PERFORMANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY: AN APPROACH FROM SMALL ENTERPRISES PERSPECTIVE

Performance and sustainability are two concepts of major interest and echo for all socio-economic entities, but often there are approaches from very different perspectives. While the sustainability is a relatively new concept, sometimes difficult to comprehend for all its complexity, the performance is consecrated both conceptual-theoretical level, and as obvious aim of all actors involved on the economic or non-economic market. By this paper, we propose to analyse these concepts from the perspective of their adopting in the small enterprises, starting from the observation that at this level these concepts are frequently approached in opposite manner. We start from the assumption that at the small enterprises level, the orientation towards financial performance is almost exclusively, while the sustainability is only an optional progressive step. In this regard, we have conducted a qualitative research, based primarily on interview method with representing of 12 small enterprises, from various area of activity. The results are exposed and analyzed in this paper. In conclusion, based on confirmation of formulated hypothesis, we will conduct a series of proposals and recommendations in order to clarify the join mode of these two concepts that, in fact, reinforce each other for the favourable evolution of small enterprises.