SMEs and Sustainability
INSTRUCTORS
AIM
In the first part of the course, students are introduced to the fundamental framework of Turnaround Management as a systematic managerial process aimed at stabilizing, restructuring, and revitalizing firms in distress. Students acquire a shared conceptual language and a solid foundation for applying turnaround management across different types of firms, serving as a basis for subsequent in-depth focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The second part of the course provides an introduction to sustainable finance for SMEs with a particular focus on European sustainable finance regulation. It also introduces the VSME standard as a practical framework for SMEs.
MAIN TOPICS
- Turnaround Management (TAM)
- Sustainable Finance and SMEs
TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Lecture, Reading Assignment, Group Work
DAY-BY-DAY PROGRAM
| N° | Topics | Instructor |
| Lesson 1 | Turnaround management fundamentals, early warning signs, and business diagnosis | Luboš Smrčka |
| Lesson 2 | Turnaround strategy, crisis management, leadership, and stakeholder management | Luboš Smrčka |
| Lesson 3 |
Introduction: Sustainable Finance for SMEs Survey results: European SMEs and Sustainable Finance |
Jan Greitens |
| Lesson 4 | VSME-Standard: A solution for SMEs? | Jan Greitens |
SUGGESTED REFERENCES
- Slatter, S., & Lovett, D. (1999). Corporate turnaround: Managing companies in distress. London: Penguin Books. (apple.com)
- Slatter, S., Lovett, D., & Barlow, L. (2006). Leading corporate turnaround: How leaders fix troubled companies. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (wiley-vch.de)
- KLJUČNIKOV, Aleksandr, CIVELEK, Mehmet, SMRČKA, Luboš, VOZŇÁKOVÁ, Iveta, FIALOVÁ, Vendula. Entrepreneurial intention and risk management: Insights from multiple crises. Oeconomia Copernicana[online]. 2025, roč. 16, č. 3, s. 1261–1294. eISSN 2353-1827. ISSN 2083-1277. DOI: 24136/oc.3876. https://journals.economic-research.pl/oc/article/view/3876/2537.
- Voluntary reporting standard for SMEs (VSME) (https://www.efrag.org/en/projects/voluntary-reporting-standard-for-smes-vsme/concluded
- Greitens, Jan (2023):“Sustainable Finance and Small and Medium Enterprises.” In: Intereconomics. 58(4). 2023, 222-226. https://www.intereconomics.eu/contents/year/2023/number/4/article/sustainable-finance-and-small-and-medium-enterprises.html