The Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 is halfway to the finish line, underscoring the urgency for engagement of all stakeholders to accomplish its overarching objectives. The private sector, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, play a crucial role, with a significant potential to advance sustainable development. Nevertheless, they frequently abstain from sustainable endeavours due to several constraining factors such as lack of resources or knowledge. This thesis aims to explore strategies for sustainable business practices that SMEs implemented despite these limitations. These strategies can consequently enhance their contribution to the Agenda 2030. Building on the theoretical concepts of dynamic capabilities and transformational leadership, a case study was developed including eight semi-structured interviews with SME leaders from the food and beverage industry in Skåne, Sweden. In addition to the interviews, data from three documents provided by the interviewed SMEs were reviewed. The main findings of this thesis illustrate that SMEs can develop essential capabilities and strategies to address sustainability. Moreover, the owner-managers’ perceptions of sustainability and leadership style influence the organisational commitment towards sustainability. The strategies SMEs employ are focused on developing a long-term, holistic perspective towards sustainability, focusing on sustainable product development, adjusting their operational processes, and enhancing integration of resources of external stakeholders by maintaining collaborative efforts, partnerships, and networks.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-67819 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Fabianova, Tereza, Scholz, Miriam |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för Urbana Studier (US) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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