The contribution of modularity to green operations practices

This paper discusses the possible contributions from modularity and industrial condominiums towards enhancing environmental performance in the automotive industry. The research described in this study is underpinned by a review of journal articles and books on the topics of: modularity of production systems; green operations practices, and the automotive industry and sustainability. The methodology is based on theoretical analysis of the contribution of the modular production system characteristics used in the automotive industry for Green Operations Practices (GOP). The following GOPs were considered: green buildings, eco-design, green supply chains, greener manufacturing, and reverse logistics. The results are theoretical in nature; however, due to the small number of studies that investigate the relationship between modularity and sustainability, this work is relevant to increase knowledge in academic circles and among practitioners in order to understand the possible environmental benefits from modular production systems. For instance, based upon our analysis, we could deduce that the existing modular production systems in the automotive industry may contribute in different ways to the implementation of GOPs. In all types of modularity, product simplification through the use of modules can enhance environmental performance and facilitate further activities such as maintenance and repair contributing to a longer life of cars on the road. Moreover, modules will make automobiles easier to disassembly, so increasing the chances of reuse of valuable components and a better final disposal of scrap. Regarding the potential benefits of each type of modularity, it is expected that modular consortia will have a better integration of environmental practices with suppliers and seize on high efficiency during manufacturing and logistics compared with conventional production systems.

World knowledge competitiveness index 2002:benchmarking the globes high-performing regions

The World Knowledge Competitiveness Index 2002 is the first composite and relative measure of the knowledge economies of the globe's best performing regions. It represents an integrated and overall benchmark of the knowledge capacity, capability and sustainability of each region and the extent to which this knowledge is translated into economic value and transferred into the wealth of the citizens of each region. This publication has over 50 pages and covers the following sections: The Economics of Knowledge Competitiveness The Rankings - World Knowledge Competitiveness Index Human Capital Components Knowledge Capital Components Regional Economy Outputs Knowledge Sustainability Components Driving Knowledge-Based Growth

Institutional work at field-configuring events:shaping industry change within sustainable transitions

Adopting an institutional approach from organization studies, this paper explores the role of key actors on “purposeful governance for sustainability” (Smith, Voss et al. 2010: 444) through the case of smart metering in the UK. Institutions are enduring patterns in social life, reflected in identities, routines, rules, shared meanings and social relations, which enable, and constrain, the beliefs and behaviours of individual and collective actors within a field (Thornton and Ocasio 2008). Large-scale external initiatives designed to drive regime-level change prompt ‘institutional entrepreneurs’ to perform ‘institutional work’ – “purposive action aimed at creating, maintaining and disrupting institutions” (Lawrence and Suddaby, 2006). Organization scholars are giving increasing attention to ‘field-configuring events’ (FCEs) which provide social spaces for diverse organizational actors to come together to collectively shape socio-technical pathways (Lampel and Meyer 2008). Our starting point for this exploratory study is that FCEs can offer important insights to the dynamics, politics and governance of sustainability transitions. Methodologically, FCEs allow us to observe and “link field evolution at the macro-level with individual action at the micro-level” (Lampel and Meyer, 2008: 1025). We examine the work of actors during a series of smart metering industry forums over a three-year period (industry presentations [n= 77] and panel discussions [n= 16]). The findings reveal new insights about how institutional change unfolds, alongside technological transitions, in ways that are partial and aligned with the interests of powerful incumbents whose voices are frequently heard at FCEs. The paper offers three contributions. First, the study responds to calls for more research examining FCEs and the role they play in transforming institutional fields. Second, the emergent findings extend research on institutional work by advancing our understanding of a specific site of institutional work, namely a face-to-face inter-organizational arena. Finally, in line with the research agenda for innovation studies and sustainability transitions elaborated by Smith et al (2010), the paper illustrates how actors in a social system respond to, translate, and enact interventions designed to promote industrial transformation, ultimately shaping the sustainability transition pathway.

