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Article
Publication date: 12 October 2017

Aqueel Imtiaz Wahga, Richard Blundel and Anja Schaefer

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial practices in SMEs operating in a developing economy. The secondary objectives are to explore the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial practices in SMEs operating in a developing economy. The secondary objectives are to explore the relationship between these drivers and to draw out the implications for policy and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is informed by the literature on sustainable entrepreneurship, and on the drivers of pro-environmental practices in SMEs. It reports on the results of an intensive multi-level empirical study, which investigates the environmental practices of SMEs in Pakistan’s leatherworking industry using a multiple case study design and grounded analysis, which draws on relevant institutional theory.

Findings

The study identifies that coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphic pressures simultaneously drive sustainable entrepreneurial activity in the majority of sample SMEs. These pressures are exerted by specific micro-, meso- and macro-level factors, ranging from international customers’ requirements to individual-level values of owners and managers. It also reveals the catalytic effect of the educational and awareness-raising activities of intermediary organisations, in tandem with the attraction of competitiveness gains, (international) environmental regulations, industrial dynamism and reputational factors.

Practical implications

The evidence suggests that, in countries where formal institutional mechanisms have less of an impact, intermediary organisations can perform a proto-institutional role that helps to overcome pre-existing barriers to environmental improvement by sparking sustainable entrepreneurial activity in SME populations.

Originality/value

The findings imply that the drivers of sustainable entrepreneurial activity do not operate in a “piecemeal” fashion, but that particular factors mediate the emergence and development of other sustainability drivers. This paper provides new insights into sustainable entrepreneurship and motivations for environmental practices in an under-researched developing economy context.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2001

Richard K. Blundel and Martin Hingley

This paper presents new insights into the growth of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in vertical inter‐firm relationships. It adopts a processual and…

1340

Abstract

This paper presents new insights into the growth of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in vertical inter‐firm relationships. It adopts a processual and resource‐based perspective and focuses on the experiences of fresh produce businesses which have achieved high rates of growth while supplying the UK’s large multiple food retailers. The context in which these suppliers operate is shown to be a complex and dynamic supply chain, characterised by increasing structural concentration and close vertical linkages. The primary research investigates how certain SMEs have prospered in an apparently “hostile” environment. It includes a programme of matched‐depth interviews, conducted across the retailer‐supplier dyad. Content analysis of transcripts reveals six factors which appear to be strongly associated with the formation of “successful” relationships. In subsequent interactions, securing “developmental” supplier status appears to open the way to a self‐reinforcing cycle of Penrosian learning and reinvestment. This cycle contributes to growth in the supplier firm. The authors argue that, with certain crucial caveats, growth‐oriented SMEs can develop mutually beneficial relationships with much larger “customer” firms. The paper concludes by drawing out wider policy implications and indicating how this contextualised approach might be used in other contexts.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Content available

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Content available

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2004

Abstract

Details

Working with Older People, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-3666

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1975

THE TIMING of the Library Association's new statement on ‘Public Lending Right’ (just before a Christmas when most of the country switched off mentally for a fortnight) was in…

Abstract

THE TIMING of the Library Association's new statement on ‘Public Lending Right’ (just before a Christmas when most of the country switched off mentally for a fortnight) was in contrast to the substance.

Details

New Library World, vol. 76 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Content available
Article
Publication date: 30 March 2010

Craig S. Galbraith

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Abstract

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2023

Chloe A. Thompson, Madeleine Pownall, Richard Harris and Pam Blundell-Birtill

An important facet of student’s sense of belonging is students’ relationships with, and time spent in, the university campus. The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion…

Abstract

Purpose

An important facet of student’s sense of belonging is students’ relationships with, and time spent in, the university campus. The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion that access to campus “green space”, including parks, fields and gardens, may bolster students’ sense of belonging, improve well-being feelings and promote place attachment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed students in different locations (including three green and one non-green campus spaces) across a large UK campus-based Northern institution. 146 students participated in the study in one of the four campus locations. The authors investigated how being in green spaces on campus may impact students’ sense of belonging, well-being and place attachment. The authors also qualitatively explored students’ perceptions of campus spaces through Ahn’s (2017) 10 Words Question measure.

Findings

Analyses demonstrate that students surveyed in green spaces reported significantly more positive sense of belonging, compared to students surveyed in non-green campus spaces. Campus location did not impact well-being, however. Students associated green spaces on campus with “calm”, “positive emotion” and “nature” words and non-green spaces with “busy”, “social” and “students”.

Practical implications

Taken together, the results of this paper suggest that access to green spaces can be important for campus sense of belonging. Thus, efforts should be made to ensure the sustainability of these important spaces across university campuses.

Originality/value

This study crucially examines how occupying green spaces on university campuses may impact students’ feelings of belongingness. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that uses field-based methods to understand students’ feelings whilst occupying green spaces.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 24 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2003

BENJAMIN BLUNDELL, Hannah Sayers and Yvonne Shanahan

This paper presents the results of a survey of the use of the balanced scorecard in New Zealand companies. The top 40 companies on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZSE40) were…

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey of the use of the balanced scorecard in New Zealand companies. The top 40 companies on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZSE40) were chosen as the survey population. A 62.5% response rate was achieved. One hundred percent of respondents indicated that they have knowledge of the balanced scorecard. Sixty‐one percent and 65% of the respondents reported that they use a balanced scorecard at organisational and divisional level, respectively. The results indicate that financial performance measures continue to dominate non‐financial measures in terms of importance. In addition to further developing the literature on the balanced scorecard, the research provides opportunities to investigate balanced scorecard implementations in New Zealand in more depth.

Details

Pacific Accounting Review, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0114-0582

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1985

Ray King has been appointed managing director of MBP Industrial Finishes Ltd, the company set up by Manders Holdings plc after the acquisition of the Industrial Division of…

Abstract

Ray King has been appointed managing director of MBP Industrial Finishes Ltd, the company set up by Manders Holdings plc after the acquisition of the Industrial Division of Blundell‐Permoglaze.

Details

Pigment & Resin Technology, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0369-9420

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