TY - JOUR
T1 - Transforming small and medium-sized enterprises to address the climate emergency
T2 - The case for values-based engagement
AU - Hampton, Sam
AU - Blundel, Richard
AU - Wahga, Aqueel
AU - Fawcett, Tina
AU - Shaw, Christopher
N1 - Funding Information:
This research has been enabled by funding from the Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Award 1609‐KICK‐231 and 1710‐KEA‐319. Funding was also received from the UK Energy Research Centre ES/J500112/1 and from the British Council and Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan (Pakistan‐UK Education Gateway Project). The authors would also like to acknowledge the contribution made by workshop participants and interviewees in Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The usual disclaimer applies.
Funding Information:
British Council and Higher Education Commission: Pakistan (Pakistan‐UK Education Gateway Project); Economic and Social Research Council, Grant/Award Numbers: 1609‐KICK‐231, 1710‐KEA‐319; UK Energy Research Centre, Grant/Award Number: ES/J500112/1 Funding information
PY - 2022/9/30
Y1 - 2022/9/30
N2 - Collectively, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make a significant contribution to carbon emissions. Transformative changes are needed to achieve Net Zero amongst the SME community, presenting policymakers and practitioners with a complex and largely unresolved set of challenges. In this paper, we investigate the unexploited potential of human values in facilitating these changes, with a particular focus on the role and experiences of specialist intermediaries, such as business advisors, as agents of change. The paper reports on four linked, transdisciplinary research projects, which tested and validated a values-based intervention in collaboration with businesses and advisors, designed to promote more effective, long-term journeys towards Net Zero. Our study connects research evidence on SME support with key insights from values literature, including the emerging concepts of values practices and values work. We discuss outcomes from the four projects, and the broader implications for research, policy, and practice.
AB - Collectively, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make a significant contribution to carbon emissions. Transformative changes are needed to achieve Net Zero amongst the SME community, presenting policymakers and practitioners with a complex and largely unresolved set of challenges. In this paper, we investigate the unexploited potential of human values in facilitating these changes, with a particular focus on the role and experiences of specialist intermediaries, such as business advisors, as agents of change. The paper reports on four linked, transdisciplinary research projects, which tested and validated a values-based intervention in collaboration with businesses and advisors, designed to promote more effective, long-term journeys towards Net Zero. Our study connects research evidence on SME support with key insights from values literature, including the emerging concepts of values practices and values work. We discuss outcomes from the four projects, and the broader implications for research, policy, and practice.
KW - climate change
KW - intermediaries
KW - small and medium-sized enterprises
KW - sustainability
KW - values
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129557260&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/csr.2279
DO - 10.1002/csr.2279
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85129557260
VL - 29
SP - 1424
EP - 1439
JO - Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management
JF - Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management
SN - 1535-3958
IS - 5
ER -
