scholarly journals ISO 14001 and 26001, Agents of Change in the SMEs

Author(s):  
Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez ◽  
Elva Alicia Ramos-Escobar ◽  
Dolores Gallardo-Vázquez ◽  
Edith Patricia Borboa-Álvarez

At present, business strategies in SMEs (Small and medium enterprises) are crucial for consolidation in highly competitive markets, in achieving a better image and in business profitability. One of the strategies that have the most success and business success are sustainable practices and social responsibility such as: ISO 14001 and ISO 26001. The literature related to sustainable business is based mainly on the theory of resources and capabilities, and in theory based on Stakeholders. These currents state that companies should focus on profitable strategies to ensure significant and long-term results, in order to achieve organizational and financial results for stakeholders. In this work, the sample consists of 215 companies from the commerce, services and industry sectors, located in the southern region of the State of Sonora in Mexico. The objective of the work is to analyze the influence of ISO 14001 and 26001 standards on the image and profitability of SMEs. The statistical analysis of the data has been carried out through the linear regression technique by OLS (Ordinary Least Squares). The findings prove that the ISO 14001 standard is the one that most influences the improvement of the business image and the level of profitability of the SME. In addition, we discovered that ISO 26001 has a partial influence on the image and profitability of the SME.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez ◽  
Dolores Gallardo-Vázquez ◽  
Elva Alicia Ramos-Escobar ◽  
Roberto Limón-Ulloa

At present, business strategies in SMEs (Small and medium enterprises) are crucial for consolidation in highly competitive markets, in achieving a better image and in business profitability. One of the strategies that are currently being used and that have a high level of success are the practices focused on sustainability and social responsibility, through standardized standards such as: ISO 14001 and ISO 26001. The literature related to sustainable business is based mainly on the theory of resources and capabilities, and in theory based on Stakeholders. These currents state that companies should focus on profitable strategies to ensure significant and long-term results, in order to achieve organizational and financial results for stakeholders. In this work, the sample consists of 215 companies from the commerce, services and industry sectors, located in the southern region of the State of Sonora in Mexico.The objective of the work is to analyze the influence of ISO 14001 and 26001 standards on the image and profitability of SMEs. The statistical analysis of the data has been carried out through the linear regression technique by OLS (Ordinary Least Squares). The findings prove that the ISO 14001 standard is the one that most influences the improvement of the business image and the level of profitability of the SME. In addition, we discovered that ISO 26001 has a partial influence on the image and profitability of the SME.


Author(s):  
Khoirunnisa Cahya Firdarini

Accounting information has an important role to achieve business success, as well as for small businesses.This research examines the effect of business experience and accounting information system used toward business success with age of business as control variable. The population of this research are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in creative industries sector operated in Yogyakarta district. Based on purposive sampling method, total sample of this research is 200 SMEs. Statistical tool utilized to test the hypothesis in this study is path analysis using structural equation modelling (SEM). The test result shows that business experience and accounting information have positive and significant effect to the success of SMEs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3824
Author(s):  
Carla Curado ◽  
António Mota

In this study, we explore the research published from 2015 to 2020 on the importance of family firms (FFs) to sustainability. Our results come from a content analysis of 28 studies on this topic. Further, they deal with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry in Italy and Spain. These studies mainly follow a quantitative approach with data from a survey. This study’s main contribution regards the identification of three sorts of aspects associated to sustainability in FFs which match the three pillars of the triple bottom line approach that supports sustainable business development: social inclusion, economic development, and environmental protection. Our findings show that the family’s religiosity, reputation, and image play relevant roles in the FFs’ adoption of sustainable practices. Moreover, the CEO and their successor’s choices also have consequences for sustainability. These studies demonstrate how the family’s control, its values, and the industry influence the adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. FFs go green by adopting eco-innovation to adapt to the constantly changing environment and market pressures. We acknowledge the limitations of the study. We offer advice to colleagues when developing future futures studies to address the influence of cultural differences between FFs and non-FFs and suggest they perform comparative analyses. This research could lead to further investigation of the effects of other variables that may influence sustainability in the context of FFs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1021
Author(s):  
Sara Scipioni ◽  
Meir Russ ◽  
Federico Niccolini

To contribute to small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) sustainable transition into the circular economy, the study proposes the activation of organizational learning (OL) processes—denoted here as multi-level knowledge creation, transfer, and retention processes—as a key phase in introducing circular business models (CBMs) at SME and supply chain (SC) level. The research employs a mixed-method approach, using the focus group methodology to identify contextual elements impacting on CBM-related OL processes, and a survey-based evaluation to single out the most frequently used OL processes inside Italian construction SMEs. As a main result, a CBM-oriented OL multi-level model offers a fine-grained understanding of contextual elements acting mutually as barriers and drivers for OL processes, as possible OL dynamics among them. The multi-level culture construct—composed of external stakeholders’, SC stakeholders’, and organizational culture—identify the key element to activate CBM-oriented OL processes. Main implications are related to the identification of cultural, structural, regulatory, and process contextual elements across the external, SC, and organizational levels, and their interrelation with applicable intraorganizational and interorganizational learning processes. The proposed model would contribute to an improved implementation of transitioning into the circular economy utilizing sustainable business models in the construction SMEs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-113
Author(s):  
Adedeji Saidi Adelekan

