Factors Influencing SME’s Performance Via Green Supply Chain Management

The competitive environment and intensive competition have challenged the survival,performance,and sustainability of businesses around the globe.Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs)are significantly influenced by these dramatic changes because of their limited resources.Several studies have been carried out on how SMEs can survive in the current era,but the findings are mixed.The present research is an attempt to examine how SMEs can configure their financial performance and environmental performance(EP)of SMEs.This research has categorized the conceptualized model into four studies and the goals and findings of each study are discussed below.The first study examines the influence of the internal factors(intellectual capital,financial resources and information technology capabilities)and external factors(managerial networking,Government incentives and institutional pressure)on SME’s EP through mediating role of Green Supply Chain Management(GSCM).To test the model,this research employed a structured questionnaire and collected data from 208 Chinese SMEs.The result displayed that the two internal(intellectual capital and information technology capabilities)and the two external factors(managerial networking and government incentives)significantly improve EP.However,financial resources and institutional pressure do not directly spur EP.Moreover,GSCM practices partially mediate the nexus between two internal factors(intellectual capital and information technology capabilities)and two external factor(managerial networking and government incentives)and EP.However,GSCM practices fully mediate the relationship between financial resources and EP as well as between institutional pressure and EP.The findings of this study recommend Chinese SMEs to pay attention to both external and internal factors to promote GSCM practices and spur EP.The second study examines the influence of intellectual capital on financial and EP with a mediating role of GSCM and a moderating role of financial resources.Structural model estimation was conducted on the data set of 324 Pakistani manufacturing SMEs and showed that intellectual capital significantly encourages GSCM as well as significantly contributes to financial and EP.GSCM partially mediates the relationship between intellectual capital and SME’s performance of both the financial as well as environmental.Financial resources significantly strengthen the relationship between intellectual capital and GSCM.In light of the results,this research suggests that SMEs should encourage intellectuality among their managers and employees to adopt green practices that can improve their financial and EP.The third study empirically examines the effects of pivotal internal capabilities,namely entrepreneurial orientation,information technology capability,and intellectual capital,on the financial and non-financial performance of SMEs that operate in the emerging market of Pakistan.Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires,from a sample size of 307 SMEs.The study hypotheses were tested through the structural equation modeling(SEM)technique of AMOS 21.The statistical results show entrepreneurial orientation,information technology capability and intellectual capital as significant contributors to both financial and non-financial performance.Finally,the fourth study focuses on measuring the effect of entrepreneurial strategy,network ties,human capital,and financial capital on new ventures performance.A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 196 registered SMEs located in Rawalpindi and Islamabad regions.The results indicate that entrepreneurial strategy,network ties and financial capital have a significant positive effect,while human capital showed an insignificant effect on new venture performance.This research recommends owners and managers of new SMEs to build effective entrepreneurial strategies,expand their networks with external bodies(other firms,government,and financial institutions)to acquire useful resources that in turn can spur their performance.Policymakers and responsible authorities are advised to encourage and support new ventures which in turn can contribute to GDP and economic development.