Why and How Does Social Responsibility Differ Among SMEs? A Social Capital Systemic Approach

Aragón, Cristina; Cantín, Lorea Narvaiza; Altuna, Maite

doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2632-2

Cited by 32 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…However, to date most academic research has focused on analyzing the phenomenon in large companies, and there are very few studies that address the SME context [4][5][6]. Therefore, the aim of this study is to address this gap and provide further insights through empirical analysis of the outcomes of implementing the concept of sustainability in SMEs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability and Business Outcomes in the Context of SMEs: Comparing Family Firms vs. Non-Family Firms

López-Pérez¹,

Melero‐Polo

Vázquez‐Carrasco

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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Society is demanding more sustainable and socially responsible business models. Therefore, the concept of sustainability has become a cornerstone to help understand the success of many firms in the current competitive context. However, the context of SMEs has received little attention thus far. In order to solve this gap this article analyses the links between sustainability practices and business outcomes—both financial and non-financial (i.e., image and reputation)—for small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the study strives to analyze the potential differences between family firms and non-family firms. To this end, a quantitative study is carried out using PLS techniques to analyze a sample of SME owners and managers with a view to testing the proposed model based on the Stewardship Theory and Socioemotional Wealth Theory. In this sense, our study is pioneering in that it aims to assess—from a quantitative viewpoint—the moderator role of family firms on a series of relevant sustainability-driven outcomes. The data suggest that, in SME contexts, sustainability influences the corporate reputation, brand image, and financial value of the company. Importantly, we find that the profile (family vs. non-family) of the firm moderates the links between sustainability and business outcomes. Hence, our findings have important implications for sustainability implementation in SME contexts. Finally, we provide a series of guidelines aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of sustainability-based business practices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability and Business Outcomes in the Context of SMEs: Comparing Family Firms vs. Non-Family Firms

López-Pérez¹,

Melero‐Polo

Vázquez‐Carrasco

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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“…In the context of SMEs, the owners' values are considered a main source of social responsibility (SR) (Aragón et al 2015; Lepoutre and Heene 2006;Preuss and Perschke 2010). This source is even more relevant in the case of family SMEs, where the overlapping relationships that exist between the family and the firm are at the root of their SR and of their firm's competitiveness (Habbershon and Williams 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Can Responsible Family Ownership be Sustained Across Generations? A Family Social Capital Approach

2017

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“…The family presence in a firm is a differentiating element that is reflected in the background and the number of business goals, which tend to be greater in number and heterogeneity in family firms in comparison to non-family firms [32,33,80]. Although all firms have non-financial goals that generate value for stakeholders, family SMEs, those SMEs with the highest level of family influence, may be more sensitive to responding to stakeholder requirements, due to their proximity, flexibility, and informal mechanisms [15,18,90].…”

Section: Family Influence Acts As a Moderator Of The Relationship Betmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research found that SMEs are less concerned with social and environmental issues [15][16][17]. The reason behind that statement is that SMEs have more limited resources and organizational structures, and are more focused on short term aims, and their survival.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reason behind that statement is that SMEs have more limited resources and organizational structures, and are more focused on short term aims, and their survival. On the other hand, it has been argued that SMEs are more flexible, and more dependent on the requirements of their local communities, meaning that they would be willing to include social and environmental goals in their agenda [12,15,18,19]. Therefore, much more research is still needed on social and environmental issues in SMEs, especially in understanding how SMEs establish their environmental goals [14,20,21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental and Social Goals in Spanish SMEs: The Moderating Effect of Family Influence

Rojas

Lorenzo

2021

Sustainability

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the predominant form of firm in the economy worldwide, so it is becoming increasingly important to understand the role they play in the green transition. It is urgent to understand how SMEs establish their goals that reorient their strategies and activities towards the creation of greater environmental value. From a stakeholder perspective, this study analyzes the environmental and social goals that create value in SMEs. We identify family influence as an important determinant for the establishment of environmental goals in SMEs that has not been sufficiently studied. We tested the hypotheses in a sample of 132 Spanish SMEs. Our findings indicate that setting social goals and having family characteristics have a direct positive effect on the environmental goals of SMEs. In addition, family influence positively moderates the effect of social goals, increasing its effect in the establishment of environmental goals for the creation of value in SMEs. This is due to the desire of family SMEs to increase their socio-emotional wealth and their transgenerational intention by incorporating the requirements of stakeholders. These findings highlight the importance of particularly considering the family characteristics of SMEs when analyzing the role that SMEs play in the green transition and should also be important for policy makers when designing environmental policies.

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Why and How Does Social Responsibility Differ Among SMEs? A Social Capital Systemic Approach

Cited by 32 publications

References 45 publications

Sustainability and Business Outcomes in the Context of SMEs: Comparing Family Firms vs. Non-Family Firms

Sustainability and Business Outcomes in the Context of SMEs: Comparing Family Firms vs. Non-Family Firms

How Can Responsible Family Ownership be Sustained Across Generations? A Family Social Capital Approach

Environmental and Social Goals in Spanish SMEs: The Moderating Effect of Family Influence

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