Islamic financing has been identified as an alternative to conventional financial services. However, the extent to which the Islamic financing model could drive small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) competitiveness has been a significant concern in the existing literature. Hence, this study investigates the impact of Islamic financing on SMEs' competitiveness.Adopting the survey research design, the study investigated 400 SME owners/managers in the Southern part of Nigeria. The study employed the ordinary least square regression in the analysis of data. The result establishes that Islamic finance is a significant driver of SMEs' competitiveness. The results specifically reveal that Islamic finance is critical in driving product price, customer experience, and quality of products. The practical implication of Islamic finance may reduce its operational cost since it comes at a no-interest rate while giving room for more innovative prices and customer-centric products at competitive prices. SMEs are to leverage on the opportunities provided by Islamic finance for them to adopt sustainable business practices 


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shafique Ur Rehman ◽  
Hamzah Elrehail ◽  
Abdallah Alsaad ◽  
Anam Bhatti

PurposeThis study explores central questions related to the connection between intellectual capital (IC) and the innovative performance of organizations through the mediating role of management control systems (MCS) and business strategies, as well as the moderating role of innovation capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThe data was collected from the managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through a structured questionnaire. Out of 1,152 questionnaires distributed, only 415 were used for analysis purposes. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the study hypotheses.FindingsIntellectual capital significantly influences MCS, business strategies and innovative performance. Moreover, MCS, business strategies and innovative capabilities significantly improve innovative performance. MCS and business strategies significantly mediate the relationship between intellectual capital and innovative performance. Finally, innovative capabilities significantly moderate that between intellectual capital and innovative performance.Practical implicationsThe current research examines how management should use MCS, business strategies, and innovative capabilities to take maximum benefit from intellectual capital in order to improve innovative performance.Originality/valueThis is pioneering research that develops a theoretical model to incorporate intellectual capital, MCS, business strategies, innovative capabilities and innovative performance. Even though the influence of various kinds of intangible assets/resources on innovative performance has been widely examined in the literature, scant attention has been paid to the role of MCS, business strategies, and innovative capabilities in leveraging the firm's intellectual capital.


Author(s):  
Cecilia Casalegno ◽  
Christian Rainero ◽  
Giacomo Büchi ◽  
Fabrizio Mosca

The analysis and the consideration of the sustainability development throughout the SMEs has been less considered by the academic literature than the one developed by large firms so far, although small and medium enterprises represent the majority of the local businesses in many geographical areas of the world. Since small and medium entrepreneurs usually do not know how to tackle the challenges concerning internationalization and sustainability, a managerial model for underling which kind of relationships and interactions must be built is the real aim of the present chapter. In order to do that the chapter is focused of a limited area, the Piedmont Region (Italy), to deep analyse the relationship SMEs can create and improve with the local institutions, associations, and business partners.


Author(s):  
Neeta Baporikar

Today, success and worth of a business depend more on intellectual capital than physical capital. Hence, knowledge that exists within an organization is a sustainable source of competitive advantage, which makes Knowledge Management (KM) a critical input in the growth of any organization and more so in the case of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Even though much has been researched and written on the subject of knowledge management in large and multinational organizations, very little focus and research has been done on KM in SMEs. Globalization of supply chains, rapid technological advances, superior returns on intellectual capital, and the growing importance of knowledge-intensive industries make KM a strategic tool in the growth and success of all businesses. Access and integration of SMEs with regional, national, and international supply chains require bridging the gaps between the requirements of supply chains and efficiency of SMEs' KM systems. KM-enabled SMEs are essential for competitive and sustainable growth. Hence, a judicious approach for KM in SMEs is a must in the current scenario. The overall mission of this chapter is to aid researchers in recognizing and understanding the knowledge management spectrum for small and medium enterprises in a globalized world. This would be indispensable for successful goal attainment and sustainable business in a contemporary complex economy.


2009 ◽  
pp. 185-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Arbore ◽  
Andrea Ordanini

In front of traditional interpretations of the digital gap based on endogenous conditions of the firms, this chapter intends to emphasize the importance that some external pressures may have on the ebusiness strategy of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The environmental factors analyzed here are market position, competitive intensity, and institutional pressures. SMEs have been grouped according to their level of e-business involvement, in relation to the number of e-business solutions adopted so far. Three layers are proposed: excluded, tentative, and integrated e-business SMEs. A multinomial logistic regression was used to predict these strategies. A general conclusion is that different models seem to explain exclusion and involvement. Specifically, two factors among those analyzed reveal to be more suitable in explaining e-business exclusion. They are the size of a SME and a lack of institutional pressures to adopt. On the other hand, e-business involvement seems to be primarily prompted by a selective competitive environment and not by imitative behaviors, as in the previous case.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document