Title :
SME´s environmental performance: determinants and impacts
Author :
Lefebvre, Eric ; Lefebvre, L.A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Math. & Ind. Eng., Ecole Polytech. de Montreal, Que.
Abstract :
Summary form only, as given. The paper analyzes empirical evidence from 368 environmentally responsive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in four industries. Results demonstrate that environmental performance cannot be viewed as a unidimensional concept and that determinants of environmental performance depend on the dimension retained. Impacts of environmental initiatives on firms´ innovativeness and competitiveness are much stronger in the electric and electronic products industry whereas environmental responsiveness does not necessarily translate into hard financial results (either in terms of cost reductions or additional revenues) for the printing industry. However, impacts on product and process innovations as well as on managerial innovations are positive and significant for all four industries
Keywords :
environmental factors; product development; research and development management; R&D; SME; competitiveness; electric products industry; electronic products industry; environmental issues; environmental performance; innovativeness; managerial innovations; printing industry; process innovations; product innovations; small and medium-sized enterprises; technology management; Acceleration; Consumer electronics; Costs; Electronics industry; Industrial electronics; Industrial engineering; Innovation management; Mathematics; Technological innovation; Technology management;
Conference_Titel :
Management of Engineering and Technology, 1999. Technology and Innovation Management. PICMET '99. Portland International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Portland, OR
Print_ISBN :
1-890843-02-4
DOI :
10.1109/PICMET.1999.808456