From barriers to enablers: The role of organizational learning in transitioning SMEs into the Circular economy

To contribute to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sustainable transition into the circular economy, the study proposes the activation of organizational learning (OL) processes – denoted here as multi-level knowledge creation, transfer, and retention processes – as a key phase in introducing circular business models (CBMs) at SME and supply chain (SC) level. The research employs a mixed-method approach, using the focus group methodology to identify contextual elements impacting on CBM-related OL processes, and a survey-based evaluation to single out the most frequently used OL processes inside Italian construction SMEs. As main result, a CBM-oriented OL multilevel model offers a fine-grained understanding of contextual elements acting mutually as barriers and drivers for OL processes, as possible OL dynamics among them. The multi-level culture construct – composed of external stakeholders’, SC stakeholders’, and organizational culture – identify the key element to activate CBM-oriented OL processes. Main implications are related to the identification of cultural, structural, regulatory, and process contextual elements across the external, SC, and organizational levels, and their interrelation with applicable intraorganizational and interorganizational learning processes. The proposed model would contribute to an improved implementation of transitioning into the circular economy utilizing sustainable business models in the construction SMEs

From Barriers to Enablers: The Role of Organizational Learning in Transitioning SMEs into the Circular Economy

To contribute to small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) sustainable transition into the circular economy, the study proposes the activation of organizational learning (OL) processes—denoted here as multi-level knowledge creation, transfer, and retention processes—as a key phase in introducing circular business models (CBMs) at SME and supply chain (SC) level. The research employs a mixed-method approach, using the focus group methodology to identify contextual elements impacting on CBM-related OL processes, and a survey-based evaluation to single out the most frequently used OL processes inside Italian construction SMEs. As a main result, a CBM-oriented OL multi-level model offers a fine-grained understanding of contextual elements acting mutually as barriers and drivers for OL processes, as possible OL dynamics among them. The multilevel culture construct—composed of external stakeholders’, SC stakeholders’, and organizational culture—identify the key element to activate CBM-oriented OL processes. Main implications are related to the identification of cultural, structural, regulatory, and process contextual elements across the external, SC, and organizational levels, and their interrelation with applicable intraorganizational and interorganizational learning processes. The proposed model would contribute to an improved implementation of transitioning into the circular economy utilizing sustainable business models in the construction SMEs

IT Innovation within the Esprit and IST Programs. Some Evidence from the UK

The European Strategic Program for Research in Information Technologies (Esprit) was created back in 1983 as a defensive response to the US and Japanese lead in Information Technologies (IT). Esprit was driven by the belief that intra-EU collaboration is an effective means to enhance the competitiveness of the European IT industry. Esprit has undergone a number of changes to facilitate collaboration and innovation. Yet, only after eighteen years of Esprit did the European Commission appreciate the need to encourage worldwide co-operation within its Fifth Framework Information Society Technologies (IST) Program. In the emerging information society and economy it is conceded that new ideas are as likely to be found outside Europe as within. This paper aims to investigate the personal networks of UK main contractors in Esprit and IST programs with regard to national boundaries and external linkages. It argues that the world of IT innovation is borderless and that Commission policies to impose boundaries to collaboration are unlikely to contribute to successful innovation in the IT industry throughout Europe.Mapping IT innovation networks; EU R&D programs; ESPRIT; IST; UK

Competing business models in the french biotech industry

Public authorities have recently supported development of the biotechnology sector by encouraging start-ups and creating favourable environments such as incubators, a specialised stock exchange or technopoles. The different programmes to encourage biotech development (subsidies for research performed jointly by firms and academic labs, subsidies for start-ups, creation of incubators) seem to be successful if the results are estimated in terms of the number of new firms (around 300 SMEs still in existence, since 1990). On 1 January 1999 France had just over 400 biotechnology SMEs employing a total of 15,000 people, with an estimated turnover of 2 billion euros. Average size in terms of number of employees per firm is about 40, compared to about 140 in the USA. All in all, biotechnology remains a small emergent sector compared to others such as agri-food (over 4,200 French firms with 372,300 employees and a turnover of 100 billion euros) or pharmaceuticals (94,500 employees in 271 firms and a turnover of 28,5 billion euros). The creation of start-ups during the past ten years raises questions on the future of these new biotech firms (DBFs) in France and in Europe. Will consolidation occur in Europe and, if so, when? Will maturity of the biotech sector be accompanied by the progressive disappearance of many of these firms and the growth of a few of them? Will the sector be structured along the same lines as the automobile industry, with large firms with a high capacity for integration of research performed elsewhere and a large number of specialised firms? What will the future be of the hundreds of small firms which focus on the local or regional market, especially service oriented firms? To answer these questions, this paper presents three business models of biotech firms. By referring to the governance modes of each business model of biotech SMEs, it provides us with a better understanding of the logic of development of biotechnology SMEs in France. The first part presents the linkages between business models and governance modes. The second part, based on a survey on half of the 400 dedicated biotech firms (DBFs) in France, presents an overview of these firms and their development. The third part presents an attempt to map out the development trajectories of SMEs and the respective leading forces in each type of firm. Concluding remarks present three possible scenarios of the evolution of the sector.

