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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
191

Mikrotransaktioner : spelutvecklingsbranschens psykologiska spel / Microtransactions : the game development industry´s psychological game

Holst, Christoffer, Johansson, Viktor, Liljekvist, Steve January 2017 (has links)
I dagens spelindustri är det allt vanligare att spel innehåller affärsmodeller som innefattar mikrotransaktioner, det vill säga köp inom spelet. Framfarten av mikrotransaktioner har skapat många skilda åsikter. Denna studie är gjord för att skapa en inblick till hur spelare uppfattar och förhåller sig till fenomenet och dessutom fördjupa förståelsen av vad spelutvecklingsföretagen gör för att få sina spelare att genomföra köp inom sina spel. För att belysa problemet formades forskningsfrågan som följande: Hur förhåller sig spelare till mikrotransaktioner och på vilka sätt påverkar spelutvecklare spelare att genomföra köp genom mikrotransaktioner? Studien utfördes med en enkät som bestod av frågor utifrån en mixad metodansats. Frågornas karaktär formades med inslag av både kvantitativa och kvalitativa ansatser. 117 respondenter svarade på enkäten varpå enkätsvaren sedan analyserades och resultatet visar på att det finns både positiva och negativa åsikter om mikrotransaktioner och att det finns flera olika angreppssätt som spelutvecklarna använder sig av för att få sina spelare att genomföra köp. Utifrån tidigare forskning påvisar denna studie att synsättet på mikrotransaktioner förändrats positivt. Framför allt för att spelutvecklingsföretagen på senare tid fokuserat på att lyssna på sina spelare och genom det utvecklat mikrotransaktioner utifrån spelarnas behov men man måste också ta i beaktande att en positivare syn på mikrotransaktioner eventuellt kan leda till olika grader av beroende. Resultaten i denna studie kan påverka läsarens syn på fenomenet. Studien lyfter en ny syn på hur spelare förhåller sig till fenomenet som både motsäger och stärker tidigare forskning, vilket eventuellt kan gynna spelutvecklingsföretagen samt vidare forskning inom ämnet. / In today’s gaming industry it’s increasingly common to use business models that include microtransactions, in short in-game purchases. The recent rise of microtransactions has created many different opinions. This thesis was conducted to provide an insight of how the players perceive and relate to the phenomenon and further deepen the understanding of what game development companies do to get their players to make in-game purchases. To highlight the problem, the research question was formed as follows: How do players relate to microtransactions and how do game developers affect players to make purchases through microtransactions? The study was conducted with a questionnaire consisting of questions based on a mixed method. The nature of the questions was shaped with elements of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. 117 players responded on the questionnaire, which was analyzed and the result shows both positive and negative opinions about microtransactions and there were several different approaches that the game development companies use to convince their players to perform in-game purchases. Based on previous research, this study shows that the view on micro-transactions has changed to the positive. In particular, game development companies have recently focused on listening to their players leading to developed microtransactions based on player's needs but it need to be considered that a more positive view of microtransactions may potentially affect different degrees of addiction. The results in this study may affect the reader’s view of the phenomenon. The study highlights a new view of how players relate to the phenomenon that both contradicts and strengthens previous research, which may benefit game development companies as well as further research on the subject.
192

