Green Practice Motivators and Performance in SMEs: A Qualitative Comparative Anaysis

Authors

  • Lilia Rekik TELUQ, Université du Québec
  • Francois Bergeron TELUQ, Université du Québec

Abstract

Green practices are necessary to fight global warming and save scarce resources. SMEs, which represent more than 90% of organizations, play a critical role in this endeavor. This research uses a qualitative comparative analysis, based on Boolean mathematics, to explore SMEs’ motivation to implement green practices and inquire about the resulting performance. This research model is based on Porter’s Value Chain and Triandis’ Theory of Reasoned Action. Fifteen (15) SMEs from three countries (Canada, Tunisia and Morocco) where interviewed for the research. Various groupings of SMEs’ motivators associated with a high level of green practices were found. The grouping profiles involved the organizational culture, expected consequences, facilitating conditions, and socioeconomic factors. Implementing green practices was found to be beneficial to SMEs both in terms of financial and environmental performance. The specific green practices characterizing high financial performing SMEs varied among firms; the grouping profiles involved the inventory practices, waste treatment and disposal and inbound logistics. Green practices characterizing high environmental performing firms gathered in profiles based on the operations, waste treatment and R&D. No unique causal condition was found for green practice motivators but the culture revealed to be a sufficient condition for one of the green practice configurations, while inventory practices, operations, waste treatment and R&D appeared to be sufficient for specific configurations of high performing SMEs.

References

Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Arend, R.J. (2014). Social and environmental performance at SMEs: considering motivations, capabilities, and instrumentalism. Journal of Business Ethics, 123, 541-561.

Bergeron, F., Raymond, L., Rivard, S., & Gara, M-F. (2015). Determinants of EIS use: Testing a behavioral model. Decision Support Systems, 14, 131-146.

Blackman, T., Wistow, J., & Byrne, D. (2011). A qualitative comparative analysis of factors associated with trends in narrowing health inequalities in England. Social Science & Medicine, 71, 1965-1974.

Brace-Govan, J. (2004). Issues in snowball sampling: the lawyer, the model and ethics. Qualitative Research Journal, 4(1), 52-63.

Burke, S., & Gaughran, W.F. (2006). Intelligent environmental management for SMEs in manufacturing. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 22(5), 566-575.

Chie, M.K., & Shih, L.H. (2007). An empirical study of the implementation of green supply chain management practices in the electrical and electronic industry and their relation to organizational performances. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 4(3), 383-394.

Cosimato, S. & Troisi, O. (2015). Green supply chain management: Practices and tools for logistics competitiveness and sustainability, The DHL case study. The TQM Journal, 27(2), 256-276.

Cote, R. P., Lopez, J., Marche, S., Perron, G. M., & Wright, R. (2008). Influences, practices and opportunities for environmental supply chain management in Nova Scotia SMEs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16(15), 1561-1570.

DiMaggio, P.J., & Powell, W.W. (1983). The iron cage-revisited: institutional isomorphorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147-160.

Dubey, R., Gunasekaran A., & Ali, S.S. (2015). Exploring the relationship between leadership, operational practices, institutional pressures environmental performance: a framework for green supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 160, 120–132.

El Kamel, L., Rekik, L., Taieb, A.A., & Bergeron, F. (2015). Image éco-responsable et PME dans les pays émergents. 14th International Marketing Trends Conference, Paris-France, January 23-24.

El Sawy, O.A., Malhotra, A., Park, Y., & Pavlou, P.A. (2010). Seeking the configurations of digital ecodynamics: It takes three to tango. Information Systems Research, 21(4), 835-848.

Fiss, P. C. (2011). Building better causal theories: a fuzzy set approach to typologies in organizational research. Academy of Management Journal, 54(2), 393-420.

Freeman, R.E. & Moutchnik, A. (2013). Stakeholder management and CSR: questions and answers. UmweltWirtschaftsForum, Springer Verlag, September, 21(1), 5-9.

Friedman, M., (1970). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. The New York Times Magazine, September 13, 7.

Green, K.W., Zelbst, P.J., Meacham, J., & Bhadauria, V. S. (2012). Green supply chain management practices: impact on performance. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 17(3), 290-305.

Hong, P., Kwon, H.-B., & Roh, J.J. (2009). Implementation of strategic green orientation in supply chain: An empirical study of manufacturing firms. European Journal of Innovation Management, 12(4), 512-532.

Lee, S.-Y. (2008). Drivers for the participation of small and medium-sized suppliers in green supply chain initiatives. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 13(3), 185–198.

Lee, K.-H., Cheol, B. & Lee, E.Y. (2016). Environmental responsibility and firm performance: the application of an environmental, social and governance model. Business Strategy and the Environment, 25, 40–53.

Lu W.B., & Taylor, M.E. (2016). Which factors moderate the relationship between sustainability performance and financial performance? A meta-analysis study. Journal of International Accounting Research, 15(1), 1–15.

