Exploring SMEs attitudes to Net Zero & social media: Action Case research as a force for good

Citation

Fenton A, Ahmed W, Hardey M( & Koral C (2022) Exploring SMEs attitudes to Net Zero & social media: Action Case research as a force for good. In: Proceedings of the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference 2022. British Academy of Management (BAM) 2022, Manchester, 31.08.2022-02.09.2022. London: British Academy of Management.

Abstract
We address a research gap in SME understanding and attitudes to Net Zero and their communications. We employed an Action Case approach, which included a small-scale qualitative survey of SMEs and social network analysis of Twitter. We discovered a lack of clarity regarding the help available to SMEs and Net Zero. While the survey revealed some support for Net Zero from SMEs, it was unclear how this support corresponded with their social media strategy. The SNA revealed a dearth of SMEs in online discussions around Net Zero on Twitter. Government agencies and other organisations were dominant in these internet discussions. We also found SMEs opposed to government environmental programmes like clean air levies, which some saw as harmful to their operations. The Action Case method was demonstrated to be an effective method for bridging the academic-practice divide, and future research should build on this topic.

Notes
Output Status: Forthcoming