scholarly journals The Impact of Coercive Pressures on Sustainability Practices of Small Businesses in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald Masocha ◽  
Olawale Fatoki
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Isomorphic Pressures

The study sought to examine the role that coercive isomorphic pressures play in the sustainable development practices by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The survey research approach was utilised in the research through 222 self-administered questionnaires distributed to SME owners and managers. The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was utilised to analyse the data through the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method in Amos Version 24 software. Major findings in this study are that coercive isomorphic pressures have a significant impact on all the three dimensions of sustainable development which are economic, environmental and social. The implications are that government, environmental pressure groups and other stakeholders need to take into consideration the coercive pressures such as laws and regulations in pressuring small businesses to enhance sustainability practices. The research contributes by unearthing the extent to which coercive pressures impact the behaviour and practices of SMEs in sustainability practices. The study indicates that eventually small firms are expected to behave the same when it comes to adopting sustainability practices due to coercive isomorphism. The findings of this study further contribute toward understanding the concept of sustainable development in practice and theory.

Revisiting control aversion: the role of financiers in connecting entrepreneurs to the marketplace

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Silver ◽  
Nicolaus Lundahl ◽  
Björn Berggren
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Credit Rationing ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of small business entrepreneurs’ relinquishment of control aversion and the impact of their interaction with external financiers on market connection. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires were sent to the chief executive officers of small businesses in the manufacturing and professional services sectors. A total of 459 valid responses were analyzed in a structural equation model. Findings – The attitude of small business entrepreneurs in relying on financiers’ advice is marked by control aversion. This fear of losing control creates information asymmetry, which in itself leads to decreased financing opportunities for small business entrepreneurs. The results of the study suggest that small firms seeking the aid of financiers will be provided with substantial additional information about the market. Issues pertaining to supply seem to be less relevant than those relating to demand, thus indicating that greater focus should be placed on the investment readiness of small businesses. Originality/value – This study emphasizes the importance of the role of attitudes among SMEs in understanding capital market failure and credit rationing.

scholarly journals The Ecuadorian Banana Farms Managers’ Perceptions: Innovation as a Driver of Environmental Sustainability Practices

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 213
Author(s):  
Alicia Ramírez-Orellana ◽  
Daniel Ruiz-Palomo ◽  
Alfonso Rojo-Ramírez ◽  
John E. Burgos-Burgos
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Environmental Practices ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
Policy Incentives ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Training

This article aims to explore the perceptions of banana farms managers towards environmental sustainability practices through the impact of innovation, adoption of information systems, and training employees through a case study in the province of El Oro (Ecuador). Furthermore, the paper assesses how farmers’ perceptions could guide public policy incentives. PLS-Structural Equation Modeling are used as the framework by which the constructs is represented within the model. The model explained 59% of the environmental sustainability practices of Ecuadorian banana farms. The results indicate that environmental sustainability practices were positively influenced mainly by training employees, innovation, and adoption of information systems. Additionally, both the adoption of information systems and training employees indirectly influenced sustainable practices through innovation as a mediator. We may conclude that in the Ecuadorian banana farms, changes in environmental practices are derived from innovation strategies as an axis of development of useful information and training employees in public policies.

Rural women entrepreneurs in Oman: problems and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhail M. Ghouse ◽  
Omar Durrah ◽  
Gerard McElwee
Keyword(s):  
Rural Women ◽  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Opportunities ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Traditional Roles

PurposeThis paper examines the challenges associated with rural women entrepreneurs in Oman. The study is based on women living in rural and highland areas who aim to move beyond their traditional roles in the family seeking avenues for growth and development. It identifies several problems encountered by rural women entrepreneurs and the impact on their future business opportunities.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research approach involving quantitative and qualitative elements was adopted for the study. The research is based on 183 survey responses and personal interviews with 8 rural women entrepreneurs. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to analyse the quantitative responses and depict a model featuring the intensity of the problems affecting business opportunities. Seven short cases based upon the interviews with rural women entrepreneurs are also detailed.FindingsSeveral problems experienced by rural women entrepreneurs were identified hampering their business ventures, linked to personality, family, educational, socio-cultural, facilities, legal, financial and economic, organizational and geographical, out of which household, organizational and geographical linked problems were most significant. Entrepreneurial opportunities for rural women entrepreneurs are discussed.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that the policymakers should holistically consider how the rural women engaged in informal business for various means can be better supported and sustained by overcoming associated problems, can achieve business opportunities and contribute to regional socio-economic development.Originality/valueThere is a limited literature available on rural women entrepreneurship in an Arab context. The study provides an overview of the challenges and problems experienced by these women and the support areas required to overcome them for their sustainability in this region.

