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Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
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Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2019) | Viewed by 33397

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Norat Roig-Tierno

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Business Department, ESIC Business & Marketing School, 46021 Valencia, Spain
2. Economics and Social Science Department, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: innovation; regional development; smart specialization; entrepreneurship; qualitative methodologies (QCA – Qualitative Comparative Analysis; bibliometrics)
Prof. Dr. Christine Vallaster

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Applied Sciences Salzburg, Austria
Interests: corporate branding; strategy formation; responsibility; qualitative research
Prof. Dr. Sascha Kraus

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
École Supérieure du Commerce Extérieur, ESCE International Business School, Paris, France
Interests: stragegy; entrepreneurship; internationalization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Regionality is becoming a key factor in the current debate evolving around sufficiency: In order to be able to cope with global issues like climate change, large resource consumption, migration waves, social inequalities, and many more, regional solutions provided by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are called on alongside global ones. These solutions must include the requirements for a post-fossil future through environmental, climate, and resource conservation as well as the prospects for a fair and worthwhile individual and societal development in a late (or post-)growth society.

This Special Issue will focus on the sustainable development of SMEs. They serve as living models for sustainability and have the potential to develop products and services that stand for quality and respect for ecological and/or social issues. Though one SME does not have enough power to make an impact on the societal level, if they start to cooperate and network, this process can be 'driven' and accelerated.

The aim of this Special Issue is to make a relevant contribution presenting a body of works with new innovative knowledge in the field of the key role that SMEs play in sustainable development.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:  

  • Sustainable development and the management of innovation that fit the Circular Economy paradigm,
  • SME strategies for sustainability and the development of Circular Economy business models (e.g. with a particular focus on product design),  
  • The role of networks for sustainable SMEs in order to create regional ecological and social change,
  • Digitization and the development of responsible innovations,
  • The role of sustainable SMEs in the transformation of individual purchasing behavior towards less consumption,
  • The contribution of sustainable SMEs to foster the required economic system transformation towards a post-growth economy,
  • Challenges in implementing sustainable business strategies: An SME perspective.

