Barriers to the Circular Economy – Integration of Perspectives and Domains

Learning apart and together: towards an integrated competence framework for sustainable entrepreneurship in higher education

With the intention of integrating environmental and social practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a growing body of research proposes the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental management tools. Collectively referred to as sustainability management tools in this paper, voluntary management approaches range from environmental and social audits, indicators, and management systems, to reporting schemes and stakeholder dialogues. While the adoption of such management tools in SMEs has been increasingly anticipated in the academic literature, the rates of awareness and implementation for these management tools are missing. Furthermore, the connections between awareness and implementation remain under-researched. Using a framework for innovation diffusion, the results from a web-based survey with 176 German SME managers investigate these connections. Rogers' model is particularly useful to identify managerial and organizational characteristics that might explain why particular SMEs are more likely to adopt sustainability management tools. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Sustainability Management and Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: Managers' Awareness and Implementation of Innovative Tools

Managing sustainable development with management control systems: A literature review

Because corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be beneficial to both companies and its stakeholders, interest in factors that support CSR performance has grown in recent years. A thorough integration of CSR in core business processes is particularly important for achieving effective long-term CSR practices. Here, we explored the individual CSR-related competencies that support CSR implementation in a corporate context. First, a systematic literature review was performed in which relevant scientific articles were identified and analyzed. Next, 28 CSR directors and managers were interviewed. The literature review complemented with interview data resulted in the following eight distinct CSR-related competencies: (1) Anticipating CSR challenges; (2) Understanding CSR-rel- evant systems and subsystems; (3) Understanding CSR- relevant standards; (4) CSR management competencies, including (4a) Leading CSR programs, (4b) Managing CSR programs, and (4c) Identifying and realizing CSR-related business opportunities; (5) Realizing CSR-supportive interpersonal processes; (6) Employing CSR-supportive personal characteristics and attitudes; (7) Personal value- driven competencies, including (7a) Ethical normative competencies, (7b) Balancing personal ethical values and business objectives, and (7c) Realizing self-regulated CSR- related behaviors and active involvement; and (8) Reflecting on personal CSR views and experiences. Based on these results, implications for further research on this topic, as well as implications for practitioners, are discussed.

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Ian Holton

Papers

Managing for sustainability: findings from four company case studies in the UK precast concrete industry