Exploring the prioritisation of biodiversity amongst small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise leaders with strong bigger‐than‐self value orientation

This paper reports on a quantitative study of prioritisation biodiversity amongst small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders. Existing research indicates that value orientation impacts propensity for pro-environmental behaviours. However, as loss remains inadequately addressed, this employs the value-belief-norm framework explore how leaders with strong biospheric and altruistic (collectively termed ‘bigger-than-self’) orientations perceive their responsibility in comparison climate change and, using an adaptation Global Reporting Initiative standards, is prioritised against other areas environmental sustainability businesses. Surveying 61 SME leaders, primarily South-West UK, it was found often considered low priority compared factors such energy, waste, materials emissions. Analysis also these feel less than demonstrating that, even where bigger-than-self values dominate, there need higher SMEs.