IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v26y2017i1p69-83.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Commitment to Sustainability in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: The Influence of Strategic Orientations and Management Values

Author

Listed:
  • Johan Jansson
  • Jonas Nilsson
  • Frida Modig
  • Gabriella Hed Vall

Abstract

Ecosystem degradation and social sustainability have become important issues in the corporate sphere during the last few decades. However, research discussing corporate social responsibility and related concepts has often focused on larger companies, sometimes neglecting the specifics of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between two common strategic orientations, market orientation (MO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO), in relation to sustainability commitment, sustainability practices and management values in SMEs. Questionnaire responses from 450 Swedish SMEs were analyzed, confirming the influence of MO, EO and sustainability practices on commitment to sustainability, implying that firms committed to sustainability see both market and entrepreneurial advantages of sustainability. The results also show that different parts of MO and EO differ in importance for commitment to sustainability among SMEs. Implications concern the importance for firms and policymakers to work with sustainability issues using both internal and external perspectives. © 2015 The Authors. Business Strategy and the Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Suggested Citation

  • Johan Jansson & Jonas Nilsson & Frida Modig & Gabriella Hed Vall, 2017. "Commitment to Sustainability in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: The Influence of Strategic Orientations and Management Values," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 69-83, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:26:y:2017:i:1:p:69-83
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.1901
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1901
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.1901?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sharma, Pramodita & Sharma, Sanjay, 2011. "Drivers of Proactive Environmental Strategy in Family Firms," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(2), pages 309-334, April.
    2. Morgan P. Miles & Danny R. Arnold, 1991. "The Relationship between Marketing Orientation and Entrepreneurial Orientation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 15(4), pages 49-66, July.
    3. G. M.P. Swann, 2009. "The Economics of Innovation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13211.
    4. Lumpkin, G. T. & Dess, Gregory G., 2001. "Linking two dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance: The moderating role of environment and industry life cycle," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 429-451, September.
    5. Sukhbir Sandhu & Lucie K. Ozanne & Clive Smallman & Ross Cullen, 2010. "Consumer driven corporate environmentalism: Fact or fiction?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(6), pages 356-366, September.
    6. Kammerer, Daniel, 2009. "The effects of customer benefit and regulation on environmental product innovation.: Empirical evidence from appliance manufacturers in Germany," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(8-9), pages 2285-2295, June.
    7. Kay H. Hofmann & Gregory Theyel & Craig H. Wood, 2012. "Identifying Firm Capabilities as Drivers of Environmental Management and Sustainability Practices – Evidence from Small and Medium‐Sized Manufacturers," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(8), pages 530-545, December.
    8. Frank‐Martin Belz & Birte Schmidt‐Riediger, 2010. "Marketing strategies in the age of sustainable development: Evidence from the food industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(7), pages 401-416, November.
    9. Janet Elaine Haddock‐Fraser & Marielle Tourelle, 2010. "Corporate motivations for environmental sustainable development: exploring the role of consumers in stakeholder engagement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(8), pages 527-542, December.
    10. Andrea Revell & David Stokes & Hsin Chen, 2010. "Small businesses and the environment: turning over a new leaf?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(5), pages 273-288, July.
    11. Danny Miller, 1983. "The Correlates of Entrepreneurship in Three Types of Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(7), pages 770-791, July.
    12. Sarah Williams & Anja Schaefer, 2013. "Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises and Sustainability: Managers' Values and Engagement with Environmental and Climate Change Issues," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 173-186, March.
    13. Sue Cassells & Kate Lewis, 2011. "SMEs and environmental responsibility: do actions reflect attitudes?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(3), pages 186-199, May.
    14. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1989. "Strategic management of small firms in hostile and benign environments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 75-87, January.
    15. Thøgersen, John & Noblet, Caroline, 2012. "Does green consumerism increase the acceptance of wind power?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 854-862.
    16. Stephen Brammer & Stefan Hoejmose & Kerry Marchant, 2012. "Environmental Management in SMEs in the UK: Practices, Pressures and Perceived Benefits," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(7), pages 423-434, November.
    17. Esben Rahbek Pedersen & Peter Neergaard, 2006. "Caveat emptor – let the buyer beware! environmental labelling and the limitations of ‘green’ consumerism," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(1), pages 15-29, January.
