Organising for power change: Transformative Business Models for the Energy Transition

The energy transition is a lot more than just part of the solution to the climate problem. It is an inevitable, yet inherently uncertain process with deep social implications. The transformation of our energy system involves a shift away from the unsustainable, centralised energy system dominated by the large-scale combustion of fossil fuels and can spur wider fundamental changes in society. Renewable energy initiatives, such as citizen-driven energy cooperatives, Energy Service Companies, peer-to-peer or crowdfunding platforms are mushrooming in Europe and beyond, and the same holds for commercial renewable energy developers. Such organisations bring to the fore a wide variety of novel business models in the energy sector. The question that emerges is whether renewable energy initiatives can transform the energy system as a whole. This thesis analyses and evaluates the impact of renewable energy initiatives on the energy transition drawing on insights from the (sustainability-oriented) business models- and sustainability transitions literature. The Transformative Business Models framework is introduced as a tool to analyse and reflect upon a renewable energy initiative’s contribution to the energy transition, but also as a device to navigate and strategize for increasing this contribution

Exploring the low income rental housing market in the platinum mining sector for inclusive business opportunities

The South African mining sector faces growing expectations from the academic, political, and regulatory spheres to play a greater role in facilitating development in communities affected by mining operations. The facilitation of affordable decent housing for lower-income employees is one of these expectations. In the South African platinum mining sector, the growth of informal settlements around mining operations presents various socio-economic challenges in need of innovative solutions. To date, mining companies have implemented various initiatives to improve housing and living conditions for lower-income mine employees. Yet these initiatives have not resulted in major improvements, arguably due to the complex nature of the housing market around mining operations. This complex housing market demands a greater understanding and consideration of inclusive business models such as the adaptation of collaborative consumption business models. In addition, scholarly literature on community development and corporate social responsibility has not given enough attention to the complex housing market in the platinum mining sector. I thus ask, what characterises the supply and demand of rental housing in the platinum mining sector, and how do suppliers and customers currently connect? I conducted 18 interviews with rental housing providers, migrant mine workers, and company group housing managers. Archival information in the form of company documents supplemented the interviews. Based on a case study of Anglo American Platinum's Amandelbult mining operation, I find that the low-income rental housing market is characterised by a critical shortage of rental housing stock, and suppliers and customers generally connect through informal peer to peer networks. This characteristic of the rental housing market shows that mining companies initiatives are constrained due to a limited understanding of complexities in this market, and it suggests an innovative financing approach to building rental housing stock as a more immediate opportunity than adapting a collaborative consumption based business model

Becoming a Platform in Europe

Emerging out of the collaborative work conducted within the Working Group “Mechanisms to activate and support the collaborative economy” of the COST Action “From Sharing to Caring: Examining Socio-Technical Aspects of the Collaborative Economy”, the book questions the varied set of organizational forms collected under the label of “collaborative” or “sharing” economy —ranging from grassroots peer-to-peer solidarity initiatives to corporate owned platforms— from the perspective of what is known as the European social values: respect for human dignity and human rights (including those of minorities), freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law. Therefore, the edited collection focuses on the governance of such economic activities, and how they organize labour, cooperation and social life. From individual motivations to participating, to platform use by local groups, until platform design in its political as well as technological dimensions, the book provides a comparative overview and critical discussion on the processes, narratives and organizational models at play in the collaborative economy. On such a basis, the volume offers tools, suggestions and visions for the future that may inform the designing of policies, technologies, and business models in Europe

Becoming a Platform in Europe

Emerging out of the collaborative work conducted within the Working Group “Mechanisms to activate and support the collaborative economy” of the COST Action “From Sharing to Caring: Examining Socio-Technical Aspects of the Collaborative Economy”, the book questions the varied set of organizational forms collected under the label of “collaborative” or “sharing” economy —ranging from grassroots peer-to-peer solidarity initiatives to corporate owned platforms— from the perspective of what is known as the European social values: respect for human dignity and human rights (including those of minorities), freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law. Therefore, the edited collection focuses on the governance of such economic activities, and how they organize labour, cooperation and social life. From individual motivations to participating, to platform use by local groups, until platform design in its political as well as technological dimensions, the book provides a comparative overview and critical discussion on the processes, narratives and organizational models at play in the collaborative economy. On such a basis, the volume offers tools, suggestions and visions for the future that may inform the designing of policies, technologies, and business models in Europe