Experiential learning:inspiring the business leaders of tomorrow

Purpose: The complex challenges of sustainable development and the need to embed these issues effectively into the education of future business leaders has never been more urgent. The purpose of this paper is to discuss different approaches taken by two UK signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). Design/methodology/approach: The two approaches examined are: MSc Entrepreneurship students opting for placements with social enterprises; and MBA students undertaking workshops using "live" case studies. A content analysis of the experiences of students from their written reflective narratives is presented. This is supplemented by reflections of the facilitators and tutors. Findings: The analysis reveals that the opportunity to work with social entrepreneurs and/or "responsible" business professionals provides the business students with inspirational role models and positive social learning opportunities. Research limitations/implications: This paper suggests that experiential learning is an effective way of integrating ethics, responsibility and sustainability into the curriculum but the research draws on the experience of two schools. Further research is important to explore these findings in other contexts. Practical implications: The authors argue that direct exposure to a business culture (and/or behaviour) that is predicated upon ethical/social responsibility and sustainability is an effective means to embed these values in the curriculum. Originality/value: This paper contributes by drawing on social psychological research related to behaviour change to examine how experiential learning on traditional Business Masters programmes can provide students with the knowledge, motivation and skills to contribute positively to society, in a way that more traditional pedagogies cannot. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Using an experiential business game to stimulate sustainable thinking in marketing education

Recent years have seen a significant increase in the importance of environmental protection and sustainability to consumers, policy makers, and society in general. Reflecting this, most organizations are at least aware of this new agenda and wish to be seen as taking steps to improve behaviors in this regard. However, there appears to be a gap between this evolving agenda and the comparatively low level of knowledge that marketing managers actually have of the environmental impact of their own functional decisions. We suggest that this low knowledge level may be due, in part, to the marketplace focus of foundational marketing educational programs, and we attempt to show how broadening the horizons of marketing courses can help students (i.e., future managers) more deeply understand the environmental consequences of their actions. We demonstrate the use of a novel business game, based on the Life Cycle Assessment method, as the foundational cornerstone for the development of a broad understanding of the environmental impact of marketing decisions and actions for the entire life cycle of a product—from raw material extraction to ultimate disposal. The results of an empirical study show that this approach increases students’ appreciation for, and understanding of, these fundamental environmental sustainability concepts.

Sustaining local manufacturing: a longitudinal study of Swedish companies

This paper reports an investigation of local sustainable production in Sweden aimed at exploring the factors contributing to survival and competitiveness of manufacturing. Eight companies were studied on two occasions 30 years apart; in 1980 and 2010. To provide a valid longitudinal, perspective a common format for data collection was used. As a framework for data collection and analysis the DRAMA methodology was employed (Bennett and Forrester, 1990). There are a number of results reported in detail concerning long term competitiveness and sustainability of manufacturing companies.

The global competitiveness of regions

The aim of this book is to consider theoretically the notion of the global competitiveness of regions, as well as giving attention as to how such competitiveness may be empirically measured. With this in mind, the book has three specific objectives: first, to place the concept of regional competitiveness within the context of regional economic development theory; second, to present a rationale and method for quantifying the global competitiveness of regions; and, third, to undertake the most geographically widespread analysis of regional competitiveness differences across the globe. With regard to the third goal, the analysis incorporates more than 500 regions across Europe, North and South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the so-called BRIC economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The importance of the concept of competitiveness has increased rapidly in recent years, with the issues surrounding it becoming, at the same time, more empirically refined and theoretically complex. The focus on regions reflects the growing consensus that they are the primary spatial units that compete to attract investment, and it is at the regional level that knowledge is circulated and transferred, resulting in agglomerations, or clusters, of industrial and service sector enterprises. This growing acknowledgement of the region’s role as a key spatial unit of organisation has led to attention turning to competitiveness at a more regional level. The book explores the results of the World Competitiveness Index of Regions (WCIR), covering the rankings and results of the 2014 edition. The WCIR provides a tool for analysing the development of a range of regional economies across the globe. It enables an illustration of the changing patterns of regional competitiveness on the international stage to be generated. In fundamental terms, the WCIR aims to produce an integrated and overall benchmark of the knowledge capacity, capability, and sustainability of each region, and the extent to which this knowledge is translated into economic value and transferred into the wealth of the citizens of each region.

Sustainable business:key issues

Sustainable Business: Key Issues is the first comprehensive introductory-level textbook to address the interface between environmental challenges and business solutions to provide an overview of the basic concepts of sustainability, sustainable business, and business ethics. The book introduces students to the background and key issues of sustainability and suggests ways in which these concepts can be applied in business practice. Though the book takes a business perspective, it is interdisciplinary in its nature and draws on knowledge from socio-economic, political, and environmental studies, thereby providing a practical and critical understanding of sustainability in the changing paradigm of global business. It goes beyond the conventional theories of sustainability and addresses critical issues concerned with population, consumption and economic growth. It discusses realistic ways forward, in particular the Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle frameworks. The book is both a theoretical and practical study guide for undergraduate and postgraduate international students of broad areas of sustainability, teaching ways to recognize opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship at the intersection of environmental, economic, ethical, and social systems. It takes a strategic approach in applying the power of business methods and policy to address issues of global importance such as climate change, poverty, ecosystem degradation and human rights. This textbook is essential reading for students of business, management and sustainability courses. It is written in an engaging and accessible style, with each chapter including case studies, discussion questions, end of chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading.

