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Implementation of sustainability management tools: The contribution of awareness, external pressures, and stakeholder consultation

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  • David Talbot
  • Nicolas Raineri
  • Alain Daou

Abstract

In this article, we propose a framework for a better understanding of the factors that can influence the implementation of sustainability management tools—that is, sustainable development policy and sustainability reporting—in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises. Using secondary data, we studied 431 micro‐ to mid‐sized Canadian enterprises and found that stakeholder consultation plays a central role in company implementation of sustainable management tools. This consultation reduces the perception of internal constraints, particularly regarding relevant knowledge‐gaps. This study also demonstrates the importance of the indirect impacts that external stakeholders exert on small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises and the growing need for management education and training about how to increase the adoption of sustainability management tools.

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  • David Talbot & Nicolas Raineri & Alain Daou, 2021. "Implementation of sustainability management tools: The contribution of awareness, external pressures, and stakeholder consultation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 71-81, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:28:y:2021:i:1:p:71-81
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.2033
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    2. Louis Maximilian Ronalter & Merce Bernardo & Javier Manuel Romaní, 2023. "Quality and environmental management systems as business tools to enhance ESG performance: a cross-regional empirical study," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(9), pages 9067-9109, September.

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