Green Stakeholder Engagement: The Learning Journey

Chapter 5 presents a collection of multi-level reflections into the interdisciplinary academic collaboration undertaken by the GIFT team, with contributions from the project’s funders, the academic team and GIFT‘s advisory board. Expert/industry stakeholders and SMEs provide industry-based viewpoints on the GIFT experience and a post-graduate candidate offers a reflection prior to stepping out into the green business environment. These stakeholder insights document the pursuit of a framework of green stakeholder engagement to facilitate the development of effective crossborder relationships capable of generating the knowledge exchange activities required for green skill enhancement. The book concludes with a discussion on the constraints and opportunities inherent in engaging regional SMEs in the green economy before contemplating the next steps in this journey. Finally, a number of recommendations are offered for those seeking to optimise stakeholder contributory action in pursuit of SME innovativeness capability enhancement and sustainable development in regional green economies.