Barriers and triggers to responsible business practices amongst SMEs

Dr Kenny Crossan, Dr Ben Sebian

Applications accepted all year round

Self-Funded PhD Students Only

About the Project

Recently, there has been a growing call for businesses to become more connected to society and move beyond simple corporate social responsibility reporting (CSR) and articulate values beyond profits (Weaver et al. 2018). Given that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) account for over 90% of the stock of businesses in the UK, if responsible business is to be embedded into the UK economy SMEs need to play a prominent role and become a key enabling force (Fonseca et al. 2018). A wide range of support from various organisations has developed over the last decade and this ecosystem helps to engage SME owners and managers and provide encouragement for them to operate their firms in a more responsible manner, whilst foresting partnership working to achieve socially desirable outcomes. The aim of this project is to better understand the triggers and barriers that influence how SMEs engage with the responsible business ecosystem, to develop a framework that will allow for better decision making and ultimately, better outcomes. It is envisaged that that this project will be underpinned using a mixed methods approach.

Academic Qualifications:

A first degree (at least a 2.1) ideally Business and Management/Entrepreneurship or related discipline, with a good fundamental knowledge of Entrepreneurship/SMEs

English Language Requirement:

IELTS score must be at least 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in each of the four components), other equivalent qualifications will be accepted. Full details of the University’s policy are available online.

Essential Attributes:

• Experience of fundamental independent academic research projects at undergraduate and or postgraduate level.
• Competent in business and management research methods
• Knowledge of responsible business concepts
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Strong motivation, with evidence of independent research skills relevant to the project
• Good time management

Desirable Attributes:

Knowledge of mixed methods research design and data analysis approaches.

Funding Notes

This is an unfunded position.

References

Fonseca, A., Crossan, K., Weaver, M., Tan, H., Bratton, A., & Pershina, E. (2023). Empowering Organisations to Embrace UN Sustainable Development Goals: Post-Covid-19 Scotland. In W. Leal Filho (Ed.), SDGs in the European Region. Springer.
Koch, L., Crossan, K., & Jaworski, P. (2022). Mind the Gap: Public Equity as a Financing Solution for Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Influence of National Culture. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 28(7), 1800-1827
Weaver W, Crossan K, Tan HB, Paxton SE (2018) A systems approach to understanding the perspectives in the changing landscape of responsible business in Scotland. Eur J Oper Res 268:1149–1167.