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Unlock the Change. A Literature Review on Barriers Limiting SME Sustainable Transition

Author

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  • Elisa Errico

    (Department of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza University of Rome)

Abstract

Since the publication of the report Our Common Future of the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland, 1987) governments around the world have started a reflection upon the social and environmental damages caused by a growth-oriented economic system which neglects our natural ecosystem's boundaries (Shaper, 2002; Chofreh et al., 2020; Goni et al., 2021). This has led also to the definition of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda of United Nation, in which businesses are called to give their contribution towards sustainability (Cantele & Zardini, 2018) considering their environmental, social and economic impact (Elkington, 1998). In this scenario, Smes represent 99.8% of companies (European Commission,2019; Neri et al.,2021) and because of their overall socio-economic and environmental impacts, play a fundamental role in order to achieve SDGs. Through a systematic literature review (SLR) on current studies, this study seeks to establish a comprehensive body of knowledge on the particular barriers to sustainability for SMEs. Thematic analysis method (TA) was used to identify key themes and classify them into four major types of barriers for SMEs (organizational constraints, individual features and beliefs, market conditions, and institutional environment). The last paragraph discusses these findings to identify under-investigated areas and proposes future paths of research, and draws the limitations of this study.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisa Errico, 2023. "Unlock the Change. A Literature Review on Barriers Limiting SME Sustainable Transition," Working Papers 8/23, Sapienza University of Rome, DISS.
    • Handle: RePEc:saq:wpaper:8/23
    as

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    File URL: http://www.diss.uniroma1.it/sites/default/files/allegati/DiSSE_Errico_wp8_2023.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Juanita Álvarez Jaramillo & Jhon Wilder Zartha Sossa & Gina Lía Orozco Mendoza, 2019. "Barriers to sustainability for small and medium enterprises in the framework of sustainable development—Literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 512-524, May.
    2. Sara Poggesi & Michela Mari & Luisa Vita, 2016. "What’s new in female entrepreneurship research? Answers from the literature," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 735-764, September.
    3. Boons, Frank & Wagner, Marcus, 2009. "Assessing the relationship between economic and ecological performance: Distinguishing system levels and the role of innovation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1908-1914, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    SME; barrier; sustainability transitions; systematic review; thematic analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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