📄 Abstract
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are vital to local economies yet face heightened vulnerability in climate-exposed regions like Tacloban City, Philippines. In this qualitative study, we explore how Tacloban SMEs integrate green orientation (environmental sustainability mindset) and sustainable innovation into their business practices, and how these contribute to organizational resilience. Using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a purposive sample of Tacloban SME owners across agriculture, manufacturing, retail, and services, we applied thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke) to identify patterns. Findings indicate that many SMEs embed environmental responsibility into core values and adopt incremental eco-innovations (e.g. solar energy, waste recycling, eco-design). These practices enhance adaptive capacity for example, renewable energy systems provided critical backup during typhoon outages. However, constraints such as limited capital, technical expertise, and policy support impede wider adoption. This research highlights how green entrepreneurial orientation can bolster SME resilience in a disaster-prone economy. It offers practical implications: targeted training, financial incentives, and inclusive local policies to support SME green innovation. The study advances theory by linking dynamic capabilities (sensing green opportunities) and resilience in the Philippine context.
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📚 How to Cite:
Hanz Jude Luigi E. Villarino , NAVIGATING SUSTAINABILITY IN A CLIMATE-VULNERABLE ECONOMY: A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION OF GREEN ORIENTATION, SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION, AND SME RESILIENCE , Volume 14 , Issue 2, February 2026, EPRA International Journal of Economic and Business Review(JEBR) , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra26215