Theoretical perspectives in operations management:an analysis of the literature

Purpose - It is important to advance operations management (OM) knowledge while being mindful of the theoretical developments of the discipline. The purpose of this paper is to explore which theoretical perspectives have dominated the OM field. This analysis allows the authors to identify theory trends and gaps in the literature and to identify fruitful areas for future research. A reflection on theory is also practical, given that it guides research toward important questions and enlightens OM practitioners. Design/methodology/approach - The authors provide an analysis of OM theory developments in the last 30 years. The study encompasses three decades of OM publications across three OM journals and contains an analysis of over 3,000 articles so as to identify which theories, over time, have been adopted by authors in order to understand OM topics. Findings - The authors find that the majority of studies are atheoretical, empirical, and focussed upon theory testing rather than on theory development. Some theories, such as the resource-based view and contingency theory, have an enduring relevance within OM. The authors also identify theories from psychology, economics, sociology, and organizational behavior that may, in the future, have salience to explain burgeoning OM research areas such as servitization and sustainability. Research limitations/implications - The study makes a novel contribution by exploring which main theories have been adopted or developed in OM, doing so by systematically analyzing articles from the three main journals in the field (the Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, and the International Journal of Operations and Production Management), which encompass three decades of OM publications. In order to focus the study, the authors may have missed important OM articles in other journals. Practical implications - A reflection on theories is important because theories inform how a researcher or practicing manager interprets and solves OM problems. This study allows the authors to reflect on the collective OM journey to date, to spot trends and gaps in the literature, and to identify fruitful areas for future research. Originality/value - As far as the authors are aware, there has not been an assessment of the main theoretical perspectives in OM. The research also identifies which topics are published in OM journals, and which theories are adopted to investigate them. The authors also reflect on whether the most cited papers and those winning best paper awards are theoretical. This gives the authors a richer understanding of the current state of OM research.

Felsőoktatási intézmények közbeszerzési sajátosságai = Public Procurement Characteristics of Higher Education Institutions

A kutatók a 2000-es évek eleje óta foglalkoznak a közbeszerzés és a versenyképesség kapcsolatával. A két terület közötti összefüggés egyértelmű, melyet vizsgálatainak is megerősítenek. Az Európai Unió tagállamainak jogalkotón folyamatos a nyomás, hogy a közbeszerzést különböző célokra használják fel. Mindez segít a közbeszerzés értelmezési körének kitágításában, de felhívja a figyelmet arra, hogy a jogalkotóknak elsősorban néhány kiemelt témára kell összpontosítaniuk, mint az innováció vagy a fenntarthatóság. A felsőoktatási intézmények közbeszerzésben betöltött szerepén túl fontosságuk a konzorciális beszerzések, a közbeszerzés képzés, továbbá az innovatív termékek, technológiák beszerzési gyakorlatában betöltött szerepük miatt kiemelkedő. Hazánkban ez az első alkalom, hogy feltárjuk kifejezetten nagy közbeszerző felsőoktatási intézményeik piaci szerepét és elemezzük közbeszerzési gyakorlatuk sajátosságait, viszonyítjuk eddigi kutatási eredményeinkhez. ______ Researchers have focused on the relation between public procurement and competitiveness since the early 2000s. The relation between corporate competitiveness and public procurement is beyond doubt, evidenced by our research findings. There is growing pressure on the legislators of EU Member States to use public procurement for certain purposes. This helps to widen the scope of procurement, but the regulators have to focus on several priorities like innovation and sustainability. The importance of universities in the development of consortial purchasing, purchasing education, procurement of innovative goods and technologies is unquestionable. It is the first opportunity in Hungary to analyze the role of large contracting authorities, participants of the higher educational market in public procurement and to explore the characteristics of their public procurement practice in order to make comparison between universities and other public procurement market players.