Thought for Food: the impact of ICT on agribusiness

This report outlines the impact of ICT on the food economy. On the basis of a literature review from four disciplines - knowledge management, management information systems, operations research and logistics, and economics - the demand for new ICT applications, the supply of new applications and the match between demand and supply are identified. Subsequently the impact of new ICT applications on the food economy is discussed. The report relates the development of new technologies to innovation and adoption processes and economic growth, and to concepts of open innovations and living lab

The Influence of Supplier Involvement on Communication, Relationship Longevity and Business Performance in Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises in South Africa

Most firms are increasingly realizing the benefits of involving the outside suppliers by considering their manufacturing processes and technological capabilities, especially regarding quality, time to market, configuration, control and cost. Nevertheless, in the context of small to medium enterprises (SMEs), scant attention has been given to the empirical investigation into the influence of supplier involvement on business performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of supplier involvement on business performance and the mediating role of communication and relationship longevity among SMEs in South Africa. Five hypotheses were posited and sample data of 302 were collected from Gauteng Province of South Africa, to empirically test these hypotheses. The results of this study showed that, supplier involvement has influence on communication, relationship longevity and business performance in SMEs context in South Africa. The managerial implications of the findings are discussed and limitations and future research directions are indicated

Encourage risk and optimise the competitiveness of the Norwegian petroleum industry through a government digitalisation platform

Master's thesis in Industrial economics.Digital transformation is changing society as we know it. Business models for companies delivering consumer products has been changing for years, and we are seeing an increasing focus to do the same in traditional industries. National strategies for digital transformation were explored and the platforms established by the governments were investigated. The strategies originated from large economies like the USA, China, Germany, Japan and Sweden, involving broad spectre of different economies. The national strategies were found to build on the strengths of the traditional industry, with a focus on supporting and strengthening the small and medium enterprises in the countries. There was also found to be a strong focus on international cooperation, even between nations that may be considered competitors within the same industries. After exploring these national strategies and platforms, it is concluded that Norway should make an effort to mirror the initiatives taken by these countries. There should be a focus on a national platform to both facilitate for national cooperation and support to SMEs, while also being a gathering point to unite a Norwegian industry for international cooperation. As the petroleum industry is one of the most important industries in Norway, efforts should be made to strengthen the competitiveness of this with regards to digital transformation

A conceptual model for SMEs mechatronics supply chain.

17International audienceNowadays, in order to meet the demands of the global dynamic market and eliminate its disturbances, the supply chain and its integration across different organizations has become a competitive business advantage along the production processes. In particular, the mechatronic industry is very sensitive to these requirements. Our research deals with modelling the supply chain in order to manage and implement a simulation platform. Basically, we develop a modelling solution for an industrial environment composed of mechatronic Small and Medium Enterprises located in Savoie (France). The study is based on elements from real applications and the SMEs network organization. An analysis of the domain helped us to develop concepts and a modelling approach adapted to these companies. In this work, we present the area studied, the methodology used to construct the conceptual model of the supply chain, its structure and management rules. Then, we present the model obtained. Finally, we apply this conceptual model to a case study

Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Materials Science and Engineering in Europe