    18. Johan Jansson, 2011. "Consumer eco‐innovation adoption: assessing attitudinal factors and perceived product characteristics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 192-210, March.
    19. Christina W.Y. Wong & Kee‐Hung Lai & Kuo‐Chung Shang & Chin‐Shan Lu, 2014. "Uncovering the Value of Green Advertising for Environmental Management Practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 117-130, February.
    20. Hall, Jeremy K. & Daneke, Gregory A. & Lenox, Michael J., 2010. "Sustainable development and entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 439-448, September.
    21. D. Perez‐Sanchez & J. R. Barton & D. Bower, 2003. "Implementing environmental management in SMEs," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(2), pages 67-77, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lin Wang & Murad Ali & Hyun Jeong Kim & Sareum Lee & Felipe Hernández Perlines, 2021. "Individual entrepreneurial orientation, value congruence, and individual outcomes: Does the institutional entrepreneurial environment matter?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2293-2312, July.
    2. Juan Felipe Reyes‐Rodríguez & John P. Ulhøi & Henning Madsen, 2016. "Corporate Environmental Sustainability in Danish SMEs: A Longitudinal Study of Motivators, Initiatives, and Strategic Effects," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(4), pages 193-212, July.
    3. Jean-Marie Courrent & Sonia Chassé & Waleed Omri, 2018. "Do Entrepreneurial SMEs Perform Better Because They are More Responsible?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 317-336, December.
    4. Torbjörn Ljungkvist & Jim Andersén, 2021. "A taxonomy of ecopreneurship in small manufacturing firms: A multidimensional cluster analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1374-1388, February.
    5. Quang Le Van & Thanh Viet Nguyen & Manh Hung Nguyen, 2019. "Sustainable development and environmental policy: The engagement of stakeholders in green products in Vietnam," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 675-687, July.
    6. Silvia Cantele & Alessandro Zardini, 2020. "What drives small and medium enterprises towards sustainability? Role of interactions between pressures, barriers, and benefits," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 126-136, January.
    7. Matthew P. Johnson, 2015. "Sustainability Management and Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: Managers' Awareness and Implementation of Innovative Tools," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(5), pages 271-285, September.
    8. Bradley A. George & Louis Marino, 2011. "The Epistemology of Entrepreneurial Orientation: Conceptual Formation, Modeling, and Operationalization," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(5), pages 989-1024, September.
    9. Chrisovalantis Malesios & Antonis Skouloudis & Prasanta Kumar Dey & Fouad Ben Abdelaziz & Apostolos Kantartzis & Konstantinos Evangelinos, 2018. "Impact of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises sustainability practices and performance on economic growth from a managerial perspective: Modeling considerations and empirical analysis results," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 960-972, November.
    10. Jacob Hörisch & Matthew P. Johnson & Stefan Schaltegger, 2015. "Implementation of Sustainability Management and Company Size: A Knowledge‐Based View," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(8), pages 765-779, December.
    11. Danny Miller, 2011. "Miller (1983) Revisited: A Reflection on EO Research and Some Suggestions for the Future," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(5), pages 873-894, September.
    12. Fred Phanuel Okangi, 2019. "The impacts of entrepreneurial orientation on the profitability growth of construction firms in Tanzania," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, December.
    13. Kate V. Lewis & Sue Cassells & Hernan Roxas, 2015. "SMEs and the Potential for A Collaborative Path to Environmental Responsibility," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(8), pages 750-764, December.
    14. Ana M. Moreno & José C. Casillas, 2008. "Entrepreneurial Orientation and Growth of SMEs: A Causal Model," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 32(3), pages 507-528, May.
    15. Patrick M. Kreiser & Louis D. Marino & K. Mark Weaver, 2002. "Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Entrepreneurial Orientation Scale: A Multi-Country Analysis," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 26(4), pages 71-93, July.
    16. Zhiwei Yan & Xuerong Peng & Seoki Lee & Leibao Zhang, 2023. "How do multiple cognitions shape corporate proactive environmental strategies? The joint effects of environmental awareness and entrepreneurial orientation," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 1592-1617, September.
    17. Li Peng & Yuan Li & Marc Essen & Mike W. Peng, 2020. "Institutions, resources, and strategic orientations: A meta-analysis," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 499-529, June.
    18. Rasha Mostafa & Colin Wheeler & Marian Jones, 2005. "Entrepreneurial orientation, commitment to the Internet and export performance in small and medium sized exporting firms," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 3(4), pages 291-302, December.
    19. Andrew Mzembe, 2021. "The psychological distance and construal level perspectives of sustainable value creation in SMEs," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 465-478, March.
    20. DiVito, Lori & Bohnsack, René, 2017. "Entrepreneurial orientation and its effect on sustainability decision tradeoffs: The case of sustainable fashion firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 569-587.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:26:y:2017:i:1:p:69-83. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.