Policy options to overcome barriers to industrial energy efficiency in developing countries

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Resilient livelihoods and food security in coastal aquatic agricultural systems: Investing in transformational change

Aquatic agricultural systems (AAS) are diverse production and livelihood systems where families cultivate a range of crops, raise livestock, farm or catch fish, gather fruits and other tree crops, and harness natural resources such as timber, reeds, and wildlife. Aquatic agricultural systems occur along freshwater floodplains, coastal deltas, and inshore marine waters, and are characterized by dependence on seasonal changes in productivity, driven by seasonal variation in rainfall, river flow, and/or coastal and marine processes. Despite this natural productivity, the farming, fishing, and herding communities who live in these systems are among the poorest and most vulnerable in their countries and regions. This report provides an overview of the scale and scope of development challenges in coastal aquatic agricultural systems, their significance for poor and vulnerable communities, and the opportunities for partnership and investment that support efforts of these communities to secure resilient livelihoods in the face of multiple risks

Environmental sustainability orientation and financial resources of small manufacturing firms in the Philippines

Purpose - This study challenges the conventional view that resources determine the extent of environmental sustainability orientation (ESO) of small firms in a developing Southeast Asian country context. First, this study attempts to develop a measurement model of ESO of small firms in the manufacturing sector in the Philippines. Second, the study explores the impact of the financial resources on the ESO of firms.Design/methodology/approach - The study uses survey data from 166 small manufacturing firms in three Philippine cities. Multiple regression modelling is used to estimate the relationships between firm resources and ESO.Findings - The results indicate that ESO is a multi-dimensional construct with three facets: awareness of, actions for, and appreciation of environmental sustainability. The empirical evidence does not support the conventional firm resources – ESO proposition.Research limitations/implications - A proactive ESO is not necessarily beyond the reach of resource-constrained small firms. The generalisability of the findings however is limited to small manufacturing firms in the Philippines.Practical implications - This study informs owner-managers of small firms that a proactive ESO does not largely depend on financial resources. Government policies and programs to encourage small firms to become sustainable should not only focus on financial forms of assistance.Originality/value -  To date, this is the only Philippine-based study and one of the scarce small firm-focused studies that examine the proposition that small firms are unable to pursue a proactive ESO due to resource-constraints

Impact of Green IS Practices on Organizational Benefits: The Perspective of SMEs Managers

The presented study investigates the impact of Green information system (Green IS) practices on organizational performance benefits in the context of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). Three categories of Green IS practices, namely pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development are taken into consideration. Furthermore, organizational benefits are considered to capture the extent to which SMEs achieve environmental and social performance. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse survey data collected from 156 managers of SMEs. The results indicate, that Green IS for pollution prevention and sustainable development have a significant impact on environmental and social performance, while product stewardship is not an effective source of perceived organizational benefits in neither of the proposed aspects. To achieve a higher level of organizational benefits arising from Green IS practices, more focus should be given to the strategic orientation of using Green IS in SMEs. From an academic perspective, the paper enhances the current knowledge in investigating the link between Green IS practices and organizational benefits, particularly in the SMEs perspective

Impact of Financial Inclusion on SME Growth: A Bibliometric Analysis of OIC and Non-OIC Countries

Financial inclusion (FI) is perceived as an imperative tool for reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth. In particular, FI provides access to capital and financial services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enables them to manage their finances, mitigate risks, expand operations, facilitate innovation, and drive job creation. SMEs are considered the backbone of an economy regardless of the level of development of that economy. However, their potential is not fully tapped yet and is hindered due to several constraints. Among its constraints, the unavailability of financial resources is considered a major barrier to SME growth. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) evidenced that 40% of formal SMEs in emerging economies suffer from unmet yearly financial needs of USD 5.2 trillion. Despite all the advantages of FI, it is argued that FI is contingent upon various factors such as structural and policy-related factors and cannot be achieved in isolation. The effectiveness of FI requires collective effort. On the other hand, information and communication technology (ICT) is considered a key enabler of FI. The existing literature has been debated the relationship between FI and SME growth; nonetheless, a lack of consensus exists for the role of FI in SMEs' performance and/or growth. It is also evidenced that the level of FI varies among countries as well as within a country. Therefore, this chapter reviews the academic literature on FI in SMEs by employing bibliometric analysis methods. A total of 62 publications related to FI in SMEs between 2206 and 2024 were identified from a widely recognised Scopus online database. Using VOSviewer software, the analysis established how research has evolved in this area. The authors identified main current themes, emerging trends, and gaps for future research directions

Sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises: a systematic literature review and future research agenda

