Sustainability in Small and Medium Enterprises, Sustainable Development in the Slovak Republic, and Sustainability and Quality Management in Small and Medium Enterprises

Abstract

In this paper, we deal with several areas, one of which is the current and important topic of sustainability. We focus on the defined area of sustainability in society and in companies. Sustainability is also a very important requirement for businesses today, including small- and medium-sized enterprises. Based on two hypotheses established by us, we identified, analyzed, and evaluated research carried out in the past in the Slovak Republic and in small- and medium-sized Slovak enterprises in the field of sustainability. The second important area that we deal with in our article is the quality of the products. Product quality is considered a necessity on the market today, a matter of course in today’s global market economy since it is one of the decisive parameters of the product. At the same time, quality management is only a means to an end, and that goal is a quality product for a customer who meets his requirements. Additionally, a quality product must also meet the requirements of other stakeholders, such as legislation. Practical and functional application of quality management in practice, companies, and organizations are implemented according to certain basic proven approaches, principles, standards, principles, and methods. Small- and medium-sized enterprises are a key part of every national economy; they form the national economic “backbone”. Due to their importance, they still need to be paid attention to, so we focus on these types of enterprises on several topics.