SME Renkei (連携)
SMEs Cultural Drivers for Climate Action in UK and Japan
This fellowship seeks to examine how cultural values motivate and shape SME climate adaptation and mitigation actions. It will establish a knowledge exchange (KE) channel in direct partnership with key SME networks: The York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub and the University of York's Enterprise Works network in the UK, and the Kitakyushu Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Ukiha City Society of Commerce & Industry in Japan.
Aims and Objectives
The specific objectives are to:
- Identify transferable lessons from SMEs in our two partner regions: North Yorkshire (UK) and Fukuoka (Japan).
- Facilitate a structured KE, allowing SME cohorts from both nations to learn from each other's successes and barriers.
Project Outputs
As part of our ongoing collaborative work investigating the disaster preparedness mindsets and values of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Kazuhiro Manabe (University of Kitakyushu, Japan) delivered a research presentation titled "Disaster Preparation in Japanese and UK SMEs Survey Overview". This joint project activity drew upon interviews with regional Japanese companies to examine how corporate philosophy, supply chain pressures, and community-focused missions shape modern Business Continuity Plans (BCPs). Resilience Research Overview presentation slides - Prof Kazuhiro Manabe (PDF 
, 1,403kb)
Principal and Co-Investigators
Principal Investigator
Dr Marco Sakai (Department of Environment and Geography)
Co-Investigators
Dr Jacqueline You (School for Business and Society)
Dr Lluis Puig Gonzalez (Department of Economics and Related Studies)
Dr Paola Sakai (School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds)
Prof Kazuhiro Manabe (Kitakyushu University - Japan)