Barriers to Sustainable Business Model Innovation in Swedish Agriculture

Cederholm Björklund, Jennie January 2017 (has links)
Bakgrund: Svenska företag inom lantbruks- och livsmedelssektorn (s.k. agri-food) behövermöta ökade behov av hållbar samhällsutveckling med livskraftig landsbygd och ökadefterfrågan på livsmedel, samt utnyttja det gynnsamma läget framtida klimatförändringar förmed sig (Horizon 2020, Tell et al., 2016b). Dock är trenden inom svenskt lantbruk en starktminskande produktion med färre gårdar och anställda i branschen (Jordbruksverket 2017). Trotsatt metoder för hållbar affärsmodellssinnovation finns, utvecklar få svenska lantbruk sinaaffärsmodeller. Denna studie undersöker och skapar förståelse för vad som hindrar hållbaraffärsmodellsinnovation inom svenska lantbruksföretag. Forskningsfråga: Vad hindrar hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation i svenska lantbruksföretag? Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka, illustrera och skapa förståelse för vad som hindrarutveckling av hållbara affärsmodeller inom svenskt lantbruk samt att genom konceptutvecklingbidra till forskning om hållbara affärsmodeller i agri-food sektorn. Metod: Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod, innehållande flera fallstudier, ochanalyseras med Gioia metodologin. Primärdata grundar sig på semistrukturerade intervjuer medägare/företagsledare till sex svenska lantbruksföretag, vars affärsmodeller utvecklats senastefem åren och fortfarande så gör. Teoretiskt ramverk: Teorier och metoder för hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation samt olika typerav hinder för denna utveckling redovisas. Då ämnet i studien är kopplat till såväl innovationsom strategisk företags- och förändringsledning, entreprenörskap och familjeföretagande, samtgenom kontexten även den pågående uppbyggnaden av forskningsområdet agroekologi,diskuteras även detta. Resultat: Hinder har identifierats och kategoriserats i externa, interna och kontextuella hindertill hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation, där merparten är interna hinder kopplade till tankesätt,attityd, kognitioner, strategisk ledning och ledarskap. Svenska stödsystemet är ett externt hinderoch kontextuella hinder, en ny dimension ärvda hinder, innebär ekologiska filosofiskaöverväganden och socioemotionell hälsa. Värde och implikationer: Denna studie är en pusselbit i byggandet av kunskap omframgångsrik ledning och innovation i agri-food sektorn, och ger ökad förståelse för praktisktarbete med hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation i svenskt lantbruk, genom att synliggöra hinder.Det akademiska bidraget består av utökad kunskap om hinder till hållbaraffärsmodellsinnovation och en utvecklad modell som inkluderar denna förståelse.Implikationer för både forskning och praktik är att fokusera på interna hinder, särskilt kognitivahinder och drivkrafter i utvecklingsprocessen samt studera hur svenska stödsystemet kan ochbör utvecklas för att skapa hållbar affärsmodellsinnovation i svenskt lantbruk. / Background: Swedish agri-food businesses need to meet needs for a sustainable society withviable rural areas, increased demand for food and using the favourable situation due to futureclimate changes (Horizon 2020, Tell et al., 2016b). However the trend in Swedish agricultureis decreasing production and fewer farms as well as employees (Jordbruksverket 2017).Although methods for sustainable business model innovation (SBMI) exists, few Swedishagricultural businesses develop their business models. This study examine and understand whatis hindering SBMI in Swedish agricultural businesses. Research question: What are the barriers to sustainable business model innovation in Swedishagricultural businesses? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore, illustrate and create understanding of barriersto development of sustainable business models in Swedish agriculture, and through conceptdevelopment contribute to research about sustainable business models in agri-food andagricultural sector. Method: The study is conducted with a qualitative research method, containing multiple casestudies, and analyzed with Gioia methodology. Primary data are based on semi-structuredinterviews with owners/managers of six Swedish agricultural businesses, whose businessmodels have developed during the past five years, and still do. Theoretical framework: Theories and methods about sustainable business model innovationand different types of barriers to this development are used. Since the subject in this studyconnects to both innovation, strategic business and change management, entrepreneurship andfamily business, as well as through the context also the ongoing building of the research areaagroecology, also this is discussed. Findings: Barriers are found and categorized in external, internal and contextual barriers toSBMI, where the main parts are internal barriers connected to mindset, cognitions, strategicmanagement and leadership. Swedish support system is an external barrier, and contextualbarriers, a new dimension of inherited barriers, involve ecological philosophical considerationsand socioemotional wealth. Value and Implications: This study is a piece of puzzle in the construction of knowledge aboutsuccessful strategic management and innovation in agri-food sector by giving increasedunderstanding of practically working with sustainable business model innovation in Swedishagriculture and illustrating barriers to this development. The academic contribution containsextended knowledge about barriers to sustainable business model innovation, and a developedmodel including this understanding. Implications for research and practice are to focus oninternal barriers, especially cognitive barriers and drivers in the process of developingsustainable business models and to study how Swedish support system can be developed tocreate sustainable business model innovation in Swedish agriculture.
193

