Leadership and Management of Sustainable Business Operations Essay

This essay analyzes the article "Sustainable Business Development Through Leadership in SMEs" by Katarzyna Szczepańska-Woszczyna and Joanna Kurowska Pysz (2016), focusing on the critical role of leadership in driving sustainable business practices, particularly within Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The essay highlights how effective leadership motivates employees, improves productivity, and facilitates the adoption of sustainable strategies. It emphasizes the importance of integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations to ensure long-term business success. The essay discusses various leadership theories and their practical applications in fostering sustainable development, supported by the use of quantitative research methods like surveys and questionnaires. The conclusion reinforces the significance of leadership in achieving sustainable business operations and overall organizational growth. References include academic journals and online resources that support the analysis.

Assessment 2 – Foundational
Skills for Academic Research
(Leadership and Management of sustainable
business operations)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
ESSAY ............................................................................................................................................3
Article: Sustainable Business Development Through Leadership in SMEs....................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Leadership refers as an art of motivating and encouraging an individual or group of
people to act toward attaining a common goal and objectives. In a business setting, leadership
means directing colleagues and workers with a strategy to meet the organisation's needs.
Business sustainability is the coordination and management of financial, environmental and
social concerns and demands to make sure ethical, responsible and ongoing success. This essay
is based on article related to the sustainable business development through leadership in SMEs.
This will helps in evaluating of article in clear and depth manner.
ESSAY
Article: Sustainable Business Development Through Leadership in SMEs
According to the Katarzyna Szczepańska-Woszczyna and Joanna Kurowska Pysz (2016),
this article has been determined that information about the sustainable business development
through leadership in SMEs. Main aim of this article is to find out the role and scope of the
leadership' influence on the sustainable development of SMEs. Leadership within an
organisation plays an important role in improving success of sustainability initiatives. Leader of
an organisation must collect hard data on the environmental, social and financial advantages of
sustainability in order to develop a compelling business case. The obtained output shows that
leadership is an essential aspects that enable sustainability. Along with this, from the above
article, it has been determined that sustainability emphasis on meeting the requirements of the
present without compromising the capability of future generations to fulfil their needs. In
addition, sustainability is composed of three main aspects such as environmental, social,
economical as well as known informally as people, planet and profits.
It has been determined from the article that there are different importance of leadership
for SMEs in its sustainable business environment (Akram and et. al. 2019). These are helps in
achieving organisational goals, improves productivity, handles conflict effectively, helps in
introducing required changes, describe power available to leaders, influences behaviour of
people, assist in maintaining personal relationship, assist in introducing changes, support in
training of employees etc. These are major advantages of leadership that helps in attaining of
sustainability benefits. Leadership helped SMEs in motivating of employees, better utilisation of
human resources, creating confidence, promoting the speed of co-ordination, build moral,

directing group activity, develops good human relations, helps to fulfil social responsibilities etc.
This turn to support business in its growth and development.
In context of an organisation, sustainability development of business meaning is adopting
business activities and strategies that meet the requirements of the company and its stakeholders
today with sustaining, enhancing and protecting the natural and human resources that will be
required within the future. This will be essential for company in its sustainable development.
There are different objectives of sustainable development that covers different aspects such as
social development, economic growth and environmental protection (Chen, Lee and Wang,
2020). Along with this, sustainable business development helps company in attainment of long
term goals and objectives within less period of time. There are different strategies for SMEs in
improving advanced business sustainability strategies such as use less paper, develop a robust
recycling program, look for energy efficiency opportunities, allow employees to telecommute,
encourage carpooling etc.
It has been evaluated that sustainable business development and leadership has positive
relationship. Sustainable business development means the insurance of the future generation on
evolution and progress. The relationship between sustainable development and leadership is very
important and essential, because there is no development or creation without leadership,
particularly in the cultural, human and social dimension (Herrera and de las Heras-Rosas, 2020).
Leadership is important within SMEs because it helps them in developing sustainability that
results are higher growth, improved image, increased profit etc. Along with this, sustainable
business development needs effective human resources, financial resources etc. This supports
business in attainment of long term objectives and goals within less period of time and in
successful manner.
It has been determined from the selected article that leadership is a significant and
important part of the business success and development and also helps them in its sustainable
business operations. This improves business performance and productivity level. There are
different theories of leadership that are important for business leader in attaining of sustainable
development (Metaxas, Chatzoglou and Koulouriotis, 2019). These theories are great man
theory, trait theory, behavioural theory, transactional , transformational, situational, autocratic,
democratic etc. These are main and useful theories of leadership that helps the leader of SMEs in
maintaining of strong relationship of employees, attracting of large customers, increasing of