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: ttps://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/su14116493/s1, PRISMA checklist.Main aim: This paper examines the main topics of research in the literature studying the topic of sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), and aims at presenting a future research agenda. Method: We conducted a systematic literature review based on articles published between 2000 and 2020. From an initial set of 88 papers taken from WoS in the period under analysis, 42 papers were effectively analyzed. Main results: The results of an in-depth reading reveal four clusters representing the main topics of research in the field: sustainability and SMEs’ performance; green and environmental management issues; social and cultural issues and their impact on sustainability policies; values, skills, and capabilities. Key findings suggest that the following angles of research appear to be underexplored: theoretically grounded research; research using large samples; articles examining sustainability reporting; research looking into non-manufacturing sectors; work examining settings in developing countries; research undertaking international comparisons; articles exploring the complementarity between the literature on sustainability in SMEs and on family-owned businesses; and the influence of the social and cultural context on SMEs’ engagement with sustainability. Main contribution: This paper offers insights to academia, practitioners, and policy makers to help SMEs engaging with sustainability and may assist also the latter to develop strategies to improve SMEs’ social and environmental reporting. Given the current pandemic crisis, and the urgency for sustainable business practices, we expect to contribute to expanding knowledge in this field of research

Green Drivers and Green Manufacturing Practices Integration in Agro Processing Industry: Moderating Effect of Sustainability Orientation

Developing a balance between manufacturing and ecological preservation is considered a major issue in every society and so attention must be paid to this relationship to protect plant, animal and human lives. Pressure for manufacturing firms to become green has risen greatly. Green manufacturing has been encouraged, practiced and researched for years but mostly in developed nations, but low in developing countries. This is a follow up study on a previous one conducted by the authors on the direct effects of green drivers on green practices, and this current one aims at the moderating role of sustainability orientation on the effects of driving factors on green practices in Ghana. Analysis was done using structural equation modeling (SEM). Evidently, sustainability orientation (SUO) moderated significantly between driving factors and green design practices, green purchasing practices and green promotion/selling. Green design practices adoption was facilitated most by SUO. Green management practices and green logistics practices were not moderated by SUO. Outcomes of this work could serve as a guide towards decision making by industry actors and government of Ghana on policy formulation and better processes for integrating green practices, not just in the agro processing industry but all others with activities of possible damage to the environment. Keywords: Green drivers, green practices, agro processing, sustainability orientation DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-12-03 Publication date:June 30th 202

The relationship between green supply chain management and performance: a meta-analysis of empirical evidences in Asian emerging economics

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between green supply chain management (GSCM) practices and firm performance in the manufacturing sector in Asian emerging economies (AEE) based on empirical evidence. Through a systematic literature review, we identified 50 articles that surveyed 11,127 manufacturing companies in the AEE and were published between 1996 and 2015. Subsequently, a conceptual framework was developed and analyzed through a meta-analysis of 130 effects from 25,680 effect sizes. The findings revealed that the GSCM practices lead to better performance in four aspects: economic, environmental, operational, and social performance. Moreover, the results indicate that industry type, firm size, ISO certification, and export orientation moderate several of the GSCM practice-performance relationships. Moreover, the findings of this research help managers and policy makers to have more confidence in the adoption of GSCM practices to improve firm performance. Such results also help researchers to better channel their efforts in studying the GSCM practices in Asian emerging economies. In addition, as meta-analysis has not been widely used in the supply chain management literature, our study is an important step in maturing the academic field by adopting this technique for confirming GSCM practice-performance relationships in the manufacturing sector of Asian emerging economies

Technological business strategies for environmental sustainability among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) member states: a bibliometric study

The implementation of sustainable development within the member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) takes into account business technologies and strategies as key to progress. As such, this paper proposes a methodology for a systematization of the literature that recognizes the importance and growth of the topic over time. It encompasses an analysis of the countries with the greatest scientific output, the most productive authors, and a characterization of the areas and variables researched, as well as some possible future lines of research. The bibliometric analysis was based on a review of 234 scientific papers in the Scopus database. The main results reveal increasing interest in information systems and technologies in relation to environmental problems, with interdisciplinary perspectives to environmental sustainability

ASEAN Rules of Origin: Lessons and Recommendations for Best Practice

Rules of Origin (ROO) set the criteria in determining the nationality of a product and where a product was made. The importance of ROO has increased in the past years as more countries engage in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and begun treating goods differently according to where the product was made, along with trade-specific preferences or restrictions to the imported good once its origin is determined. This study is done to cull the lessons from ASEAN's experience in determining and implementing the Rules of Origin. It draws the important lessons and makes recommendations for best practice that would contribute to the cooperation and integration efforts in the region. The paper examines the various design and implementation practice in ROO regimes, focusing on RTAs where the ASEAN is involved. The paper presents findings from recent studies on the cost of ROO compliance and the FTA utilization rates. It concludes with recommendations on simplification of ROO and some reforms on administrative procedures, bringing in the development country dimension, and some general guidelines to follow to improve ROOs.Rules of Origin, Free Trade Agreements, ASEAN.