Linton, J., Klassen, R., & Jayaraman, V. (2007). Sustainable supply chains: an introduction. Journal of Operations Management, 25(6), 1075-1082.

LMI (2010). Logistics Management Institute. Retrieved from: http://www.loginstitute.ca

Malviya, R.K. & Kant, R. (2015). Green supply chain management (GSCM): a structured literature review and research implications. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 22(7), 1360 – 1394.

Misangyi, V.F., & Acharya, A.G. (2014). Substitutes or complements? A configurational examination of corporate governance mechanisms. Academy of Management Journal, 57(6), 1681-1705.

Nikbakhsh, E. (2009). Green supply chain management. Supply chain and logistics in national, international and governmental environment. Physica-Verlag HD, 195-220.

O'Donohue, W., & Torugsa, N.A. (2016). The moderating effect of ‘Green’ HRM on the association between proactive environmental management and financial performance in small firms. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(2), 239-261.

Paulraj A. (2011). Understanding the relationships between internal resources and capabilities, sustainable supply management and organizational sustainability. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 47(1), 19-37.

Perron, G. M. (2005). Barriers to environmental performance improvements in Canadian SMEs. Dalhousie University, Canada.

Prud’homme, B., & Raymond, L. (2013). Sustainable development practices in the hospitality industry: An empirical study of their impact on customer satisfaction and intentions, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 34, 116-126

Ragin, C.C. (1987). The comparative method. Berkeley, CA: University Press.

Ragin, C.C. (2000). Fuzzy set social science. Chicago, IL: Chicago University Press.

Ragin, C.C. (2008a). Redesigning social inquiry. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Ragin, C.C. (2008b). User’s guide to fuzzy-set / qualitative comparative analysis. Department of Sociology, University of Arizona, September.

Rao, P. (2002). Greening the supply chain: a new initiative in South East Asia. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22(6), 632-655.

Rao, P., & Holt, D. (2005). Do green supply chains lead to competitiveness and economic performance? International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 25(9), 898-916.

Rao, P., Singh, A.K., O’ Castillo, O., Intal Jr., P.S., & Sajid, A. (2009). A metric for corporate environmental indicators for small and medium enterprises in the Philippines. Business Strategy and the Environment, 18, 14–31.

Rekik, L., El-Kamel, L., De Santa Eulalia, L., & Bergeron, F. (2014). Le rôle de l’image éco-responsable dans le processus décisionnel en gestion durable des PME. Proceedings, International Business and Consumer Research Conference, Nabeul-Hammamet, Tunisia, June, 24-26.

Rihoux, B., & Ragin, C. (2009). Configurational comparative methods: Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and related techniques. Los Angeles, CA, Sage.

Sarkis, J., Zhu, Q., & Lai, K-h. (2011) An organizational theoretic review of green supply chain management literature. International Journal Production Economics, 130, 1-15.

SCC (2010). Supply chain council. Retrieved from: http://www.supply-chain.org/.

Seuring, S., & Müller, M. (2008). From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16, 1699-1710.

Svensson, G. (2007). Aspects of sustainable supply chain management: Conceptual framework and empirical example. Supply Chain Management, 12(4), 262-266.

Tamlyn, A. (2007). The need for eco-efficiency resource tools for small and medium enterprises in Canada. MBA Internship, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Canada.

Tachizawa, E.M., Gimenez, C., & Sierra, V. (2015). Green supply chain management approaches: drivers and performance implication. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 35(11), 1546-1566.

Tamri, L. (2008). Adopting environmental innovations in small business: An analysis model. 9th CIFEPME - entrepreneurs and SMEs, drivers of change and innovation, Louvain-la-Neuve, October, 28-30.

Thoo, A.C., Abdul Hamid A. B., Rasli A., & Zhang D. (2014). The moderating effect of enviropreneurship on green supply chain management practices and sustainability performance. Advanced Materials Research, Sustainable Development of Industry and Economy, 869, 773-776.

Triandis, H. C. (1971). Attitude and attitude change. New York: Wiley.

Triandis, H.C. (1980). Values, attitudes, and interpersonal behavior. In University of Nebraska (Lincoln campus). Dept. of psychology. (Ed.). Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 196-259.

Triandis H.C., & Treacy, M.E. (1988). Utilization as a dependent variable in MIS research, ACM SIGMIS Data Base, 19 (3-4), 33-41.

Venkatraman, N. (1989). Strategic orientation of business enterprises: the construct, dimensionality, and measurement. Management Science, 35(8), 942-962.

Woodside, A.G. (2010). Case study research: Theory, methods and practice. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.

Downloads

Published

2017-03-02

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Green Practice Motivators and Performance in SMEs: A Qualitative Comparative Anaysis. (2017). Journal of Small Business Strategy (archive Only), 27(1), 1-18. https://libjournals.mtsu.edu/index.php/jsbs/article/view/757