Energy management in small and medium manufacturing firms: examining the enhancing role of top management commitment in a developing country context
International Journal of Energy Sector Management
ISSN: 1750-6220
Article publication date: 28 August 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between top management commitment and energy management in small and medium manufacturing firms in a developing country context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was executed through a survey of 66 manufacturing firms in Kampala, Uganda. The data collected were analysed using SPSS v.26.
Findings
The results show that top management commitment influences energy management. A further probe of its three dimensions of top management participation, top management support and top management beliefs reveals that all of them positively and significantly predict energy management in manufacturing firms.
Research limitations/implications
The current study results were obtained from manufacturing small and medium firms in Kampala, Uganda. Therefore, caution should be taken prior to generalization. Furthermore, this study only focuses on top management participation, top management support and top management beliefs as the dimensions of top management commitment. This study thus provides the foundation for future studies to test other dimensions of top management commitment, particularly in other sectors.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the contribution of top management commitment dimensions top management participation, top management support and top management beliefs to energy management in a developing country context. Although all dimensions are significant, top management beliefs contribute more to energy management.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge Norad-NORHED Research Grant for Capacity Building in Education, especially supporting Doctoral studies at Makerere University Business School and Research in Uganda. They would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and editor-in-chief for the comments that helped to improve this article. They take the opportunity to appreciate the efforts of Professor Rogers Mwesigwa, Professor Moya Musa, Dr Gideon Nkurunziza and Dr Dennis Nuwagaba leading to the improvement of this article.
Citation
Arinaitwe, A., Bagire, V., Tukamuhabwa, B. and Sulait, T. (2023), "Energy management in small and medium manufacturing firms: examining the enhancing role of top management commitment in a developing country context", International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-05-2023-0017
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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