Regulation has been an important instrument in pushing the business community towards improved environmental performance. However, there has also been increasing pressure from a growing number of stakeholders, including employees, customers, neighbours, NGOs etc. In order to improve corporate relationships with various stakeholders, companies need to be able to identify these stakeholders and assess their influence. The first part of this paper will discuss the relevant theory and introduce a model to analyse and identify the most significant stakeholder groups and their influence on corporate behaviour. Based on a recent survey of Danish companies, the second part of the paper will report on the success of a variety of stakeholders in forcing companies to introduce environment-related initiatives. The results will then be discussed in light of the theory and other reported results. The paper closes with a discussion of research implications.

While industry leaders proactively address environmental issues as an integrated part of corporate strategy, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often perceive it as a means of cost reduction. The aim of this paper is to track the development of motivators, environmental initiatives, and their perceived effects on competitive advantage among SMEs. For that purpose, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of 4 repeated surveys over a period of 14 years among Danish manufacturing SMEs. Results show that Danish SMEs have increasingly deployed environmental initiatives that are associated with both lower costs and a differentiation dimensions of competitive advantage. The study also shows that over managerial attitudes, strategic intent has been the main driver when adopting such initiatives. Furthermore, we found that despite some differences between small and medium-sized firms in terms of the levels of environmental engagement, the competitive benefits are generally robust regarding firm size. Before concluding, implications for future research and corporate managers are pointed out.

The normal-exposed Hellmann raingauge only catches about 85% of the true precipitation on yearly basis. This is mainly due to aerodynamic effects. A statistical model analysing the ratio of the daily amounts of precipitation measured at ground level and at standard height is set up for describing this influence. Corrections due to liquid and solid precipitation and three different kind of exposures are presented. Further the statistical errors on the corrections are estimated.

Wind induced errors in precipitation measurements result in systematic deficits, which are particularly large when the precipitation falls as snow combined with high wind speed. The actual magnitude of the deficit can amount to more than half of the true precipitation. In order to correct for these deficits, newly developed statistical models for solid and mixed precipitation are presented; together with a correction model for liquid precipitation presented earlier, a comprehensive system of correction models is now available. Statistical errors on the corrections are estimated.

The education and training of the workforce has long been recognised as an essential ingredient in promoting and implementing environmental management practices in business organisations. So far, however, even in leading companies, little information has been available on how environmental management practice and related educational and training requirements are translated into the provision of training courses by educational institutions. To address this important question an EU‐sponsored research project was initiated. The project has focused on senior environmental managers; middle (predominantly technical) managers; and skilled and semi‐skilled workers and lower categories of managers. It has been based partly on interviews in a small number of European companies as well as educational and training institutions, and partly on more large‐scale questionnaire surveys. This paper briefly describes the background of the overall project, and in more detail a questionnaire‐based survey on environmental attitudes and training interests among Danish workers.

The Hellmann gauges have been widely used as the official precipitation measurement instruments in 30 countries. From 1986 to 1993, the accuracy and performance of the Hellmann gauges were evaluated during the WMO Solid Precipitation Measurement Intercomparison at 4 stations in Finland, Russia, Germany, and Croatia. The double fence intercomparison reference (DFIR) was the reference standard used at all the Intercomparison stations. The data for the Hellmann gauges were compiled from measurements made at the 4 WMO intercomparison sites. These data represent a variety of climates, terrains and exposures. The effects of meteorological factors, such as wind speed, type of precipitation and temperature, on gauge catch efficiency were investigated. For snow and mixed precipitation, wind speed was found to be the most important factor determining the gauge catch and air temperature had a secondary effect. The relations of gauge catch ratio versus wind speed and temperature on a daily time scale were derived and presented for snow and mixed precipitation. Independent tests of the relations have been conducted at the WMO intercomparison stations and reasonable agreement between the corrected precipitation and the DFIR observation has been obtained. These relations are therefore recommended to be used for test correction of gauge measured data. It is expected that implementation of these correction procedures to the current and archived records will significantly improve the accuracy and homogeneity of precipitation data.

In 1989 Mitton suggested that success for start-ups not only depends on who you are but also on whom you know. To study the importance of social capital and networks in relation to entrepreneurial activities, research in a Danish start-up context in two knowledge-intensive sectors has been carried out. The research methodology was based on a triangulation approach including a general questionnaire-based survey conducted through the Internet combined with a 85 in-depth interviews in purposefully sampled ventures. The analysis of the content and structure of social capital in relation to entrepreneurial networking activities in new technology-based small firms shows that teams are primarily composed of 'trusted alters', and that networking patterns and resource acquisition are highly influenced by entrepreneurs' attitude to and perception of networking.

This paper discusses human capital in connection with the entrepreneurial processes in knowledge‐based new ventures. Until recently, research on the founding of new ventures has focused mainly on the personal characteristics of entrepreneurs, but this trait approach tends to underestimate the role of crucial skills. The findings of this paper suggest that it is not so much inherent personality traits that influence the foundation and growth of new ventures as previous employment and entrepreneurial experience. The longer the career path prior to founding the venture, the more experience an entrepreneur has accumulated. Age thus seems to have a positive influence on the success of a newly founded venture. Furthermore, the dimensions of human capital, experience and previous employment seem to be essential in building the networks that help secure both early and continuing finance for the ventures.