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Beyond Size: Predicting Engagement in Environmental Management Practices of Dutch SMEs

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Abstract

This study focuses on the prediction of the engagement of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in environmental management practices, based on a random sample of 689 SMEs. The study finds that several endogenous factors, including tangibility of sector, firm size, innovative orientation, family influence and perceived financial benefits from energy conservation, predict an SME’s level of engagement in selected environmental management practices. For family influence, this effect is found only in interaction with the number of owners. In addition to empirical research on SMEs’ environmental behavior, this article draws on the ecological modernization literature as well as the theory of planned behavior.

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Notes

  1. The project was entitled “SMEs and Entrepreneurship” and was carried out by EIM Research and Policy on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

  2. Contrary to Brand and Dam (2009), we include transportation and communication in the tangible sector category because the majority of SMEs in this category are involved in transportation activities that consume significant amounts of fuel. Even firms in the communication sector typically sell hardware, and thus consume resources and require methods of proper disposal.

  3. Prior to adoption of European Union standards, the Netherlands used the criterion of a maximum of 100 employees to define an SMEs. For that reason, it was used as the criterion to draw the sample for this study.

Abbreviations

CSR:

Corporate social responsibility

EM:

Ecological modernization

SME:

Small- and medium-sized enterprise

VIF:

Variance inflation factor

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. EDHEC Business School, Roubaix Cedex 1, France

    Lorraine M. Uhlaner

  2. Center for Entrepreneurship, Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands

    Marta M. Berent-Braun

  3. European Institute for Business Ethics, Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands

    Ronald J. M. Jeurissen

  4. EIM Research and Policy, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands

    Gerrit de Wit

Authors
  1. Lorraine M. Uhlaner
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  2. Marta M. Berent-Braun
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  3. Ronald J. M. Jeurissen
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  4. Gerrit de Wit
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Correspondence to Lorraine M. Uhlaner.

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Table 8 List of variables
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Uhlaner, L.M., Berent-Braun, M.M., Jeurissen, R.J.M. et al. Beyond Size: Predicting Engagement in Environmental Management Practices of Dutch SMEs. J Bus Ethics 109, 411–429 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1137-x

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