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Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Public Policies and Sustainability in a Challenging World

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 January 2025) | Viewed by 3255

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department, of Management Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Tripoli , Greece
Interests: public policies and sustainability; European economics; sustainable economic growth; sustainable development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Tripoli, Greece
Interests: sustainable entrepreneurship; sustainable innovation solutions; sustainable entrepreneurship education; entrepreneurial learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability has long been on the agenda for many small and medium enterprises (SMEs), but their social, environmental, and governance activities have been tackled due to various challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, and the inflation crisis have created many constraints on the path towards achieving sustainable development. The growing number of social and environmental issues and challenges has become imperative for SMEs, governments, international trade, national competitiveness, and local communities. As the world is constantly changing, consumers and governments are attempting to encourage SMEs to be more focused and committed to their social and environmental goals.

Stakeholders and policy makers at all levels of governance (supranational, national, regional, and local) have emerged as major forces promoting social responsibility and environmental sustainability. They can provide comprehensive solutions to interrelated issues such as economic, social, and environmental measures. They can facilitate dialogue to find common solutions and mobilize new stakeholders to work with SMEs, governments, and socioeconomic organizations to address emerging issues and challenges around the world, and they can create new rules, structures, and support mechanisms for creating enterprise networks, synergizing platforms for sustainable development. Universities, as key agents in modern knowledge economies, undertake initiatives for sustainable development either by pursuing the UN’s SDGs or by educating future entrepreneurs with new learning materials and practices. Moreover, SMEs have not generated a clear and concrete entrepreneurial strategy towards how they are aiming to achieve sustainability. The above elements all remain under-researched.

We invite papers to be contributed to this Special Issue that seek to address modern and contemporary challenges in the sphere of SMEs and sustainability. We particularly welcome papers that focus on the following topics:

  • How SMEs can put sustainability at the heart of their entrepreneurial strategy and thus make a difference.

  • Sustainability embedded in the entrepreneurial models and production processes of SMEs.
  • The effect of sustainable entrepreneurial performance on growth.
  • The role of governments in promoting social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
  • The role of NGOs in promoting social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
  • The role of national governments and institutional frameworks in SMEs and sustainability.
  • The impact of SMEs on the resilience of local community.
  • The impact of a socioeconomic crisis on promoting social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
  • The role of entrepreneurship education in sustainability-embedded models.
  • The role of educational policies (e.g., GreenComp) in sustainable education for youth.
  • The role of SMEs in their transition towards sustainability.

Dr. Nikolaos Apostolopoulos
Prof. Dr. Panagiotis Liargovas
Dr. Alexandros Kakouris
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
  • sustainable entrepreneurship
  • social and environmental sustainability
  • sustainable education
  • crisis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 2854 KiB  
Article
To Compete or to Collaborate? An Exploratory Study on the Influence of Business Networks and the Adoption of Sustainable Practices
by Emely Mendiola-Ramírez, Arturo Briseño-García, Ana Luz Zorrilla-Del Castillo and Joel Cumpean-Luna
Sustainability 2025, 17(4), 1421; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041421 - 9 Feb 2025
Viewed by 986
Abstract
Business sustainability emerges as a cornerstone for balancing economic growth, environmental preservation, and social well-being, establishing itself as a global priority. However, this approach still faces significant challenges among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in emerging regions such as Ciudad Victoria, [...] Read more.
Business sustainability emerges as a cornerstone for balancing economic growth, environmental preservation, and social well-being, establishing itself as a global priority. However, this approach still faces significant challenges among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in emerging regions such as Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico. This study examines how business networks facilitate the adoption of sustainable practices through knowledge transfer and inter-organizational collaboration, emphasizing the influence of sociological factors and social interactions. Using a qualitative approach that combines semi-structured interviews and social network analysis with UCINET software version 6.776, an active network of 54 companies is analyzed. The results highlight central nodes with high betweenness centrality, underscoring their role as catalysts in disseminating sustainable practices. A significant correlation is also identified between types of business interactions and the implementation of these practices, emphasizing the strategic value of cooperation in fostering responsible behaviors. This study helps bridge the theoretical gap regarding sustainability in MSMEs and offers practical implications for designing policies that enhance business collaboration for sustainable development. Ultimately, it underscores the importance of understanding business interaction dynamics and their implications for driving sustainable transformation in regional contexts. Full article
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54 pages, 5760 KiB  
Systematic Review
A Roadmap to Systematic Review: Evaluating the Role of Data Networks and Application Programming Interfaces in Enhancing Operational Efficiency in Small and Medium Enterprises
by Mduduzi B. Khanyi, Sfundo N. Xaba, Nokunqoba A. Mlotshwa, Bonginkosi Thango and Lerato Matshaka
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10192; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310192 - 21 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1574
Abstract
The adoption of Data Networks and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) has become crucial for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. However, SMEs often face challenges such as resource limitations and security vulnerabilities, which hinder their ability [...] Read more.
The adoption of Data Networks and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) has become crucial for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. However, SMEs often face challenges such as resource limitations and security vulnerabilities, which hinder their ability to fully leverage these technologies. This systematic review examines the role of Data Networks and APIs in enhancing operational efficiency within SMEs, focusing on key metrics such as speed, cost reduction, scalability, and security challenges. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we conducted a systematic search across multiple databases including Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar. Studies published between 2014 and 2024, focused on SMEs, and addressing the role of Data Networks and APIs in operational efficiency were included. A total of 49 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for key outcomes related to operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and security risks. The review found that Data Networks and APIs significantly improve operational efficiency by increasing process speed (12% increase), reducing operational costs (8% reduction), and enhancing overall productivity. However, security challenges, particularly related to API vulnerabilities, were a major concern, with cyberattacks on APIs increasing by 400% in Q1 2023 alone. Despite these risks, the benefits of implementing Data Networks and APIs in SMEs, particularly in terms of scalability and real-time data processing, were evident across industries. Data Networks and APIs offer substantial improvements in operational efficiency for SMEs, although security remains a significant challenge. Future efforts should focus on developing security frameworks tailored to SMEs while maintaining the operational benefits of these technologies. Further research is needed to explore scalable and secure API models for SMEs. Full article
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