Download or read book Small and Medium Sized Companies in Europe written by David Hitchens and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2003-07-29 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The environmental performance of SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) is an area of major policy concern. SMEs in Europe reports on factors influencing the environmental performance of SMEs across four European countries: the UK, Ireland, Germany and Italy. While there are a range of factors which are expected to influence the take up of clean technology, this book focuses on three key hypotheses, namely firm competitiveness, culture and use and availability of information and advice. The book is unique as it is based on in-depths interviews conducted in 300 SMEs and an additional postal survey with more than 800 replies.