The Flourishing Business Canvas; the new tool for Business Modelling? : A multiple case study in the Fashion Industry

Van den Broeck, Fien January 2017 (has links)
Background:   This research paper studies the potential of the Flourishing Business Canvas developed from the new research field of Business Models for Sustainability. Throughout the literature review arguments for the new concept of Business Models for Sustainability are made. Showing also the need for a tool that can help companies to transform towards a BMfS. The Flourishing Business Canvas is the first tool being developed at the moment and is based on the Business Model Canvas of Osterwalder and Pigneur. In this research data from reports from three different fashion companies is used to complete the Flourishing Business Canvasses and to evaluatethe applicability and usefulness of the canvas. Aim:   The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of the newly developed Flourishing Business Canvas through case studies of secondary data research in the fashion industry. The research will evaluate the applicability and usefulness of the building blocks of the alpha-version of the Flourishing Business Canvas on the basis of information gathered from annual reports, sustainability reports, home pages and academic research. To contribute to the ongoing research of this tool, the research will try to suggest improvements where needed to make the tool suitable for the sustainable development of the fashion industry. Methodology:   The research is performed trough a qualitative research based on three small casestudies. The canvas is completed for three fashion companies, of three different market segments, based on published reports, media articles and research articles. The gaps in the canvas and the usefulness of the answers will be defined. Results:   The results of the research showed that the three companies follow the four mainarguments for a Business Model for Sustainability, but that what they express in their reports is notcompletely what they do in practise. The Flourishing Business Canvas for the three fashioncompanies was easy to complete as an outsider, this was mostly because they were transparentcompanies that published a lot of information. The questions in the Flourishing Business Canvasalso could show well the efforts on economic, social and environmental sustainability. Conclusion:   The Flourishing Business Canvas is a good tool for the fashion companies to show their economic, social and environmental sustainability in a schematic way and on strategic level. Although in general the canvas expresses that it shows true sustainability, two important elements of a sustainable fashion company; circularity and transparency, were not specifically defined.
194

