Industrialisation has brought great benefits to humankind but now, after 200 years of fossil fuel use, land clearance and pollution, the planet’s boundaries are being stretched to their limits. Going beyond these confines would have severe consequences for humankind. To prevent this from happening, government, corporate and community initiatives must focus on reducing the environmental impact of approximately 400 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), given that they produce approximately 70% of the world’s pollution, 60% of carbon emissions and have a significant impact on land. To date, research shows that SMEs have been environmental laggards and more needs to be understood to improve sustainability in the SME sector. Broadening the researcher’s methodological focus, beyond traditional singular approaches, improves knowledge generation and better informs policy and practice. This book paves the way by showing the reader that a mixed method research design is able to provide a deep, diverse and holistic understanding of sustainability and SMEs. Importantly, the book also provides an in-depth mapping of mixed method sustainability and SME research at a regional level. As this book is about environmental sustainability framed in a business context, it will be of interest to researchers, academics, students and those in industry who are enquiring about the environmental sustainability of SMEs.

With unequaled insight, business experts profile 12 outstanding, sustainable, small- to medium-sized enterprises and explain how their green strategies and methods have helped them succeed. A Simple Path to Sustainability: Green Business Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses is designed specifically to help smaller enterprises share in the benefits that flow from sustainability. Built around case histories showcasing 12 small to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) that have outstanding records of sustainability, this unique, hands-on guide will help readers choose and develop sustainability strategies and undertake the marketing and management initiatives necessary for success. The studies collected here detail each company's journey from initial idea through building a new culture, engaging stakeholders, gaining competitive advantage, and planning for the future. Each study also covers the challenges encountered, successes and failures, and lessons learned. Cases are centered around distinct themes, including a marketing/public relations perspective, a risk management perspective, an organizational culture perspective, and a new product development perspective. Taken as a whole, these stories do more than inform. They will inspire managers to become green entrepreneurs, undertaking sustainable strategies that can reap surprising benefits.

Climate change is a major problem, generating both risks and opportunities that will have a direct impact on the economy and the financial sector. In recent years, climate change has threatened both the survival of the financial system and economic development. The growing occurrence of extreme climate events combined with the imprudent nature of economic growth can cause unsustainable levels of harm to the financial sectors. On the other hand, it presents a range of new business challenges. In contrast to the most evident physical risks, companies are vulnerable to transformational risks that arise from the reaction of society to climate change, such as technological change, regulation and markets that can boost the cost of doing business, threats to the profitability of existing goods, or effects on the value of the asset. Climate change also offers new business opportunities, and it has made research in the context of a sustainable financial sector indispensable. The Handbook of Research on Climate Change and the Sustainable Financial Sector focuses on the impacts of climate change on various sectors of the world economy. This book covers how businesses can improve their sustainability, the impact of climate change on the financial sector, and specifically, the impacts on financial services, supply chains, and the socio-economic status of the world. Beyond focusing on the impacts to the financial industry itself, this book assesses how climate change in the financial sector affects the well-being of society in areas such as unemployment, economic recessions, decreases in consumer purchases, and more. This book is essential for stockbrokers, business managers, directors, fund managers, financial analysts, consultants and actuaries, institutional investors, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in a comprehensive view of the impact of climate change on the financial sector.

Smaller companies are abundant in the business realm and outnumber large companies by a wide margin. Understanding the inner workings of small businesses offers benefits to the consumers and the economy. The Handbook of Research on Intrapreneurship and Organizational Sustainability in SMEs is a critical scholarly resource that examines the strategies and concepts that will assist small and medium-sized enterprises to achieve competitiveness. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as financial management, corporate sustainability, and organizational culture, this publication is geared towards business managers, professionals, graduate students, and researchers working in the field of smaller-scale business development initiatives.

The digital transformation is impacting various aspects of how we live and work. Due to the pervasive effects of the digital revolution on firms and societies, both scholars and practitioners are interested in better understanding the key mechanisms behind the related challenges. This book presents a collection of research papers focusing on the relationships between technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, social media, and the Internet of Things) and behaviours (e.g. social learning, knowledge sharing, and decision-making). Moreover, it provides insights into how the digital transformation may improve quality of personal life and work life within public and private organisations. The plurality of views offered makes this book particularly relevant for practitioners, companies, scientists, and governments. It gathers a selection of the best papers - original double-blind peer-reviewed contributions - presented at the annual conference of the Italian chapter of the AIS which was held in Naples, Italy, in September 2019.

