Critical sustainability factors of regional SMEs; A case study of Australia

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are one of the main development agents and economic contributors to the regional areas. They increase productivity, create employment, and improve the quality of local com-munity's life. They have also significant impacts on the environment and society collectively because a high percentage of businesses in regional areas belongs to SMEs. For example, near to 95% of regional businesses operating in service and industry sectors in Australia are SMEs. Hence, it is necessary to find out the best possible ways to engage the regional SMEs with sustainable practices and see what factors are contributing (or inhibiting) the regional SMEs to be sustainable business citizens. Bringing together the relevant literature and using quantitative methods, this paper explores factors affecting the sustainability adoption by regional SMEs. Through a case study approach, this paper builds a platform for future research in relation to better understanding of the factors affecting the adoption of sustainable practices outside metropolitan regions.