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Beyond Size: Predicting engagement in environmental management practices of Dutch SMEs

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  • Gerrit de Wit
  • Lorraine Uhlaner
  • Marta Berent-Braun
  • Ronald Jeurissen

Abstract

This study focuses on the prediction of the engagement of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in environmental management practices, based on a random sample of 689 SMEs. The study finds that several endogenous factors, including tangibility of sector, firm size, innovative orientation, family influence and perceived financial benefits from energy conservation, predict an SME’s level of engagement in selected environmental management practices. For family influence, this effect is found only in interaction with the number of owners. In addition to empirical research on SMEs’ environmental behavior, the article draws on the ecological modernization literature as well as the theory of planned behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerrit de Wit & Lorraine Uhlaner & Marta Berent-Braun & Ronald Jeurissen, 2011. "Beyond Size: Predicting engagement in environmental management practices of Dutch SMEs," Scales Research Reports H201118, EIM Business and Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:eim:papers:h201118
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Costa-Campi, María Teresa & García-Quevedo, José & Segarra, Agustí, 2015. "Energy efficiency determinants: An empirical analysis of Spanish innovative firms," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 229-239.
    2. Tatoglu, Ekrem & Bayraktar, Erkan & Sahadev, Sunil & Demirbag, Mehmet & Glaister, Keith W., 2014. "Determinants of voluntary environmental management practices by MNE subsidiaries," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 536-548.
    3. Joanne L. Tingey-Holyoak & John D. Pisaniello, 2017. "Strategic Responses to Resource Management Pressures in Agriculture: Institutional, Gender and Location Effects," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(2), pages 381-400, August.
    4. Costa-Campi, María Teresa & García-Quevedo, José & Segarra, Agustí, 2015. "Energy efficiency determinants: An empirical analysis of Spanish innovative firms," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 229-239.
    5. Zhejun Min & Sukanlaya Sawang & Robbert A. Kivits, 2021. "Proposing Circular Economy Ecosystem for Chinese SMEs: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-13, March.
    6. Trianni, Andrea & Cagno, Enrico & Worrell, Ernst, 2013. "Innovation and adoption of energy efficient technologies: An exploratory analysis of Italian primary metal manufacturing SMEs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 430-440.
    7. 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.
    8. Shahid Ali & Junrui Zhang & Muhammad Usman & Farman Ullah Khan & Amir Ikram & Bilal Anwar, 2019. "Sub-National Institutional Contingencies and Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, October.
    9. Backlund, Sandra & Thollander, Patrik, 2015. "Impact after three years of the Swedish energy audit program," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 54-60.

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