Sustainable entrepreneurship in SMEs: a case study analysis

Abstract

Sustainability is oft thought of as the privilege of the large corporate -with suffi cient funds to invest in anything from effective green Public Relations (PR) to improving its carbon footprint. What is perhaps less well-understood and documented is the range of activities undertaken by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including very small entrepreneurial start-ups, some of which base their entire business rationale on sustainable principles. This paper uses a case study approach to explore the modus operandi of ecopreneurship and draws on both primary research and secondary data to develop and explore sustainable entrepreneurship in this sector. Preliminary fi ndings suggest that ecopreneurial SMEs are looking to other goals alongside fi nancial ones and are prepared to go to signifi cant lengths to achieve such goals. Monetary measures are not, of course, entirely absent, but are very strongly conditioned by the ecoconscious nature of the business. In short, sustainability imperatives remain paramount.

Sustainable Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Business Strategic Approach for Sustainable Development

“…However, in this regard, there is no consensus among academics. While Rodgers [95] found that firms with SEO have a risk tolerance over any other entrepreneurial firm, Spence et al [53] and Gawel [1] indicate that risk taking exists but is calculated and limited, and Lumpkin et al [41] argue that, in this type of firm, risks tend to be avoided. In any case, as stressed by Murillo-Luna et al [136], a proactive strategy towards sustainable development involves the implementation of new processes, technologies and systems, and this always carries a certain risk due to the uncertainty of its eventual impact on organizational performance.…”

“…Corporate social responsibility [46] Corporate sustainable entrepreneurship [2,10] Ecopreneurship [30,95] Environmental corporate entrepreneurship [96] Environmental entrepreneurship [22,59] Enviropreneurial marketing [34] Enviropreneurship [96] Green entrepreneurship [22] Macro-entrepreneurship [97] Social entrepreneurship [22] Sustainability entrepreneur [47] Sustainable development innovation [98] Sustainable entrepreneurship [10,25,47,90,99] Sustainable intrapreneurship [100] Sustainopreneurship [47] All these terms have in common a unique, holistic view of the business context, conceived with a long-term horizon and a commitment to responding to current and future stakeholders [60,62,88,101] according to SEO fundamentals. In this sense, sustainably-and entrepreneurially-oriented firms actively contribute-together with other organizations, institutions and public and private associations from economic, social and political circles-to sustainable development [102] as stated in the Brundtland Report [4].…”

Empirical Study on Sustainable Opportunities Recognition. A Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Joinery Industry Analysis Using Augmented Sustainable Development Process Model

“…Environmental awareness and action is insufficient [24], entrepreneurs usually ignore their business environmental impact since by definition SMEs have limited resources, while tackling environmental issues put an additional strain on them, and are unwilling or unable to act due to time and resource constraints [22]. This, however, does not mean that all SMEs ignore sustainability [25], since there is evidence of SMEs aligned with ecological paradigms [26], especially small and young SMEs [27].…”

“…Significant conceptual problems persist, mainly due to concept Sustainability 2017, 9, 1779 3 of 36 novelty and multidimensionality, which has to be considered [15,16,25,29,30]. The relationship between entrepreneurship and environment have been examined by various scholars and addressed by different concepts [18,27] such as sustainability entrepreneurship [31], sustainable entrepreneurship [6,8,[32][33][34], environmental entrepreneurship [10,20,35], ecopreneurship and green management [25,29,30,36] or green entrepreneurship [37] which, broadly, relates roughly to the same concept. As a consequence, various scholars assert that entrepreneurs had to play an active role in balancing economic and ecological goals [6].…”

“…Variations in environment knowledge may explain entrepreneurs' awareness on various situations occurring in natural and communal environment, influencing their recognition of sustainable development opportunities [13] since individuals will choose or focus on those opportunities related to their own prior knowledge for a given aspect of their natural or communal environment [45]. Hence, environment focused education seems to be important for entrepreneurs by enhancing their awareness about sustainable entrepreneurship and improving their ability to identify sustainable opportunities [25,83,84].…”