Martine Spence, Associate Professor of the Telfer School of Management, was awarded a $60,000 grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for her project entitled Développement durable et performance des PME: Des modèles pour le Canada.


This research seeks to understand the engagement of small and medium enterprises (SME) within countries at different levels of economic development (Canada, Romania, Tunisia) with respect to sustainable development (SD). Research on SME and SD is an emerging field where many of the motivations and barriers affecting the engagement of these firms are unknown.  Different policies in each country with respect to SD, possibly resulting in different behaviours by SME, allow for both a North-South and a South-North exchange of knowledge for government decision-makers, business leaders and researchers. This will be particularly important for Canada in allowing it to better position itself among the model nations for SD and to assert its expertise abroad in this area.