Lessons from the adoption of environmental strategies among small and medium-sized restaurants in Manila

• Main Author: Tibon, Maria Victoria P.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2004
• Subjects: Restaurants—Philippines—Manila—Environmental aspects; Small business—Philippines—Manila—Environmental aspects; Environmental responsibility; Business Administration, Management, and Operations; Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/13368
• Institution: De La Salle University

In the Philippines, a lot of Metro Manila's environmental problems are a result of business operations. Tons of waste is generated and water pollutants also come from these domestic and industrial wastes. Business, therefore, face the challenge to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. The response of businesses to the environmental challenge is what constitutes environmental strategy. To reduce the environmental impact of business processes, environmental strategies are adopted. In this study, two hundred forty (240) small and medium-sized restaurants in Manila were surveyed to determine their level of implementation of environmental activities. Previous research indicates a minimal effort from SMEs to take care of the natural environment because of resource constraints. However, results of the study show that SMEs can implement a whole range of environmental strategies. Focus is made on the necessity of non-financial resources such as organizational capabilities in the adoption of environmental strategies. Among the three organizational capabilities of team learning, stakeholder management and shared vision, the ability to establish relationships based on trust with entities that have interests in the organization or stakeholder management is found to be most important in implementing environmental strategies. It is also notable that the adoption of environmental strategies among small and medium-sized restaurants in Manila is out of voluntary environmental responsibility and not because of government regulation.