Blockchain based Decentralized Applications: Technology Review and Development Guidelines

Blockchain or Distributed Ledger Technology is a disruptive technology that provides the infrastructure for developing decentralized applications enabling the implementation of novel business models even in traditionally centralized domains. In the last years it has drawn high interest from the academic community, technology developers and startups thus lots of solutions have been developed to address blockchain technology limitations and the requirements of applications software engineering. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of DLT solutions analyzing the addressed challenges, provided solutions and their usage for developing decentralized applications. Our study reviews over 100 blockchain papers and startup initiatives from which we construct a 3-tier based architecture for decentralized applications and we use it to systematically classify the technology solutions. Protocol and Network Tier solutions address the digital assets registration, transactions, data structure, and privacy and business rules implementation and the creation of peer-to-peer networks, ledger replication, and consensus-based state validation. Scaling Tier solutions address the scalability problems in terms of storage size, transaction throughput, and computational capability. Finally, Federated Tier aggregates integrative solutions across multiple blockchain applications deployments. The paper closes with a discussion on challenges and opportunities for developing decentralized applications by providing a multi-step guideline for decentralizing the design of traditional systems and implementing decentralized applications.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures, 9 tables, 121 reference

Sharing economy vs sharing cultures? Designing for social, economic and environmental good

This paper explores the story behind a crowdfunding service as an example of sharing technology. Research in a small neighborhood of London showed how locally-developed initiatives can differ in tone, scale, ambition and practice to those getting attention in the so-called sharing economy. In local accounts, we see an emphasis on organizing together to create shared spaces for collaborative use of resources and joint ownership of projects and places. Whereas, many global business models feature significant elements of renting, leasing and hiring and focus only on resource management, sometimes at the expense of community growth. The service we discuss is based in the area we studied and has a collective model of sharing, but hopes to be part of the new global movement. We use this hybridity to problematize issues of culture, place and scalability in developing sharing resources and addressing sustainability concerns. We relate this to the motivation, rhetoric and design choices of other local sharing enterprises and other global sharing economy initiatives, arguing, in conclusion, that there is no sharing economy, but a variety of new cultures being fostered

Integrated sustainability management for organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the Viable System Model (VSM) as an effective model to base the analysis of organizational sustainability (long-term viability). It is specifically proposed as a model to integrate the various sustainability tools, and as the basis for designing a unified Sustainability Management System. Design/methodology/approach – The VSM is used as an organizational model to examine three prominent sustainability standards: ISO 26000, ISO 14001 and ISO 14044. A generic manufacturing company is used as a template; and its typical business processes are related to each of the VSM’s components. Each clause of the three sustainability standards is then mapped on to the VSM model. These three models are integrated into one, by analysing the differences, similarities and complementarities in the context of each VSM component, and by identifying common invariant functions. Findings – In all, 12 generic sustainability functions are identified. ISO 26000 has the widest scope; ISO 14001 is focused primarily on internal measurement and control (System 3), while ISO 14044 is a complex performance indicator at the System 3 level. There is a general absence of System 2. Each standard can be regarded as a distinct management layer, which needs to be integrated with the Business Management layer. Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed to explore the specifics of integration. Practical implications – This integration should not be based on creating distinct roles for each management layer. Originality/value – The paper uses the insights of organizational cybernetics to examine prominent sustainability standards and advance sustainability management at the business level

Women on boards and greenhouse gas emission disclosures

We apply institutional and board capital theory to examine whether women on boards are associated with disclosure and quality of <i>corporate greenhouse gas</i> (GHG) emissions related reporting. We examine the research problem in Australia in a period when no requirements existed for listed companies to appoint female directors or to report GHG emissions. This environment allows us to examine the association between women on boards and GHG emissions related disclosure in annual and sustainability reports in a voluntary setting. We find that companies with multiple female directors make GHG emissions related disclosures that are of higher quality

A Framework for Integrating Transportation Into Smart Cities

In recent years, economic, environmental, and political forces have quickly given rise to “Smart Cities” -- an array of strategies that can transform transportation in cities. Using a multi-method approach to research and develop a framework for smart cities, this study provides a framework that can be employed to: Understand what a smart city is and how to replicate smart city successes; The role of pilot projects, metrics, and evaluations to test, implement, and replicate strategies; and Understand the role of shared micromobility, big data, and other key issues impacting communities. This research provides recommendations for policy and professional practice as it relates to integrating transportation into smart cities