The role of business models in construction business management

Pekuri, A. (Aki) 02 June 2015 (has links)
Abstract Although the need for change was recognized a couple of decades ago, the construction industry is still struggling with its productivity development and customer satisfaction. Usually, construction improvement initiatives focus on developing practices related to project management and delivery processes. However, this study views the general underperformance of the industry from the perspective of how the construction business is managed and conceptualized in practice. The objective of this thesis is to understand the role of business models in construction business management. This objective is pursued by addressing specific research questions in four individual publications, two of which contribute to the research objective from a more conceptual and two from a more empirical viewpoint. The exploratory study follows the qualitative research tradition and exploits the case study approach. The primary method for data collection has been interviews. This study demonstrates the applicability of the business model concept to the analysis and development of the construction business. However, its use requires a comprehensive understanding of the concept and proper alignment of its elements in practice. The results of this study indicate that the current business models of construction companies are too similar to enable value-based competition. Indeed, the conventional business models neglect the customer perspective and thus revolve around internal efficiency rather than customer value creation. Consequently, construction businesses are usually managed on a project-by-project basis without the governing effect of specific customer-oriented business models and a clear long-term vision or business purpose that would go beyond the objectives of growing and surviving. A better understanding of business models provides a starting point for managers to reform the construction business and the whole industry. Explicitly defined business models provide a foundation for consistent management practice and process development. New possibilities for customer value creation can be exploited as the limitations of the current thinking are overcome and business models are approached from the viewpoints of the customer and value creation. / Tiivistelmä Rakennusalalla on edelleen vaikeuksia tuottavuuden kehittämisen ja asiakastyytyväisyyden parantamisessa, vaikka tarve muutokseen tunnistettiin jo pari vuosikymmentä sitten. Yleensä alan kehityshankkeet kohdistuvat projektien johtamiseen ja projektitoimituksiin liittyviin käytäntöihin. Tässä tutkimuksessa rakennusalan yleisesti heikkoa suorituskykyä tarkastellaan kuitenkin liikkeenjohdon näkökulmasta eli miten rakennusyrityksiä johdetaan ja miten liiketoiminta käsitteellistetään käytännössä. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena on ymmärtää liiketoimintamallien roolia rakennusliiketoiminnan johtamisessa. Tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi vastataan neljään tutkimuskysymykseen erillisten osajulkaisujen avulla. Kaksi näistä julkaisuista edistää ymmärrystä liiketoimintamallien roolista enemmän käsitteellisestä näkökulmasta ja kahdessa korostuu empiirinen näkökulma. Tutkimus on toteutettu laadullisena tutkimuksena, jossa hyödynnetään tapaustutkimusta. Aineistonkeruu on pääosin tehty haastatteluin. Tämän tutkimuksen mukaan liiketoimintamallikonsepti soveltuu myös rakennusliiketoiminnan analysointiin ja kehittämiseen. Tämä kuitenkin edellyttää liiketoimintamallikonseptin laaja-alaista ymmärrystä ja sen elementtien asianmukaista yhteensovittamista myös käytännössä. Tutkimustuloksista voidaan päätellä, että nykyiset liiketoimintamallit, joiden mukaan rakennusyritykset toimivat, ovat liian samankaltaisia soveltuakseen arvoperusteiseen kilpailuun. Nämä tavanomaiset liiketoimintamallit eivät sisällä asiakasnäkökulmaa ja täten ne keskittyvät etupäässä sisäiseen tehokkuuteen asiakasarvon tuottamisen sijasta. Näin ollen rakennusliiketoimintaa johdetaan yleensä projektiperusteisesti ilman, että päätöksentekoa ohjaisi määritellyt asiakassuuntautuneet liiketoimintamallit, selkeä pitkäntähtäimen visio tai kasvu- ja eloonjäämistavoitteita pidemmälle asetettu päämäärä. Liiketoimintamallien parempi ymmärrys antaa lähtökohdan rakennusliiketoiminnan ja koko alan uudistamiseen. Selkeästi määritellyt liiketoimintamallit luovat perustan liiketoiminnan johdonmukaisuudelle ja prosessien kehittämiselle. Monia huomiotta jääneitä arvonluonnin mahdollisuuksia voidaan puolestaan hyödyntää, kun vältetään takertumasta vallalla olevan ajattelutavan rajoitteisiin ja suunnitellaan liiketoimintamallit toimiviksi arvonluonnin ja asiakkaan näkökulmista.
195

The Internet of Things in Health, Social Care, and Wellbeing

Laya, Andrés January 2017 (has links)
The Internet of Things (IoT) enables opportunities to remotely sense and control objects via communication networks. We study services based on connected devices and the collaboration they generate between the ICT and the Health, Social Care and Wellbeing (HSCWB) industries. In HSCWB, IoT can support a change from episodic treatments of illness to preventive care and wellbeing solutions. The IoT can be a supporter in cost efficient and high quality health care. The objective is to achieve healthier life years and more efficiency in health and social care. Even if the potential of IoT in HSCWB has been proven in pilot projects and small-scale solutions, the benefits and opportunities for many actors are still unclear. There is a research gap in studying the roles and business opportunities for market-driven technology-based solutions enabled by connected devices. The research approach separates technological and business domains. On the technology side, the focus is on advances in connectivity for IoT. We present the technical details on a limitation to support IoT devices in cellular networks. We quantify the limitations in the Random Access Channel of the LTE air interface to support IoT devices. Moreover, we propose the adaptation of an access mechanism to enable massive number of simultaneous access attempt in cellular networks. On the business side, we identify and present how the conditions of the health and social care structure in Sweden affect the establishment of IoT solutions in HSCWB. We then show how these conditions have generated three distinctive development patterns—to innovate within the public sector, to develop solutions in the private care sector, or to target the wellbeing sector to avoid regulatory setbacks. Based on these patterns, we look closer into study cases to show how business opportunities have been addressed from a business network perspective. When deploying an IoT service, not all critical challenges can be appreciated at a single firm level. Therefore, we rely on a network-level business model framework to analyze emerging IoT services in HSCWB. The findings suggest that IoT components can improve an existing service by automating internal working processes, or they can enable new value propositions and convenience to end users. In general terms, the collaboration can be used (i) to improve the efficiency of existing services in health and social care without an original intention to change the service offering, or (ii) to create novelty and differentiation, without affecting the internal logics of existing HSCWB services. / <p>QC 20180828</p> / IoT Ecosystems (VINNOVA) / COIN-SWEAT / MTC2020 / M2MRISE
196

