a sustainable, entrepreneurially oriented strategy, engaging in SOI practices can increase their commitment to sustainability and develop their dynamic capabilities, thereby improving their competitive advantage (Ko and Liu, 2016;Jansson et al, 2017). Given the importance of SOIs for the long-term survival of SMEs, it is necessary to further clarify the innovative approaches and tools used by SMEs that lack resources (Halme and Korpela, 2014;Johnson, 2015).…”

Desired, Perceived, and Achieved Sustainability: Trade-Offs in Strategic and Operational Packaging Development

“…For a successful integration of sustainability into development processes (from desired to achieved sustainability), management commitment is essential, according to for instance Hallstedt et al (2013) [11], Jansson et al (2017) [34], and Johansson (2002) [8]. However, structures and procedures to systematically align management's desired sustainability with operational development processes are lacking in the researched cases.…”