Small and Medium Enterprises Essay example -- Business, Environment, P

Introduction Environmental practices among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are increasing being supported as the vital approaches that are needed to shapes and sustains the environment (Schaper 2002; Hillary 2004; Redmond, Walker et al. 2008; Rasi, Abdekhodaee et al. 2010; Revell, Stokes et al. 2010). Many large organizations have taken considerable steps to reduce or eliminate pollution that might occur from their operations. Small and Mediums Enterprises (SMEs), however, continue to be overlooked on it consequences on environmental management issues (Melton 1999). While, some SMEs are generally aware of the substantial impact of their operations on the environment (Williamson and Lynch-Wood 2001), most SME believe environmental initiatives as peripheral issues and may not be important to the organizational survival (Redmond, Walker et al. 2008) Ensuring SMEs to realize and accomplish its environmental objectives are crucial. The notions that SMEs are not yet engaged in the environmental practices are intimidating since the facts that most environmental pollution is originates from SMEs. An earlier study by Smith and Kemp (1998) identifies that 70 percent of manufacturing pollution are created by SMEs. The Marshall Report (1998) estimates that SMEs generates 60 percent of carbon emissions. More recently, a report for The European Commission, Directorate General Environment, indicates that more than 50 percent of commercial and industrial waste are produced by SMEs (Berends, Morà ¨re et al. 2000), whilst the UK Environment Agency estimates that UK SMEs are responsible for 60 percent of commercial waste and 80 percent of pollution accidents (Netreg 2003). Again, work by the Wales Environment Centre in rural Wales, indicat... ...tivities. The strategy requires a structural investment in operations that involves process or product based changes in effort to gain a competitive advantage (Klassen and Whybark 1999). Compared to former strategies, proactive strategies imply creative problem solving and collaborative exchanges with stakeholders (Sharma and Vredenburg 1998). For example, organizations implementing proactive approaches can improve various managerial aspects by continuously monitoring their activities and learning to optimize and utilize their green technological investment (Biondi, Frey et al. 1998). In addition, strategic collaboration with stakeholders enables SMEs to share tacit knowledge that are useful to make a successful transition to new environmental technologies. Table 1 depicts the differences between a reactive approach and a proactive approach as discussed above.