ABSTRACT
This chapter summarises the conclusions of the study. It identifies, categorises and analyses small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SME) perceptions about the existence of environmental problems, the characteristics of these problems, the geographic areas where they occur, the agents responsible for them and the impact of the new challenge of environmental protection on firms, the economy and society. Perception is a complex process, which can be divided into four principal levels or stages: level of knowledge, perception, valuation, and behaviour. In terms of perception, the first thing know was whether SME managers actually believe there is an environmental problem caused by human activities or if they think the whole issue has simply been invented by militant environmentalists and a sensationalist press. SME managers find it considerably more difficult to identify and accurately describe the characteristics of environmental problems. The SME managers interviewed consider that environmental protection investments and costs translate into returns or gains in terms of image or market share.
