An investigation into the contemporary commitment of small and medium sized enterprises to sustainability principles on the example of Edinburgh-based businesses serving food.

Abstract

This study investigates a commitment to the principles of sustainability demonstrated by small and medium sized businesses on the example of Edinburgh-based food serving businesses. Main objectives of this dissertation are related to: engagement in sustainability dimensions, the strategic approaches of the businesses to sustainability and the relationship between different level of commitment to sustainability and performance of the companies. Synthesizing theories developed by Baumgartner and Ebner (2010), Schaltegger, et al. (2012) as well as Triple Bottom Line Framework, author developed both: a measurement instrument and a model based on indices, to investigate research objectives. Using complex quantitative survey in online and paper versions data were collected from 40 Edinburgh-based food serving businesses. Contrary to the expectations, findings from the research demonstrate that examined businesses are not equally engaged in the dimensions of sustainability, with major focus on social aspect of this concept. Furthermore, results indicate that within studied sample the accommodative strategic approach was the most common. The existence and the nature of the relationship between engagement in sustainability and performance of the examined businesses was not established due to the lack of statistical significance of the parameters. Findings of this dissertation are setting a path for future research in this topic with recommendations to increase a sample size as well as to extend the project to other industries and geographical areas.