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Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in the national economies of the EU member states. This economic activity has an inevitable environmental impact; however, environmental performance indicators are mostly measured at larger companies. Since the ecological footprint (EF) is a suitable measure of unsustainability, this paper considers it as a measure of the environmental impact of SMEs. An EF calculator for SMEs was developed that is freely available online, and it is a methodological innovation per se. Our previous research projects highlighted that the calculator must be easy-to-use and reliable; therefore, the calculator considers only the common, standardizable, and comparable elements of EF. Our results are based on validated ecological footprint data of 73 Hungarian SMEs surveyed by an online ecological footprint calculator. In order to validate and test the usefulness of the calculator, interviews were conducted with respondents, and results were also checked. The paper presents benchmark data of ecological footprint indicators of SMEs obtained from five groups of enterprises (construction, white-collar jobs, production, retail and/or wholesale trade, and transportation). Statistical results are explained with qualitative data (such as environmental protection initiatives, business models, etc.) of the SMEs surveyed. Our findings could be used as a benchmark for the assessment of environmental performance of SMEs in Central- and Eastern Europe.
Áron Szennay; Cecília Szigeti; Judit Beke; László Radácsi. Ecological Footprint as an Indicator of Corporate Environmental Performance—Empirical Evidence from Hungarian SMEs. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1000 .
AMA StyleÁron Szennay, Cecília Szigeti, Judit Beke, László Radácsi. Ecological Footprint as an Indicator of Corporate Environmental Performance—Empirical Evidence from Hungarian SMEs. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (2):1000.
Chicago/Turabian StyleÁron Szennay; Cecília Szigeti; Judit Beke; László Radácsi. 2021. "Ecological Footprint as an Indicator of Corporate Environmental Performance—Empirical Evidence from Hungarian SMEs." Sustainability 13, no. 2: 1000.
The economic and political transition brought many challenges for the Hungarian agricultural sector. The break-up of large agricultural holdings had serious negative impacts on food production and on the export of agricultural products. Capital intensive profit-seeking intermediaries dominate the trading of agricultural goods that has injurious effects in terms of downward pressure on production prices and an increase in consumer prices. Cooperatives have a key role in effectively tackling the common challenges that small-scale producers have to face. More vertical integration along the food chain could contribute to providing rural employment and to an increase in living standards in rural areas. This study reviews the development, the specific features and the driving forces of modern cooperatives in Central Europe in general, and in Hungary in particular. The focus is on the integrator role of cooperatives and their future role in our globalised world. JEL Classification: Q10, Q13
Judit Beke Lisányi. Integration Efforts in Agriculture. Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce 2018, 12, 91 -96.
AMA StyleJudit Beke Lisányi. Integration Efforts in Agriculture. Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce. 2018; 12 (1-2):91-96.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJudit Beke Lisányi. 2018. "Integration Efforts in Agriculture." Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce 12, no. 1-2: 91-96.