ABSTRACT
Stakeholder theory has developed as a response to the growing recognition that the survival of a corporate company may reside in the delicate relationship established with those with a stake in the firm. Empirical investigations describing environmental characteristics of SMEs have, generally, focused on firms across manufacturing and industrial sectors. The biotechnology SME features certain characteristics, which may favour the development of a sustainability culture. The key to successfully nurturing a sustainability culture within a biotechnology SME may reside within a balance between shareholder and legislative demands for companies to 'fit' environmental parameters into their strategic planning and for employees to 'stretch' the sustainability agenda. The use of a triangulated sampling procedure has yielded a group of seven United Kingdom (UK) biotechnology companies from an initial pool of 120 SME UK companies. Working towards standards is a learning process which small companies nurture through more organic/semi-formalised organisational structures and channels.
