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Development of Environmental Responsibility and Related Practices Among Russian SMEs (Based on a Survey)
The paper examines Russian SMEs’ practices of responsible behavior directed at environmental problems. The research goal was to observe those practices and detect drivers stimulating environmental responsibility of Russian SMEs. The research method used in the study is an interview. A comfortable sample of 77 SMEs’ representatives was established using the snowball method. The paper used content-analysis for analyzing data from the interviews. A unit of count was a mention of environment-related responsible practices or activities, held by an SME following one of seven directions of social responsibility according to the ISO—26000:2010 “Environmental issues” (ISO 26000:2010 2012). From respondents’ answers social and environmental practices of SMEs were identified. It is argued that environmental practices of Russian SMEs are less numerous and diverse than social practices, and mostly constitute sporadic, one-time actions. An external environment can hardly be considered a driver of responsible behavior in case of Russian SMEs. In industries that presume environmentally harmful operations, a leading role remains with the state authorities that enact environmental protection legislation and industry-specific norms aimed at stimulating responsible behavior and performance. The study revealed cases of SMEs’ where personal choices of business owners and top-managers form a major determining factor of responsible behavior and its priorities. To promote SMEs’ environmental responsibility and projects, authors suggest to develop environmental education and training; to increase awareness of environmental responsibility among the country’s population and entrepreneurs; to adjust tax policies towards SMEs based on their resource consumption and polluting practices etc.
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