• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.83-120
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• 2008

Small and medium sized enterprises' (SMEs) environmental performance and activities have been often of great concern toward sustainability as they have been playing a critically important role in the economic and industrial development. Among many initiatives to engage SMEs into the sustainability framework, Supply Chain Environmental Management (SCEM) of large companies has a great potential to persuade SMEs to adopt environmentally improved activities. This study investigated the relationship between SCEM approaches of large companies and environmental activities of SMEs in the Korean electronics industry. A postal questionnaire survey was used as a data collection method, and factor analysis and regression analysis were applied to analyse the collected data. The empirical findings suggested that SCEM approaches of large companies have positive impacts on environmental activities of SMEs. Among SCEM approaches, the collaborative approach was more effective than the arm's-length approach. Additionally, this study found positive impacts of trans-national SCEM approaches on SMEs' environmental activities.