Investigating the Effectiveness of Endogenous and Exogenous Drivers of the Sustainability (Re)Orientation of Family SMEs in Slovenia: Qualitative Content Analysis Approach

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Synopsis

The main question addressed in this study research is whether family SMEs integrate sustainability concerns into their strategic and operative decisions as required by the EU legislative frameworks. The authors apply a qualitative case study method to analyze 26 family SMEs, using qualitative content analysis to interpret the data. The findings suggest that the low level of sustainability (re)orientation of most of the investigated Slovenian family SMEs. The exogenous drivers have a stronger effect on sustainability (re)orientation than endogenous drivers. In fact, the paper addresses a gap in the literature by focusing on the sustainability (re)orientation of family SMEs, which is less studied compared to large public family businesses. It provides valuable insights into how family SMEs respond to sustainability challenges within the context of EU legislative frameworks. I have only minor comments as follow:

 

-          The discussion could be enriched by comparing findings with those from similar studies in other countries or regions.

-          The implications for policy and practice could be more explicitly stated, providing actionable recommendations for family SMEs and policymakers.

-          The limitations section should address potential biases in the sample selection and data collection methods, as well as the generalizability of the findings.

-          Ensure all references are correctly formatted according to the journal’s guidelines.

 

I wish the author/s all the best with their study and hope that my comments and suggestions will be useful in taking their paper to the next level.

 

 Regards

 

 

Author Response

Please see the attachement.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The title of this paper is somewhat misleading, as it fails to delineate the spatial limitations thereof, such as the EU's economic environment or, better yet, the Slovenian one, given the source of the case studies. The legislative framework studied also chiefly hails from the Single Market, which only reinforces the observation above. Chapter 2.2 is schematic, despite its usefuless, so more sifting is needed in order to assess family businesses' drive towards sustainability. Indeed, this appears to be the case of numerous other parts of the paper, which only make it fragmented and incoherent. Rearranging this would greatly enhance its readability. Finally, the number of family businesses selected and the source of the statements analysed (as opposed to conducting actual interviews) render the results of the research slim, with a low impact on the literature and mostly plain. This paper would be more suitable for a national economics journal, as its ambitions are not confirmed by either the methodology or by the sampling. Using percentages abundantly when referring to a mere 30 companies is also absurd.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

There are minor adjustments that need to be made, mostly to the use of some  tenses and in order to avoid repetitions, but overall, the language is employed quite neatly.

Author Response

Please see the attachement.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors have properly and thoroughly addressed my observations, with evident attention to detail, thus leading to a much more coherent article, with a better explained methodology, a narrower but clearer territorial and thematic focus, as well as improved readability. The interest in this research may remain somewhat restrained, but the article is worthy of being published.