Managers’ Attitudes on Sustainable Development Concept Application in Trading Companies

Abstract

Trading companies face various challenges brought by the modern environment. For this reason, the trading company managers try to adapt their business to various requirements of the environment. This is supported by the fact that recently there has been a global change in the structure of retail, with evidence in the following examples: new sales formats have appeared, there are new categories of retail companies, sales facilities are modernized, soft information is emphasized, flexibility and innovation in business are encouraged, the role of interest groups is valued, unpredictability is accepted as the norm of functioning, the offer of trade mark products is expanded, etc. However, as economic, environmental and social problems gain more and more importance, another very important topic that captures the attention of business managers is sustainable development concept application. Doing business in accordance with the rules of sustainable development implies that trading companies base their work on ecological and moral principles of sustainable social communities. In accordance with the importance that sustainable development concept has today, the aim of the paper is based on the analysis of attitudes of employees in management positions in trading companies in the Republic of Serbia regarding the application of economic, ecological and social dimensions of sustainable development. The research results showed that the application of certain elements of sustainable development basic dimensions in their trading companies has been evaluated by the managers as good.