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Cultural Antecedents of Sustainability and Regional Economic Development - A Study of SME ‘Mittelstand’ Firms in Baden-Württemberg (Germany)

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Kraus
  • Peter Stokes
  • Sir Cary Cooper
  • Yipeng Liu
  • Neil Moore
  • Bernd Britzelmaier
  • Shlomo Tarba

Abstract

This paper examines behavioural and regional/geographic cultural antecedents of sustainability in SME contexts. The study identifies prevailing macro-representations of sustainability in the literature and highlights an over-focus on large firms constituting the predominant unit of analysis. Moreover, there is a propensity in the literature to view sustainability primarily in terms of ‘environmental’ – closely linked to a corporate strategic imperative narrative of economic competitiveness and profitability. Overall, this perspective tends to generate accounts which are acultural, apolitical and ahistorical in terms of innovative actions and sustainability practices. In response, using a conceptual framework of moral identity, the paper develops a more micro-foundational insight to sustainability (developing notions of ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible’) and examines regional economic development attitudes at individual owner-manager/managing director level in small-to-medium-sized firms.Methodologically, an inductively framed interview schedule was employed with owner-managers and managing directors (n = 30) of manufacturing SMEs in the Baden-Württemberg region (Germany). The study identified a range of micro-foundational behavioural antecedents operating in the sample companies. In particular, it underlined that many of the SME owner-managers/managing directors expressed views informed by a particular moral identity connected with a perspective rooted in regionally bound, longstanding and ‘expected’ behaviours of trust, fairness, honesty and community responsibility.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Kraus & Peter Stokes & Sir Cary Cooper & Yipeng Liu & Neil Moore & Bernd Britzelmaier & Shlomo Tarba, 2020. "Cultural Antecedents of Sustainability and Regional Economic Development - A Study of SME ‘Mittelstand’ Firms in Baden-Württemberg (Germany)," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(7-8), pages 629-653, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:entreg:v:32:y:2020:i:7-8:p:629-653
    DOI: 10.1080/08985626.2020.1713223
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yipeng Liu & Jong Min Lee & Celia Lee, 2020. "The challenges and opportunities of a global health crisis: the management and business implications of COVID-19 from an Asian perspective," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(3), pages 277-297, July.
    2. Peng Wang & Eugenia Yijun Xing & Xiaotao Zhang & Yipeng Liu, 2022. "Sensemaking and Sustainable Development: Chinese Overseas Acquisitions and the Globalisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 13(S1), pages 23-33, April.
    3. Yuan Zhi Seah, 2021. "COVID-19 and Its Effects on Attitudes toward Opportunity-Motivated Entrepreneurship: Before and after Lockdown," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-13, August.
    4. Kraus, Patrick & Stokes, Peter & Tarba, Shlomo Y. & Rodgers, Peter & Dekel-Dachs, Ofer & Britzelmaier, Bernd & Moore, Neil, 2022. "The ambidextrous interaction of RBV-KBV and regional social capital and their impact on SME management," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 762-774.
    5. Ralph Sonntag & Gerard J. Lewis & Andrzej Raszkowski, 2022. "The Importance of Implementing SDGs by Small and Medium Size Enterprises: Evidence from Germany and Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Ferraris, Alberto & Degbey, William Y. & Singh, Sanjay Kumar & Bresciani, Stefano & Castellano, Sylvaine & Fiano, Fabio & Couturier, Jerome, 2022. "Microfoundations of Strategic Agility in Emerging Markets: Empirical Evidence of Italian MNEs in India," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    7. Li, Wei & Liu, Zhi & Xia, Senmao & Yan, Ji & Xiong, Yu & Sakka, Georgia & Yu Li, Rebecca, 2022. "How can emerging-market SMEs domestically benefit from their performance in developed countries? Empirical evidence from China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 200-210.
    8. Fuzhong Chen & Haifeng Li & Huini Wei & Wani Nelson, 2022. "The Ownership, Innovation, and Sustainable Development of Micro and Small Enterprises: Evidence of China," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, November.

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