sales, improving business performance, effective business operations, increase financial
position, sustainable business development etc. Leadership is significant in sustainability of
business operations by increasing the human resource, financial resources etc.
For collecting information regarding the role of leadership in sustainable business
development of SMEs, direct survey and theoretical analysis of scientific literature were used.
These are essential and useful methods because these provided in-depth information about the
topic. Quantitative research used in this article because it assist in gathering of reliable and
numerical information. In this method, survey used that helped investigator in collecting of
primary and quantitative information. Scientific literature was also used that helped in gathering
of secondary data about the topic. Simple random sampling technique under probability
sampling was used for selecting 138 managers for representatives of companies (SMEs). This
technique of sampling helped investigator in selecting of larger sample size in minimum time
period. Questionnaire was used for gathering reliable and valid information from 138
respondents about the sustainable business development via leadership. This supported
investigator in attainment of research aim and objectives in successful manner. It has been
determined that there are different importance of questionnaire for collecting data such as
inexpensive, practical, fast results, scalability, comparability, easy analysis, respondent
anonymity etc. These are main importance that helped researcher in selecting of questionnaire
for data collection. Quantitative method helped in collecting and analysing of numerical and
valid information about the topic that results are in accomplishment of research aim and
objectives. With the helped of this method, opinion of the respondents easily analysed that output
in achievement of valid outcomes.
Questionnaire is tool of quantitative data collection used within article for gathering
primary information regarding the sustainable business development through leadership in
SMEs. This helped company in development of its growth as well as success. With the use of
questionnaire, researcher identified that leadership played a significant and important role in
improving sustainability of the company. This turn to support company in identification of the
respondent's opinion about the topic. Therefore, it is proof that leadership is important for SMEs
in its sustainable business development (Raut and et. al. 2019).

CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned article or information, it has been concluded that leadership
played an important role within an organisation. Leadership supported SMEs in improvement of
sustainability business development that turn to business in its growth and development.
Systematic literature review used for critical evaluation of the information about the topic. This
data helped in collecting and evaluating of information clearly and in depth manner.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Akram, M. U. & et. al. (2019). Knowledge Management, Sustainable Business Performance and
Empowering Leadership: A Firm-Level Approach. International Journal of Knowledge
Management (IJKM). 15(2). 20-35.
Chen, R., Lee, Y. D., & Wang, C. H. (2020). Total quality management and sustainable
competitive advantage: serial mediation of transformational leadership and executive
ability. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. 31(5-6). 451-468.
Herrera, J., & de las Heras-Rosas, C. (2020). Corporate social responsibility and human resource
management: Towards sustainable business organizations. Sustainability. 12(3). 841.
Metaxas, I. N., Chatzoglou, P. D., & Koulouriotis, D. E. (2019). Proposing a new modus
operandi for sustainable business excellence: the case of Greek hospitality
industry. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. 30(5-6). 499-524.
Raut, R. D. & et. al. (2019). Linking big data analytics and operational sustainability practices
for sustainable business management. Journal of cleaner production. 224. 10-24.
Online
Katarzyna Szczepańska-Woszczyna and Joanna Kurowska Pysz., 2016. Sustainable Business
Development Through Leadership in SMEs. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308726885_Sustainable_Business_Developm
ent_Through_Leadership_in_SMEs>.