A felelős döntéshozatal tényezői

Ebben a tanulmányban részletesen bemutatjuk a 2009-es Versenyképesség felmérés etika és környezetvédelem vonatkozású témaköreit, valamint a vállalati interjúkon alapuló kutatásunk alapján a vállalati döntéshozatal azon jellemzőibe nyújtunk bepillantást, amelyek segítik, illetve gátolják a CSR és a fenntarthatóság vállalati érvényesülését. A vállalati etika és a vállalati környezetvédelem területein egyaránt egy-egy klasszikusnak számító intézmény, illetve rendszer terjedt el leginkább a vállalatok körében: az etikai kódex az etikai intézményesülés relatíve gyakori elemének számít, míg a környezetvédelmi eszközökre vonatkozó kérdéskörben a legjobb helyezést a minőségmenedzsment rendszer kapta. A felelős döntések hatótényezőinek vizsgálatakor azt tapasztaltuk, hogy szervezeti és egyéni jellemzők egyformán segítői és akadályai lehetnek a felelős vállalati működés terjedésének. Ugyanakkor azt is láttuk, hogy egy figyelemreméltó eszköztár a CSR explicit kifejeződéseként önmagában nem teremti meg az implicit felelősségvállalás terjedését, a reflektált, valamennyi vállalati döntésben mérlegelésre kerülő érintetti szempontok, morális, fenntarthatósági, felelősségi vonatkozások meglétét. ________ In this study we overview the findings of the Competitiveness Research Program in the fields of business ethics and environmental management, and we also introduce some of the results of our research on the Hungarian tendencies of corporate social responsibility based on qualitative research interviews. Both in the fields of business ethics and environmental management one dominant classic tool were identified. Code of conduct is the most prevailing instrument in the field of ethics and quality management still kept its popularity amongst the environmental management tools. It turned out that both organizational and individual characteristics can be enablers and burdens of the spread of corporate social responsibility. We also revealed that remarkable CSR initiatives and principles in a firm does not necessarily create the presence of implicit social responsibility, a reflexive decision making in the company that considers all stakeholders’ view and sustainability, ethical and responsibility issues.

A Kraft-index – kreatív városok – fenntartható vidék (The KRAFT Index: Creative Cities – Sustainable Regions)

A KRAFT-index: Kreatív városok – fenntartható vidék egy komplex mutatórendszer, amely a fejlődési tendenciát, hálózatosodást, a fontosabb szereplők együttműködési készségét és kapacitását, kreativitási potenciálját, valamint a szereplők szinergiáiból fakadó belső energiákat és lehetőségeiket jelzi. A város- és vidékfejlesztés sikerének zálogaként előtérbe állítja és méri az ún. „puha” tényezőket, úgymint a kreativitást, innovációs képességet, új tudás létrehozását, tudástranszfert, együttműködési készséget, bizalmat, kollektív kompetenciákat. A társadalmi, gazdasági és tudományos kapcsolatok és hálózatok sűrűsége, minősége és dinamizmusa a sikeres fejlődés és fejlesztés kulcsai: ezek ma már fontosabb tényezők, mint a fizikai távolság, az adminisztratív jogi határok vagy az ún. „kemény” indikátorok. Az index értékeli egy térség lehetőségeit arra, hogy az ott élők, dolgozók, alkotók és letelepedni kívánók életminőségét, a vállalatok minőségi munkaerő iránti igényét és a fenntarthatósági szempontokat egyaránt figyelembe véve fejlessze gazdaságát és versenyképességét. Három tulajdonságcsoportot mér: 1. kreativitiási és innovációs potenciál, az új tudás létrehozásának képessége, 2. társadalmi és kapcsolati tőke, hálózati potenciál és „összekapcsoltság”, valamint 3. fenntarthatósági potenciál. _____ The KRAFT Index: Creative Cities – Sustainable Regions is a complex indicator system to measure development tendencies, ‘networkedness’, cooperation inclination and capacity, creativity potential and possibilities arising from the synergies among actors. It highlights and gauges ‘soft’ factors, such as creativity, innovation capacity, knowledge production, knowledge transfer, willingness for cooperation, trust, and collective competences and perceives effective regional cooperation among economic and social actors as the measure of successful urban and rural development. The density, quality and dynamism of social, economic and academic networks are more important factors than physical distance, administrative legal barriers or ‘hard’ indicators. The index evaluates the potential of a region to develop its economy and competitiveness by considering the quality of life of its inhabitants, workers, producers and immigrants, the quality workforce requirements of companies and sustainability. It measures three groups of qualities: 1. creativity and innovation potential, the ability of knowledge production; 2. social and connection capital, network potential and connectedness; and 3. sustainability potential.

