“Sustainable development decision-making model for small and medium enterprises” Doctoral Thesis

Author, institution: Asta Laurinkevičiūtė, Kaunas University of Technology

Science area, field: Technological Sciences, Environmental Engineering

The Doctoral Dissertation is available at the libraries of Kaunas University of Technology (K. Donelaičio St. 20, Kaunas), Aleksandras Stulginskis University  (Studentų g. 11, Akademija, Kauno r.) and  Lithuanian Energy Institute (Breslaujos g. 3, Kaunas).

Scientific Consultant: Prof. Dr. Žaneta STASIŠKIENĖ (Kaunas University of Technology,Technological Sciences, Environmental Engineering – 04T);

Dissertation defence board of Environmental Engineering Science Field:
Prof. Dr. Habil. Jurgis Kazimieras STANIŠKIS (Kaunas University of Technology, Technological Sciences, Environmental Engineering – 04T) – chairman;
Prof. Dr. Gintaras DENAFAS (Kaunas University of Technology,Technological Sciences, Environmental Engineering – 04T);
Prof. Dr. Habil. Remigijus ČIEGIS (Vilnius University, Social Sciences, Economics – 04S);
Prof. Dr. Violeta MAKAREVIČIENĖ (Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Technological Sciences, Environmental Engineering – 04T);
Prof. Dr. Lars Olof ÖSTERLUND (Uppsala University (Sweden), Technological Sciences, Environmental Engineering – 04T).

Annotation:

In order to reduce the environmental impact of SMEs, to increase resource optimization and improve their effectiveness, their management system should be based on an integrated and continuously-updating engineering decision-making model. The aim of the research – to create an integrated sustainable development decision-making model for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The newly developed decision-making model helps to evaluate key issues of sustainable development in the company and by performing an original technological, environmental and economic assessment to identify alternative solutions. The developed model integrates SMA with the instrument of composite sustainable development index and thus allows to eliminate the subjectivity in the interpretation of company data, ensures a systematic processof technological and managerial decision and choice-making. Scientifically and practically, such solutions are new and will allow SMEs to reasonably compete in the global market.
Sustainable development decision-making model’s efficiency was tested in Lithuanian SMEs from different industries and of different sizes – in three manufacturing industries’ small and medium-sized enterprises: one drink producing, two wood processing and one service offering company.