Prof. Dr. Norat Roig-Tierno
Prof. Dr. Christine Vallaster
Prof. Dr. Sascha Kraus
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sustainable development
  • Sustainable innovation
  • Responsible entrepreneurship
  • Economical sustainability
  • Social development
  • Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 870 KiB  
Article
Social Determinants of Success: Social Media, Corporate Governance and Revenue
by Jordi Paniagua, Rafael Rivelles and Juan Sapena
Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5164; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11195164 - 20 Sep 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3872
Abstract
This study examined how social media (Twitter and LinkedIn) relates to the operating revenue by investigating the effect of the use of social media by the board of directors. To tackle this question, we analyzed the mediating and moderating relationship of social media [...] Read more.
This study examined how social media (Twitter and LinkedIn) relates to the operating revenue by investigating the effect of the use of social media by the board of directors. To tackle this question, we analyzed the mediating and moderating relationship of social media on the effect of board size in operating revenue (turnover). We studied the implications of the use of social media by the board members by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The data consisted of a random sample of 100 companies listed on the NASDAQ. The study makes two main contributions. First, it shows interesting differences in the use of social media for the operating revenue. Our results suggest that while Twitter mediated and inhibited the negative effect of board size on revenue, LinkedIn moderated and re-enforced this effect. Second, it offers marketers and managers some useful hints about the relationship between social media and financial performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
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18 pages, 986 KiB  
Article
Entrepreneurship as Catalyst for Sustainable Development: Opening the Black Box
by Matthias Filser, Sascha Kraus, Norat Roig-Tierno, Norbert Kailer and Ulrike Fischer
Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11164503 - 20 Aug 2019
Cited by 65 | Viewed by 8786
Abstract
In the last decades, sustainable development has become an important topic of discussion for scholars and practitioners concerned with environmental issues. Since the publication of the Brundtland Report, which represents a milestone in triggering awareness for sustainability issues, sustainable development has steadily gained [...] Read more.
In the last decades, sustainable development has become an important topic of discussion for scholars and practitioners concerned with environmental issues. Since the publication of the Brundtland Report, which represents a milestone in triggering awareness for sustainability issues, sustainable development has steadily gained popularity to become one of the most important environmental discourses today. Together with innovation, the United Nations identified entrepreneurship as a key element for addressing sustainable development challenges. Due to its growing recognition as a driver of sustainable development, entrepreneurship is subject to research across many scientific disciplines. To systemize the current state of knowledge, the purpose of this paper is to systematically review recent literature and to outline how sustainable development influences entrepreneurial activities and vice versa. In addition, it investigates whether and under what circumstances entrepreneurship can contribute to the economic, environmental and social dimension of sustainable development. The systematic literature review shows that several research areas, such as opportunities, motivations, competencies, strategies and business models of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs, have already received wide coverage by academic literature. However, our knowledge about how entrepreneurial activities contribute to the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals is still limited and should be addressed by further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
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19 pages, 1040 KiB  
Article
The Influence of the Circular Economy: Exploring the Knowledge Base
by Alicia Mas-Tur, Maria Guijarro and Agustín Carrilero
Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4367; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11164367 - 12 Aug 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3825
Abstract
The objective of this study is to analyze the main factors influencing research on the concept of ‘circular economy’ (CE) by focusing on authors, institutions, and countries and emphasizing the documents that deal both with CE and SMEs. The Web of Science (WoS) [...] Read more.
The objective of this study is to analyze the main factors influencing research on the concept of ‘circular economy’ (CE) by focusing on authors, institutions, and countries and emphasizing the documents that deal both with CE and SMEs. The Web of Science (WoS) includes 1711 documents related to CE, with the first publication dated 2006. The graphical analyses use the WoS Core Collection database and visualization of similarities (VOS) viewer software. We also employ several bibliometric techniques including co-citation and bibliographic coupling. The results of the analysis indicate that the field of CE research has broad readership and includes internationally authored papers although China seems to be the leader in this research area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
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22 pages, 506 KiB  
Article
The Triple Bottom Line on Sustainable Product Innovation Performance in SMEs: A Mixed Methods Approach
by Lucía Muñoz-Pascual, Carla Curado and Jesús Galende
Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1689; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11061689 - 20 Mar 2019
Cited by 70 | Viewed by 11412
Abstract
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute enormously to a country’s sustainable growth. Developing the pathways that lead to sustainable innovation in SMEs represents an important aspect of the business world and society. The aim of this article is to verify the relations and [...] Read more.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute enormously to a country’s sustainable growth. Developing the pathways that lead to sustainable innovation in SMEs represents an important aspect of the business world and society. The aim of this article is to verify the relations and pathways that lead to sustainable product innovation performance while considering all three pillars of the Triple Bottom Line Approach. This study used a mixed methods approach to identify the antecedents of sustainable product innovation performance. Our approach applied structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The structural equation model was used to measure the effects of the three pillars of the triple bottom line: economic, social, and environmental developments. The structural equation model was also designed to account for the firm’s type (Public Limited Companies vs. General Partnerships). Using the structural equation model, we determined whether a firm’s type moderates the effects of the three pillars. Furthermore, using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, we identified alternative configurations of conditions and determined those that are likely to lead to sustainable product innovation performance and those that result in its absence. The sample comprises data from 349 Portuguese small and medium enterprises. The findings show that social and environmental developments are two important antecedents for product innovation performance, and they contribute to different pathways that lead to product innovation performance. In addition, in General Partnerships, human resource costs are important for sustainable product innovation performance. Therefore, the results of both the quantitative and qualitative analyses underline the relevance of the triple bottom line approach to product innovation performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
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19 pages, 630 KiB  
Article
Drivers and Outcomes of Green IS Adoption in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
by Alenka Baggia, Matjaž Maletič, Anja Žnidaršič and Alenka Brezavšček
Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1575; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11061575 - 15 Mar 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4381
Abstract
Using the Belief Action Outcome (BAO) framework as a theoretical basis, this study investigates the mechanisms that link organizational beliefs about environmental sustainability with Green information system (IS) actions that are undertaken and, hence, the organizational benefits accruing from these actions. Survey data [...] Read more.
Using the Belief Action Outcome (BAO) framework as a theoretical basis, this study investigates the mechanisms that link organizational beliefs about environmental sustainability with Green information system (IS) actions that are undertaken and, hence, the organizational benefits accruing from these actions. Survey data were collected from 156 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results support the notion that Green IS endeavors lead to increased organizational benefits. External pressures from stakeholders and employees’ attitudes to environmental sustainability affect the organizational attitude to Green IS. The attitude to Green IS is further translated into the organization’s strategy and corresponding Green IS actions, resulting in organizational benefits. This study’s main contribution lies in establishing a link between personal attitudes, institutional mechanisms, internal environmental/sustainability initiatives, and performance implications. Green IS adoption was empirically validated considering the SME context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
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