Inclusive business models in South Africa's land reform: great expectations and ambiguous outcomes in the Moletele land claim, Limpopo

Davis, Cindy January 2014 (has links)
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This dissertation focuses on strategic partnership initiatives or ‘inclusive business model’ arrangements initiated between land restitution beneficiaries and private sector interests. It explores to what extent the introduction of strategic partnerships since 2005 reflects a dominant underlying land reform policy narrative premised on the superiority of large-scale commercial farming that contradicts other policy statements emphasizing support for small-scale farming. The effects of a hegemonic notion of “viability” – framed in terms of the large-scale commercial farm model - on partnership initiatives in the large Moletele claim in the Hoedspruit area of Limpopo Province is the primary concern of the study. I adopt a political economy perspective to examine both processes and the range of outcomes of the commercial partnerships established on Moletele land. Informed by this perspective, I explore the strategies pursued by, and the alliances formed between differently positioned actors that are engaged in contestations and negotiations over access to resources within these partnerships, which I conceptualize as “arenas of struggle”. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed (mixed method approach), by means of a small sample of claimant households and in relation to joint ventures established between claimants and different private sector partners
197

Uma extensão do Design Thinking Canvas com foco em Modelos de Negócios para a Indústria de Games

VARGAS, Veronica Carolina Lima 24 July 2015 (has links)
Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-12T13:09:12Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Veronica Vargas.pdf: 5204634 bytes, checksum: 3ec7586f5e6c9ba277e9039225fe71a9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-12T13:09:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Veronica Vargas.pdf: 5204634 bytes, checksum: 3ec7586f5e6c9ba277e9039225fe71a9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-24 / CAPEs / Pesquisas recentes com empresas desenvolvedoras de jogos no Brasil mostram a dificuldade que elas enfrentam no que se refere à captação de recursos para financiar seus empreendimentos. Isso mostra a deficiência dos gestores em matéria de modelos de negócios. No aspecto acadêmico, os estudos da área de jogos, em sua maioria, também estão relacionados apenas ao artefato em si, carecendo de estudos sobre a forma como eles são inseridos no mercado de forma rentável e sustentável economicamente. Tratando aqui os jogos como um produto com foco no segmento dos casuais sociais mobile voltados para o mercado de entretenimento, entende-se que o desafio dos Game Designers vai além da configuração. A partir da ferramenta de concepção de jogos "Game Design Canvas" e com auxílio de Metodologias de Design, a apresentação de um novo Canvas é o objeto de estudo deste trabalho, com o intuito de auxiliar a concepção não apenas de jogos, mas a definição de sua cadeia de valor. Para tanto, são explorados os conceitos de: modelos de negócios, Metodologias de Design, jogos e um retrospecto sobre a evolução das estratégias de comercialização de jogos. Finalmente, para demonstrar a aplicação da extensão do Design Thinking Canvas, um exemplo prático do jogo Bubble Witch Saga 2 é apresentado. Como resultado deste trabalho, foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta com aplicação prática para construção de modelos de negócios de jogos. / Recent researches with companies developers of games in Brazil show the difficulty they face in relation to fund-raising to finance their ventures. This shows the deficiency of managers on business models. In the academic field, studies of the games area, mostly, are also related only to the artifact itself, lacking studies about how they are inserted into the market of an economically profitable and sustainable way. Considering here the games as a product with focus on the segment of social casual mobile facing the entertainment market, it is understood that the challenge of Game Designers goes beyond setting. From the design tool of games "Game Design Canvas" and with the help of Design Methodologies, the presentation of a new Canvas is the object of study of this work, in order to help the conception not only of games, but the definition of its value chain. For this, the concepts explored are: business models, Methodologies of Design, games and a retrospect about the evolution of marketing strategies of games. Finally to demonstrate the application of the extension of the Design Thinking Canvas, a practical example of Bubble Witch Saga 2 game is shown. As result of this work, a tool with practical application for building of game business models was developed.
198

