Effective Factors on Sustainability Adoption in Regional Australian SMEs: A Case Study of Ballarat

Parisa Salimzadeh

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in regional areas of Australia make significant contributions to the innovation and job growth and stability in the Australian economy. While Regional Australian SMEs contribute significantly to the economic development; they undoubtedly have a significant impact on the environment and social community. This paper examines effective factors on the adoption of sustainability in SMEs operating in a regional city of Australia. First, measurement scales for the impacting factors were developed and validated. Then the paper used survey data from 237 SMEs in the regional city of Ballarat. The paper also investigated any possible differences between the views of owner/managers of small businesses and medium ones on factors impacting the adoption of sustainability. Findings reveal that attitude, commitment and knowledge of owner/managers of SMEs are the most effective factors on the adoption of sustainable practices. Moreover, there is a significant difference in the effect of owner/managers’ perceptions on their businesses’ impacts between small and medium- sized businesses.

DOI : https://doi.org/10.21102/wjm.2017.03.81.03