Impact of social media usage on performance of construction businesses (CBs) in Abuja, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi ◽  
Olufemi Seth Olorunyomi ◽  
Richard Ajayi Jimoh ◽  
James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Interest ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Many construction businesses are currently building and keeping social media pages for their enterprises to be visible to the public to improve their social interaction, promote business interest, build trust and relationships with their targeted audience on social media. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social mediausage on performance of construction businesses (CBs) in Abuja, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative research approach by identifying constructs that reveal three aspects of organisation’s physiognomies that impact the process of espousing, implementing and using technological innovations in conducting businesses. Well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 113 purposively sampled building materials’ merchant operating in Dei-Dei Market, Abuja, Nigeria. This study used partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to establish the relationship among the constructs. Findings The results of this study indicated that technology has significant relationship with social media adoption, whereas social media adoption has a very strong positive impact on organisation’s performance (P < 0.001) with respect to improved customer relations and services and enhanced information accessibility. Research limitations/implications This study has implications for CBs that wish to adopt social media to promote their businesses by presenting to them the opportunity to understand the impact of technology, environment and organisational potential in improving business performance. This study is cross-sectional in nature, and this calls for caution in interpreting the results. Originality/value This paper developed and tested a conceptual framework presented to understand the interrelationships amongst the constructs, which would be of great significance to business owners in developing their social interaction and promote business interest via social media. The outcome of this research is beneficial to researchers to further study how the different social media tools could help in influencing business decisions.

scholarly journals Creating Model of Sustainable Performance based Green Management System on The Small and Medium Enterprises

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 340-349
Author(s):  
Vini Wiratno Putri ◽  
Ketut Sudarma
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Competitive Advantages ◽  
Green Management ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
The Impact

The aims of this paper is to analyze the effect of the relationship between knowledge and on green management and its implication on competitive advantage and sustainable performannce. This study used a quantitative research approach that explains the phenomenon by collecting numerical data analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM) with the WarpPLS program application. The population in this study were small or medium business owners (general managers) in the industrial sector in the city of Semarang. Knowledge and green management have a significant effect on competitive advantages and competitive advantages has a significant effect on the sustainability performance. It means that the knowledge and green management simultaneously shows a significant effect on competitive advantages and sustainability performance. The application of green management will also improve sustainability performance. The originality of this study is on the testing of simultaneous relationships between the factors making up the application of green management, namely knowledge as well as the impact of green management implementation on sustainability performance.

scholarly journals An Octopus and a circle at the basis of a framework for the evaluation of sustainable mobility

Transport ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-248
Author(s):  
Louiselle Sioui ◽  
Catherine Morency ◽  
Hubert Verreault
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Interactive Tool ◽  
Development Assessment ◽  
The Impact

Worldwide, transportation authorities are keen to implement sustainable development measures and to move toward a more sustainable mobility for people and goods. However, this implementation entails a rise in the need for a sustainable development assessment framework for mobility, in order to compare different projects or to monitor a given area. This paper addresses the issue of conceptualization and standardization of the evaluation of sustainable development in transportation, by proposing a framework, which seeks to meet the various needs of transportation planners. This framework aims to provide an exhaustive view of the sustainability features (through its three main dimensions), as well as to clarify the concept of sustainability in transportation by embedding links between actions and impacts. This paper presents the basis of the framework developed as an interactive tool: (1) a representation named ‘Octopus’ categorizing the impact of mobility on the three dimensions of sustainable development and (2) a circular representation, named ‘Causal circle’, which integrates causal links between actions and impacts on these same dimensions.