Lidando com trade-offs em relação à sustentabilidade corporativa: investigação à luz da perspectiva do sensemaking. / Dealing with trade-offs regarding corporate sustainability: inquiry in light of the sensemaking perspective

José Guilherme Ferraz de Campos 02 May 2018 (has links)
A lógica do business case em que as organizações consideram aspectos sociais e ambientais apenas se trazem retorno econômico, historicamente, tem sido predominante e praticamente não questionada tanto na literatura quanto na prática. Recentemente, contudo, diante da piora de questões sociais e ambientais complexas, tem havido a conclamação para que as empresas adotem uma postura de não somente reduzir o impacto que geram como também tomar ações no sentido de que contribuam efetivamente com soluções para tanto. Ao assumirem tal postura, porém, as empresas precisam tomar decisões no cotidiano organizacional que envolvem lidar com paradoxos, isto é, situações em que ocorrem simultaneamente elementos contraditórios, ainda que relacionados. Isto porque, no caso da sustentabilidade corporativa, frequentemente, não é possível alinhar os três pilares da sustentabilidade, conciliar objetivos de curto, médio e longo prazo e atender simultaneamente o interesse de diversos stakeholders. Diante de tamanho desafio à prática organizacional, pesquisadores da área da sustentabilidade corporativa começaram a investigar a adoção de uma perspectiva integrativa da sustentabilidade, que pressupõe reconhecer a existência desses trade-offs, de forma a tentar gerenciá-los e acomodá-los. A presente pesquisa contribui para a literatura de sustentabilidade corporativa no que tange ao gerenciamento desses trade-offs ao propor como objetivo entender como as empresas significam e lidam com os trade-offs relacionados à sustentabilidade corporativa. Para atender tal objetivo, empregou-se uma estratégia de pesquisa baseada em estudos de casos múltiplos de dez empresas com modelos de negócios sustentáveis de dois setores diferentes. Como lente teórica de análise, adotou-se a perspectiva do sensemaking. A partir da análise das dez empresas estudadas, identificou-se 65 incidentes que envolviam um ou mais trade-offs em relação à sustentabilidade corporativa. Analisou-se, então, os incidentes com uma abordagem indutiva, gerando-se três resultados principais. Primeiro, identificou-se 13 vetores diferentes que abrangem os trade-offs relacionados à sustentabilidade corporativa, agrupados em quatro diferentes categorias. Segundo, propôs-se um modelo que ajuda a explicar como é o processo de construção de significado pelo qual as empresas passam ao se engajarem na acomodação dos trade-offs relacionados à sustentabilidade corporativa. Por fim, identificou-se 14 estratégias que as empresas podem se utilizar para acomodar os trade-offs agrupados em seis diferentes categorias. / The logic of business case in which organizations consider social and environmental aspects only if they bring economic returns has historically been predominant and practically unquestioned in both literature and practice. Recently, however, faced with the worsening of complex social and environmental issues, there has been a call for companies to struggle not only to reduce the impact they generate but also to take actions in order to effectively address solutions. When assuming such a position, however, companies need to make decisions in the organizational practice that involve dealing with paradoxes, that is, situations in which contradictory, yet related, elements occur simultaneously. This is because, in the case of corporate sustainability, it is often not possible to align the three pillars of sustainability, to reconcile short-, medium- and long-term objectives while simultaneously meeting the interests of various stakeholders. Faced with such a challenge to organizational practice, researchers in the area of corporate sustainability have begun to investigate the adoption of an integrative perspective of sustainability, which presupposes recognizing the existence of these trade-offs in order to accommodate and manage them. This research contributes to the corporate sustainability literature regarding the management of these trade-offs by proposing as aim to understand how companies make sense and deal with the trade-offs related to corporate sustainability. In order to achieve this, a research strategy based on multiple case studies of ten companies with sustainable business models from two different sectors was employed. As a theoretical lens of analysis, the sensemaking perspective was adopted. From the analysis of the ten companies studied, 65 incidents that involved one or more trade-offs in relation to corporate sustainability were identified. The incidents were then analyzed with an inductive approach, producing three main results. First, 13 different vectors that encompass trade-offs related to corporate sustainability were identified, grouped into four different categories. Second, a model has been proposed that helps to explain how the process of sensemaking occurs in companies engaged in the accommodation of trade-offs related to corporate sustainability. Finally, 14 strategies that companies can use to accommodate trade-offs were identified, grouped into six different categories.
199

The transformation from linear to circular : a case company study on the challenges of post-return handling of mass customised products for fashion retailers.

