Abstract
There is a dearth of research on ethics and sustainability related to SMEs in New Zealand and Australia. This paper begins by giving a definition of SMEs in New Zealand and Australia, which both differ somewhat from international definitions. The role of SMEs in New Zealand and Australian society is discussed and a description of one study in each country covering SMEs and sustainability is presented. Both studies found that owner-managers undertake a number of triple bottom line activities, without overtly identifying these actions as sustainable practice. At the same time, both studies showed that an over-riding focus on the financial bottom-line may be a significant barrier to SMEs adopting further sustainability practices. The paper concludes with a call for additional research in the area of ethical and sustainable business practice in SMEs in Australia and New Zealand, identifying some promising areas of future investigation.
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Collins, E., Dickie, C., Weber, P. (2010). New Zealand & Australia: A New Zealand and Australian Overview of Ethics and Sustainability in SMEs. In: Spence, L., Painter-Morland, M. (eds) Ethics in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. The International Society of Business, Economics, and Ethics Book Series, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9331-8_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9331-8_6
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