Sobre formas e processos: projeto de um condomínio de casas a partir de princípios da gramática da forma

With the intention of studying and developing the design process based on a specific methodology, the object of this work is to present the design of a gated condominium community in Natal based on the application of principles of shape grammar, used in their design process. The shape grammar is a design method developed in the 1970s by George Stiny and James Gips. It is used for the analysis of the project as well as for its synthesis, with the goal of creating a "formal vocabulary" through mathematical and/or geometrical operations. Here, the methodology was used in the synthesis of the design process, through the relationship between formal subtractions and the houses’ architectural planning. As a result, five dwellings configurations were proposed, each one different from the other with respect to their shape and architectural programming, distributed in three twin groups, which are repeated until the final total of nine architectural volumes. In addition to studies of the condominium’s ventilation and the buildings’ shading simulations, studies of spatial flexibility and acoustic performance were also performed. The mapping of the design process, one of the specific objectives of the dissertation, was composed not only by the record of formal constraints (the preparation and application of rules), but also by physical, environmental, legal and sustainability aspects in relation to, on one hand, the optimization of the shading and passive ventilation for hot and humid climates, and, on the other hand, the modulation and rationalization of the construction.

Percepções ambientais de comunidades rurais e indicadores de sustentabilidade como subsídios à conservação de áreas de caatinga no Rio Grande do Norte

Environmental degradation is a global problem that particularly affects areas subject to seasonal climatic variations, such as the brazilian semiarid region, namely the Caatinga Domain. Combined with other negative factors, such as natural resource misuse and disorderly land occupation, the consequences of Environmental Degradation have challenged science in the quest for addressing the resulting social and environmental problems. Accordingly, Environmental Perception methodology, by analyzing the concepts, attitudes and values, (especially those pertaining to environmental conservation) represent an important tool in studies that address the relationship between the environment and human actions. Sustainability Indicators are also relevant tools to assess the possible causes and consequences of environmental problems. Among several Sustainability Indicators available, the PressuresState-Impact-Response (PSIR) method is an analytical tool that permits the grouping of factors affecting sustainability as well as their consequences for nature and human health, and thus indicate mitigating actions for society and the public authorities. From this perspective, three areas of Caatinga were studied in Rio Grande do Norte state: Seridó Ecological Station (ESEC), Municipality of Serra Negra do Norte; Private Natural Reserve Stoessel de Brito (PNRSB), Municipality of Jucurutu; and part of the Serra de Santana, Municipality of Tenente Laurentino Cruz. The areas are both legally protected and unprotected and subject to diferent management protocols, though their share the common characteristic of human misuse of natural resources. In this scenario, this thesis´ main goal was to introduce the rural communities into the conservation process, using the results of Environmental Perception of such communities, combined with the analysis of the sustainability of municipalities through PSIR. Information on Environmental Perception was obtained from primary and secondary data from previous studies carried out in the ESEC Seridó and PRNP Stoessel de Brito. Additional data was obtained through direct observation and interview forms applied to rural communities in the Municipality of Tenente Laurentino Cruz. The results showed that respondents possessed a broad knowledge regarding environmental degradation, its causes and consequences for the caatinga biome. PEIR analysis showed that environmental degradation was smaller in countries with protected areas, as compared to those without. The population´s knowledge about environmental degradation and their acceptance of conservation units, as showed by Environmental Perception Analysis, coupled with the results of PEIR, suggest that those attitudes may foster actions aimed at reduction of environmental degradation in the Caatinga domain

Gestão e gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos: diretrizes jurídico-ambientais para a sustentabilidade

rates in the Brazilian cities, which time there is an inexistent theoretical reflection about public policy statement adding the way of Urban Solid Waste (USW) and tailing integrated management plans in the majorly Brazilian cities. The unappropriated solid waste disposal and final pollution result in a strong socioenvironmental problems and material extravagancies that should be used to recycling and reusing waste material, besides bringing immense challenges for the thematic Strategy Urban and Environmental Management it considers the Sustainable City Model. Moreover, this labor projects a discussion about USW problematic through legally and environmentally point of view, including the public environmental policy and the social technologies as resolution tactics. At that time, it reports rights, scientific articles, documents and Environmental Law Doctrine on findings thematic studies, also the propose displays an interdisciplinary research methodology which combines bibliographic method - focusing theory aspects of the legally environmentally guiding principle, public policy and social technologies. Those are theorist features very important to create a Municipal Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (PMGIRS) - modus operandi of the Federal Law n. 12.305/2010 (National Solid Waste Policy - PNRS). That policy is interesting to receive financial resources from federal government (Cities Ministry; idem, Federal Decree n. 7.404/2010 and Federal Law n. 10.257/2001) helping the preservation of the environment, regional development, generation of jobs and income (art. 6º), in addition broadening spreading’s private companies dedicated to waste management. Consequently, the PNRS contains a set of guidelines and general procedures; it should be an operation of this legal policy contextualized by Social Technologies theory (TS) into social issues, legal, economic and environmental aspects. Therefore, this research notes the possibility of public policy statement implementation over and done with the PNRS by the terms of development and sustainability in the urban space.