Halvarsson de Maar, Mariken January 2020 (has links)
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore suitable end-of-life strategies for fashion retailers of custom-made products after they have been returned by the customer, by analysing and evaluating these strategies, and how to implement and conclude the viability of these. Method: The study follows an abductive explorative case study method. The exploratory design is structured as follows; a literature review is carried out, followed by interviews for collecting empirical data, which is analysed with the help of a conceptual framework. Thereafter, secondary data is collected to create an overview of the real-world context in the form of end-of-life strategies implemented by fashion retailers. Finally, the case was tested within a new proposed framework. Findings: The findings demonstrate the importance of the core values of the companies and inherent to that, the product characteristics and design in the decision-making of a suitable end-of-life strategy. For that reason, a second phase of data collection based on secondary data was implemented and juxtaposed the first finding from the interviews. The main insight this paper shows is that resell “as it is”, which is a common end-of-life strategy for regular fashion retailers, is a conflicting strategy for retailers of custom-made clothing. Introducing an adapted version of the Sustainable Value Analysis Tool as a conceptual framework gave a better insight in how to approach and analyse suitable end-of-life strategies and shows the relation between these parameters. Originality: It is difficult according to the findings of this study to conclude a generalisable, one-size-fits-all end-of-life strategy for returned custom-made products. However, the introduction of an adapted version of the Sustainable Value Analysis Tool can serve a purpose for all fashion retailers in this transformation process and which is not limited to fashion retailers of mass customised clothing.
200

Cascade Use in Circular Economy Business Models in the Textile and Fashion Industry : a Dynamic Capabilities Perspective

Hetti Arachchige, Chamirangika Madushani January 2021 (has links)
Background - The textile and fashion industry is paving the way towards the circular economy to achieve economic and environmental value. Today the industry is mainly dependent on the linear production model of the take-make-dispose system. This linear model excels in making waste out of virgin raw materials that can utilize several lifetimes. In light of generating a wave for the future with the circular economy, the textile and fashion industry is implementing circular economy, business models. The organizations’ cascade use ability of recurrent and abundance resources leads to the circular economy future. Although the circular economy is rich in concept, academia and practitioners sense a lack of implementation of business models. Therefore, the organizations require to develop a unique set of capabilities to harness the benefits from circular economy business models. Purpose - To achieve successful circular economy business models, the organizations should develop capabilities that reinforce them to innovate their business models. Therefore, this study investigates the dynamic capabilities to gain competitive advantage while utilizing resources by cascade use to achieving economic and environmental values. This study provides the practitioners and academic guide to be a part of the wave of the circular economy. Methodology - This research conducts multiple case studies with an abductive reasoning approach to extend the theory of dynamic capabilities for cascade use in circular economy business models within the textile and fashion industry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather primary data with three companies that practice cascade use in their businesses while strengthening the data gathered by reviewing company documents. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings - Results revealed dynamic capabilities facilitate cascade use in the circular economy business models. These dynamic capabilities undergirded by unique microfoundations. Sensing capability undergirded learning and knowledge creation on resources, information search on competencies, and market sensing to achieve the circular economy. Seizing undergirded microfoundations of business model innovation, collaborations, investments in innovations, and take-back systems. Transformation capability undergirded stakeholder engagement, revitalizing internal organization and transparency. The organizations gain maximum resources utility by these dynamic capabilities. Practical implications and research limitations - This thesis creates new insights on cascade use in circular economy business models facilitated by dynamic capabilities. The study assists the practitioners to understand and manage organizational activities to leverage cascade use in the circular economy business models to gain competitive advantage. The study limits by the selected interviewed companies with cascade use strategies implemented in their businesses, representing retailers in Sweden.

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