A multidimensional approach to entrepreneurship, especially in the post-COVID-19 era, will have an important influence on the state of business and government, especially when considering the effects of technological development, innovation, glocalization, and nationalization policies that need to be adopted for inclusive sustainable growth, as well as the enhanced and efficient utilization of global resources. That means there is likely to be a shift in how entrepreneurship development and entrepreneurial opportunities will be perceived, developed, and resourced. The question is how to sustain SMEs and entrepreneurial innovation in the post-COVID-19 era. Thus, comprehensive research and knowledge on designing policies and approaches to ensure the sustainability of SMEs and entrepreneurial innovation in post-pandemic times are essential to sustain, stimulate, and foster SMEs, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial innovations. The Handbook of Research on Sustaining SMEs and Entrepreneurial Innovation in the Post-COVID-19 Era provides research dedicated to entrepreneurship with a special emphasis on the sustainability of SMEs and entrepreneurial innovations in the post-COVID-19 era. It provides discussion and the exchange of information on principles, strategies, models, techniques, methodologies, and applications of entrepreneurship in the post-COVID-19 era in the field of public and private organizations. The chapters communicate the latest developments and thinking on the entrepreneurship subject worldwide by drawing on the latest developments, ideas, research, and best practice to examine the implications of the changes taking place due to COVID-19. This book is ideally intended for entrepreneurs, global organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises, managers, executives, government officials, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in learning about, designing, or implementing policies that are more effective in the post-pandemic era.

The book provides knowledge of sustainable marketing tools in SMEs operating in the industry.

International businesses struggle to be competitive and influential at the global market level. With the new ideas in the management and leadership disciplines, hard skills are losing or are believed to be losing their strategic relevance while soft skills are praised and highly sought after. The Handbook of Research on International Business and Models for Global Purpose-Driven Companies, a pivotal reference source, provides vital research on international business management strategies and applications within internal organizations that allow companies to strategically position themselves for increased success in the global economy. While highlighting topics such as organizational culture, internal communication, and generational workforce, this publication explores leadership disciplines as well as the methods of handling multicultural organizations. This book is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, executives, managers, business professionals, human resource officials, researchers, academicians, and students.

KMUs haben großes Potenzial, die Nachhaltigkeitsleistung der modernen Wirtschaft zu verbessern. Dieses Buch untersucht in drei Studien die Treiber von Nachhaltigkeit in KMUs: Eine qualitative Studie auf individueller Ebene zeigt, wie KMU-Geschäftsführer*innen ihre eigenen nachhaltigkeitsbezogenen Identitäten in ihrem Unternehmen verwirklichen und wie sie mit daraus entstehenden Konflikten umgehen. Eine qualitative Studie auf organisationaler Ebene untersucht, ob und wie Sozialkapital die Nachhaltigkeitsaktivitäten von KMUs fördert. Eine Mixed-Methods-Studie auf Netzwerkebene befasst sich mit möglichen Erfolgsfaktoren von interorganisationalen Nachhaltigkeitsnetzwerken hinsichtlich ihrer Relevanz für den Netzwerkerfolg. Das Buch schließt mit einem Vergleich der Ergebnisse über alle Ebenen hinweg, der Forscher*innen und Praktiker*innen einen umfassenden Überblick über die verwendeten Theorien, die wichtigsten Ergebnisse und mögliche Synergien für zukünftige Forschung bietet.

EXPAND YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AFFECTS BUSINESS, THE ECONOMY, AND YOUR LIFE WITH THIS ESSENTIAL RESOURCE Environmental Policy: An Economic Perspective offers readers a comprehensive examination of the ever-broadening scope and impact of environmental policy, law, and regulation. Editors Thomas Walker, Northrop Sprung-Much, and Sherif Goubran walk readers through a variety of subjects while maintaining a global perspective on the expanding role of environmental law. This book takes a pragmatic and practical approach to its subject matter, showing readers the real impact across the world of different kinds of environmental policy. Among other topics, Environmental Policy: An Economic Perspective tackles: Climate change legislation Water conservation and pricing Biodiversity of the marine environment Wildlife ranching Emission trading schemes Green job strategies Sustainable investing Written for undergraduate and graduate students in any field affected by environmental legislation and policy, this book also belongs on the shelves of anyone who seeks to better understand the increasingly important role of environmental policy on their business and life.