The Concept of Sustainability in View of Micro, Small and Medium Brazilian Companies

Part 1: Knowledge-Based SustainabilityInternational audienceThe present moment in enterprises scenario show a triple crisis in financial, ecological and social aspects, forcing companies to revise their strategy to make a stand with sustainably in the market. Micro, small and medium organizations (MSMEs) are 99% of companies in the world, main source of employment and are having difficulties to adapt to this moment because of the lack of public policies, knowledge and innovation capacity. The objective is to show what the brazilian MSMEs understand about sustainability, using a descriptive approach, with mixed procedures and survey method in the cross-sectional. The research identified that the factor with more impact in the profitability of the firm, such as cost, is considered the main factor in ensuring the sustainability of the company. And the factors, social and environmental, aren‘t considered important to achieve this sustainability, to conclude that these businessman see their business in the short time