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Issues for small businesses with waste management
Janice Redmond1, Elizabeth Walker, Calvin Wang
1School of Management, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia. j.redmond@ecu.edu.au
Journal of Environmental Management
|April 21, 2007
Summary
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) show environmental concern but lag in corporate social responsibility. Their collective environmental impact is significant, yet practical waste management improvements are not evident.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Management
- Business Ethics
- Small Business Management
Background:
- Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) exhibit limited engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
- The collective environmental footprint of SMEs is substantial, despite individual entities having minimal impact.
- Owner-managerial decisions, influenced by management style and ethics, directly shape a business's environmental practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gap between owner-managerial environmental concern and actual waste management practices in small enterprises.
- To explore the factors influencing SME participation in CSR, particularly environmental issues.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory investigation following a review of relevant literature.
- Qualitative or quantitative data collection on SME environmental practices and owner attitudes (details not specified in abstract).
Main Results:
- Owner-managers of small enterprises express awareness and concern for environmental issues.
- This expressed concern does not consistently translate into improved waste management practices within their businesses.
- Barriers to implementation, such as perceived costs, may hinder the adoption of environmental practices.
Conclusions:
- A disconnect exists between environmental awareness and actionable environmental management in SMEs.
- Further research is needed to understand and overcome barriers to SME environmental responsibility.
- Strategies promoting CSR adoption in SMEs should address perceived costs and facilitate practical implementation.
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