Naslov
Socially and Environmentally Responsible Business Practices in SMEs: A Case Study of Croatia

Autori
Zrnić, Ana

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
Economic and Social Development: 88th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development – "Roadmap to NetZero Economies and Businesses" / - , 2022, 379-388

Skup
88th International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development: Roadmap to NetZero Economies and Businesses

Mjesto i datum
Dubai, Ujedinjeni Arapski Emirati, 19.10.2022. - 20.10.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Croatian SMEs, responsible business, sustainability, sustainability strategy

Sažetak
Companies implement active measures for social and environmental activities as part of their business operations. To improve their sustainable business practices, emphasis has been placed on a strategy that combines positive environmental and social impacts with long-term profitability. At the EU level, large companies are required to report on their sustainable practices. There are EU plans to extend this obligation to a wider range of companies, including some SMEs. SMEs are already improving their social and environmental business practices, which is reflected in their strategy or action plan. By implementing sustainable strategies, SMEs can achieve a number of synergistic effects as well as systemic benefits for the common good. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there is a difference in environmental and social sustainability between SMEs that have a strategy or action plan to become a sustainable company and those that do not. The research was conducted with 482 Croatian SMEs, using descriptive statistics and an independent samples t-test to identify significant differences. The results of this study show that SMEs that do not implement a sustainable business practices strategy or action plan do not differ statistically significantly in their active implementation of environmental and social measures from SMEs that implement a sustainable business practices strategy or action plan. According to these results, Croatian SMEs need to work on the quality and implementation of environmental and social strategies in order to adopt more sustainability measures and achieve a positive impact on society and the environment, rather than implementing strategies just for the sake of form.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Ekonomija

POVEZANOST RADA