Two Decades of Sustainability Management Tools for SMEs: How Far Have We Come?

Johnson, Matthew; Schaltegger, Stefan

doi:10.1111/jsbm.12154

Cited by 239 publications

(226 citation statements)

References 145 publications

(488 reference statements)

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“…Regardless of the size of the company, strategic management of sustainability helps reduce use of scarce resources, save money, and increase benefits for both society and employees [5,6]. Numerous scholars have emphasized the importance of sustainability management in SMEs [7]. The incorporation of sustainability into business activity improves their competitive position vis-a-vis large-scale enterprises [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Management with the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard in SMEs: Findings from an Austrian Case Study

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Given the economic importance of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and their need for strategic sustainability management, this paper examines the concept of Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) with respect to SMEs. This case study describes the development of an SBSC in a middle-sized Austrian brewery. The existing methods used in SBSC creation were adapted to suit the company's specific needs. The findings show that when developing an SBSC it is important to take specific SME characteristics into account and apply methods that allow for adaptation to the prevailing conditions, such as strategic management, organizational structure and resources. In the case study special attention was paid to strategy analysis and thereby the creation of a solid basis for the SBSC. Furthermore, the results show SBSC development is not a process of distinct consecutive steps, as it is often suggested in the literature, but rather that it is a complex process marked by iterative steps. Moreover, the paper highlights the supporting factors and challenges experienced. Whereas top management support, the presence of a project team and high employee involvement were identified as key supporting factors, a lack of specific resources and blurry strategy formulation exert negative influence on the development process. The results presented here should help other SMEs in their development of an SBSC. The paper stimulates scientific discourse on sustainability and strategic management by highlighting the relevant supporting factors and challenges.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Management with the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard in SMEs: Findings from an Austrian Case Study

et al. 2016

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“…If we turn the attention to the sustainability management tools implemented within SMEs, we should highlight that a recent research (Johnson and Schaltegger, 2016), analyzing two decades of sustainability management tools for SMEs, reveals that many of these tools are perceived to have little to no implementation in SMEs and that only a small set of experimenter firms use these tools. Johnson, in its research on German SMEs (Johnson, 2015), found that the rate of awareness and implementation of the sustainability management of managers is lacking.…”

Section: A Literature Review Of Studies On the Management And Reportimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several are the innovative sustainability management tools that a SME could adopt. For a review, see Passetti et al, 2014;Johnson, 2015;Johnson and Schaltegger, 2016. Note 3. In literature, the firms' motives to engage in sustainability are briefly ascribed to two kind of factors: external factors and internal factors (Thijssens et al, 2016).…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Conceptual Model of Forces Driving the Introduction of a Sustainability Report in SMEs: Evidence from a Case Study

Caputo¹,

Veltri²,

Venturelli³

2017

IBR

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The paper aims to depict the forces responsible for an effective introduction of a sustainability report within SMEs. The paper's aim is addressed employing the case study methodology. In detail an Italian SME considered a best practice in introducing sustainability innovations has been selected and analyzed. The main outcome of the paper is to use the case study evidence to construct a conceptual model highlighting the forces that drive companies to introduce innovative sustainable management tools. The conceptual model emphasizes as driving forces the capability of the firm to engage with its stakeholders, together with some relevant managerial and organizational features. The adoption of sustainable management tools is the outcome of a strategic alignment of corporate and sustainable strategy, and of the organizational capability to carry on effectively social and environmental responsibility (SER) activities based on the firm's SER critical dimensions.

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“…However, many organisations are still not active in this area-and many of these organisations are SMEs [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. SMEs find it particularly challenging to develop and implement environmental sustainability initiatives due to their specific characteristics e.g., limited financial and human resources, lack of expertise in sustainability, and lack of awareness about their own sustainability impacts [29,30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, in the UK it has been estimated that SMEs contribute up to 70% of all industrial pollution [64][65][66][67][68]. This suggests that research should focus on implementation of environmental management in these smaller companies as well as in the larger companies [25,[69][70][71].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective Life Cycle Management in SMEs: Use of a Sector-Based Approach to Overcome Barriers

2018

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Abstract:One approach to incorporate sustainability in organisations is the implementation of life cycle management (LCM). LCM involves sharing responsibility for addressing environmental impacts across the entire supply chain of products and services, extending from raw material extraction to end-of-life of the product. The New Zealand primary sector relies heavily on natural resources and provides about 70% of the country's export revenue. Most companies in primary industry sectors in New Zealand are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Successful sector-wide uptake of LCM can potentially facilitate effective measurement and management of environmental impacts caused by this sector. The aim of this research was to identify the barriers and enablers to successful LCM uptake by New Zealand primary sector SMEs within a sector-based context. An extensive review of the literature was undertaken in the areas of change management for SMEs and supply chain management. The main factors influencing successful LCM uptake include owner/manager influence, environmental culture, resource availability, future orientation, knowledge of environmental issues, market requirements, geographical separation of production and consumption, awareness of own environmental issues and communication/information sharing. This paper forms the basis for future research and development of tools for the effective implementation of sector based approaches to LCM in the primary industry. The results of this research include a capability maturity model and the development of a cloud based platform for collaboration and communication around LCM.Keywords: life cycle management (LCM); sector-based approach (SBA); sustainability; agriculture; small and medium sized enterprise (SME); supply chain management (SCM)

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Two Decades of Sustainability Management Tools for SMEs: How Far Have We Come?

Cited by 239 publications

References 145 publications

Sustainability Management with the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard in SMEs: Findings from an Austrian Case Study

Sustainability Management with the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard in SMEs: Findings from an Austrian Case Study

A Conceptual Model of Forces Driving the Introduction of a Sustainability Report in SMEs: Evidence from a Case Study

Effective Life Cycle Management in SMEs: Use of a Sector-Based Approach to Overcome Barriers

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