Advanced Materials is one of the Key Enabling 3 Technologies identified by the European Commission1. Together with Advanced Manufacturing it underpins almost all other Key Enabling and Industrial Technologies. The basic science and engineering research that results in the development of Advanced Materials lies within the field of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). The transfer of knowledge from basic research into final products and applications in the field of MSE involves certain MSE-typical motifs and specific issues, as well as certain aspects that are special to Europe. In comparison with underlying traditional (or basic) disciplines such as physics, chemistry or biology, MSE involves a range of aspects that are more characteristic of applied science, where relevance has equal importance to curiosity in order to drive the research effort and justify expenditure – the defined goals often being a proven innovative technology or indeed a particular product. MSE and the related transfer of knowledge and technology includes consideration of factors such as materials and product life cycles, the abundance of materials, the technical, ecological and economic feasibility of materials engineering and processing, as well as the multidisciplinarity of the ‘background’ knowledge and the efficiency of the academic effort involved. This is even more the case for situations that involve successful validation of technologies and effective transfer of knowledge between academia and industry. The state of knowledge and technology transfer in Europe differs from that of other global players, such as the US, China or Japan. Europe’s cultural diversity gives rise to both positive and negative factors. Positive aspects include the high standard of general education and Europe’s highly skilled work force (for both technical and academic staff), and the flexibility and variety of research topics and directions. Major negative factors are the fragmentation of national research efforts, and the lack of a European mechanism to create critical mass in new technologies and to invest in pilot lines. These negative issues are manifested by the fragmentation of research programmes, the lack of venture capital and a general risk aversion on the part of investors in Europe, in particular in the light of the current economic crisis in Europe. The present situation has often been described as a malfunctioning interface between strong basic research and poor, inefficient technological development and commercial exploitation of knowledge. MSE spans this interface. ‘European’ knowledge is world-class, and even leads the world in certain fundamental areas of MSE, for example in the investigation and understanding of materials properties, the development and application of new concepts of materials design, computational materials sciences, and several other fields. However, Europe’s MSE knowledge and technological progress will not readily lead to the establishment of new technologies and products by European industries without dedicated intervention. This knowledge must be delicately directed in a highly impact-oriented way. To accelerate development and validation of technological applications and the introduction of technological innovation into the market, to intensify the collaboration between academic institutions and industry in Europe, and to facilitate the creation of spin-out companies and new industrial–academic career paths, MatSEEC recommends the creation of European Technology Research and Validation Platforms (ETVPs). Such platforms would provide powerful tools for innovation and allow better protection of intellectual property rights in Europe. We recommend the creation of an ‘Open-Access-Open-Innovation’ European Technology Research and Validation Infrastructure Initiative to streamline and improve technology and knowledge transfer in Europe. The initiative would be dedicated to technology research and validation. It could be based on a similar model to the current Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives (I3s) for research infrastructures of the European Commission (the I3 Programme in H2020 and the Seventh Framework Programme,FP7)

Success factors in collaborative relationships (alliancing and partnering) in the UK upstream oil and gas industry, and perception of trust.

This thesis concerns the characteristics of the collaborative relationships (partnering and alliances) between oil companies and their contractors which were popular in the UK oil and gas industry in the 1990s. It also considers the nature and role of trust in such relationships. Over the last fifteen years companies in the UK oil and gas industry have been collaborating to enhance the sustainability of the industry. They have perceived some of the collaborative relationships to have been highly successful whereas others have been considered as failures. However, there is little firm evidence on what factors relate to success and failure or how success and failure have been defined. The thesis discusses the special features of the collaborative relationships in the industry and the difficulty of developing a precise definition for them or for their success. It is also recognised that some factors can be seen as critical to success but that their presence may also be seen as an indicator of success, and this potential circularity is discussed within the thesis. The first phase of the research was undertaken in September 1999 to find out the distinguishing features of alliancing and partnering and the factors that have been associated with their success and failure. Using a self-administered questionnaire, mostly qualitative free-text data were collected from a sample drawn randomly from three different sets of people associated with the industry. Information was extracted from the qualitative data through content analysis. The first phase indicated that, in general, performance level i. e. achievement of goals expressed in terms of cost saving, time, and safety level; sharing risks and rewards; and acquiring more business is the broadly used criterion for measuring success or failure of alliances in the industry. Presence of trust was found to be the most important factor for enabling success of an alliance and it was followed by shared and aligned goals, open behaviour, shared knowledge, clear role, commitment of members, co-operative behaviour and honesty. Factors which often cause failure are absence of shared, aligned and clear goals, absence of trusting attitude, absence of open communication, presence of un-addressed cultural differences, and absence of strong proactive leadership. The second phase of the study was undertaken because both the literature and the results of the first phase identified presence of trust as a very important success factor in collaborative relationships. Its aim was to understand peoples' perception of trust and its role in collaborative relationships with the following research questions: What do people mean when they speak or think about trust in the industry? , What are the effects of presence of trust in collaborative relationships' and What needs to be done to maintain trust in relationships? Data for the second phase was collected in July 2001 from five collaborative relationships, involving 21 companies from the upstream oil and gas industry, through a questionnaire survey and appropriate statistical methods were used to analyse the data. The findings suggest that people give high priority to the following types of trust; contractual trust, competence trust, process-based trust, strong form of trust and cognitive trust. The findings also suggest a method for dividing people into those with trusting attitudes and those with non-trusting attitudes. The second phase used factors identified in the first phase to attempt to measure perceived levels of trust and perceived levels of success in the relationships of the people surveyed. A strong positive link between the perceived level of trust in an alliance and its perceived success was identified from the data. The thesis includes a review of the research process used and reflects on lessons learned and improvements which could have been made. Areas for further research which build on the work in this thesis are suggested