Green Organizational Culture: An Exploration of Dimensions

2021 ◽  
pp. 097215092110498
Author(s):  
Priyanka Aggarwal ◽  
Tanuja Agarwala
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Questionnaire Development ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽  
The Impact

Awareness of environmental issues and stakeholder expectations has led organizations to be concerned about the impact of their products, processes and packaging on the natural environment. Environmental sustainability has become an essential tool for the competitive advantage of firms. Organizations need to bring about cultural transformation to sustain competitive advantage. This orientation has brought green organizational culture to centre stage as firms seek to institutionalize and incorporate environmental focus throughout the organization. The belief that integrating environmental concerns with organizational culture should result in sustainable competitive advantage mandates that firms measure the extent of ‘greening’ of the culture. Literature review reveals that ‘green organizational culture’ has begun to receive attention in recent years. However, a standardized and empirically validated instrument is not available for measuring the extent to which green values are internalized throughout the firm. The present study aims to fill this gap by developing a questionnaire to study green organizational culture (GOC). The model proposed by Harris and Crane (2002 , Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 15, pp. 214–234) is used as a basis for questionnaire development. A two-stage method of structural equation modelling in AMOS 23 is employed for data analysis. Exploratory factor analysis in SPSS reveals three dimensions of the construct measured by two items. Confirmatory factor analysis confirms the factor structure. The instrument satisfies the conditions of convergent and discriminant validity and the model fulfils the criteria for model fitness. Measurement of green organizational culture has important implications for creating and reinforcing greening through human resource policies and practices.

Exploring the nexus of social media influencers and consumer brand engagement

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Man Lai Cheung ◽  
Wilson K.S. Leung ◽  
Morgan X. Yang ◽  
Kian Yeik Koay ◽  
Man Kit Chang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Consumer Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeGrounded in uses and gratification theory (UGT) and observational learning theory (OLT), this study aims to understand the impact of motivational factors on consumer-influencer engagement behaviors (CIEBs). Motivating factors, including entertainment, information seeking, reward and social interaction, are regarded as antecedents of consumers' OLT, as manifested by CIEB dimensions, including consumption, contribution and creation, and subsequently drive consumer engagement with the endorsed brands.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to Malaysian social media users. A total of 263 responses were collected and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the impact of motivational factors on CIEBs.FindingsThe results show that the three dimensions of CIEBs can be predicted by different gratifications (information seeking, entertainment, reward and interaction). In addition, two of the CIEB dimensions, consumption and contribution, were found to have a significant positive influence on consumers' engagement with endorsed brands.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights into how social media influencers (SMIs) could lead to CIEBs by creating entertaining and rewarding content that facilitates social interaction between consumers. SMIs and marketers that encourage consumers to browse, comment and share SMI-created posts will enhance consumer engagement with the endorsed brands, as engagement is driven by the consumption and contribution to SMI-created content.Originality/valueSMI marketing is increasing, and many brands are beginning to rely more on SMIs to promote brands. Yet, there is a dearth of studies that have examined how SMIs play a role in affecting consumers' engagement with endorsed brands. This study contributes to the marketing literature by developing and empirically testing the research model. Results suggest that social interaction, reward and entertainment are key motivational factors that drive CIEBs, which, in turn, foster consumer engagement with endorsed brands.

scholarly journals Introducing Sustainability in a Robotic Engineering Degree: A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco A. Pujol ◽  
David Tomás
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
Engineering Degree ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes a group activity concerning the topic of climate change, designed to introduce the concepts of sustainable development into a Robotic Engineering degree. The purpose of this activity was to make students reflect about the impact of their work on the planet as future engineers by asking them to design an environmentally friendly robot that also integrated social and economic aspects, covering the three dimensions of sustainability in this way. Students were surveyed in order to study different aspects of their commitment, attitudes, practices, and motivation towards sustainability. In addition to the overall analysis of the survey, three specific studies were carried out with the aim of comparing the responses of different population groups: (i) Students who completed the proposed assignment and students who did not, (ii) female and male students, and (iii) roles played in the assignment. The results of the analysis revealed the high commitment of the students with respect to sustainability, but also a lack of active participation and awareness of their impact as future engineers. The activity was not only a way to introduce sustainability concepts, but in many cases, it also became a motivation for the participants, especially for the female students.

Organisational Culture and Environmental Performance of Hospitality Firms in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olawale FATOKI
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of organisational culture on firm environmental performance in the context of the hospitality sector. The study used the quantitative research approach with descriptive and causal research design. The Denison organisational culture questionnaire was used to measure organisational culture. The Denison questionnaire contains four traits namely involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission. The questionnaire was distributed among 500 owner/managers of formal hotels and guest accommodations in South Africa. Data gathered were analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling. The results of the study indicate that the four traits of organisational culture (involvement, consistency, adaptability and mission) have significant positive impacts on the environmental performance of firms in the hospitality sector. The findings of the study can assist firms in the hospitality sector to understand the significance of internal intangible factors such as the organisational culture in the implementation of environmental sustainability initiatives.

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