Web-based platforms in support of industrial symbiosis Initiatives. A bibliometric review

The main purpose of this contribution is to depict most promising web-based solutions in terms of best configuration for symbiotic network. By examining 10 existing and functioning Wb-platforms of which only some have been previously explored in the previous literature, the paper aims at underling main contributions that platforms can provide to industrial symbiosis. Thanks to a mixed research method, the paper shows that the most promising way for enhancing Wb-platforms within industrial symbiosis framework is to consider multiple platforms for integrating the results obtained from the different platforms and for assessing multi-criteria procedures

Implementation Barriers of Industrial Symbiosis: A Systematic Review

Industrial Symbiosis is a regional inter-firm approach towards a more sustainable industry. However, the implementation of industrial symbiosis is hampered by a multitude and variety of barriers. Although, prior work has dealt with identifying barriers, an encompassing overview is missing to date. Therefore, this study provides a comprehensive overview and description of barriers of industrial symbiosis by reviewing the scientific literature. Barriers were identified and grouped through content analysis. In total, ca. 400 barriers for the implementation of industrial symbiosis were identified and categorized into three main categories and nine subcategories. The insights gained can be used to develop strategies and tools for further development and advancement of current industrial symbiosis practice to overcome existing barriers

Exploring the Emergence of Open Platforms in Healthcare: Design Considerations and Experiences from an Initial Case in Norwegian Primary Care

Despite significant efforts on improving interoperability of health information and lowering socio-technical cost of replacing clinical applications, healthcare organizations and professionals struggle with fragmented and non-interoperable Health Information Technologies. This paper describes the emergence of open platforms, which may alleviate challenges related to interoperability issues, weak integrations, siloed data repositories, and numerous legacy systems within healthcare. Using a proposed platform initiative in Norway, we explore the open platform phenomenon with a socio-technical lens, and highlights four key topics that have produced tension and merits consideration from the involved stakeholders: i) Procurement strategy and vendor neutrality, ii) Ability to facilitate flexible use, iii) The use of standards and separation of data and application, and iv) Strategies for development and governance of standards. We further discuss the related implications and design considerations necessary to support complex patient pathways and provide clinicians more flexible and effective systems

An assessment of European information technology tools to support industrial symbiosis

Industrial symbiosis (IS) has proven to bring collective benefits to multiple stakeholders by minimising underutilised resources, sharing knowledge and improving business and technical processes. In Europe alone, over €130 million have been invested since 2006 in research projects that enable IS by developing a methodology, tool, software, platform or network that facilitates the uptake of IS by different economic actors. This paper discusses and assesses information technology (IT) developments for supporting IS in Europe, following the five-stage methodology of Grant et al. (2010). It provides guidance to the applicants and reviewers of publicly funded research projects by listing the developments and gaps in the newly developed IT tools for IS. Content analysis of publicly available information on 20 IS supporting IT tools reveals a strong focus on synergy identification but a lack of support for the implementation stage of IS. The paper indicates that a vast quantity of IT tools and knowledge is created during the IT tool development stage and newer IT tools now also include implicit information for identifying IS. It was found that successfully operational IT tools are either part of a national or local IS programme or owned by a private company. The paper ends with the recommendation that better mechanisms are needed to ensure that publicly funded IS-supporting IT tools successfully reach the market

INFORMATION FLOWS IN CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRACTICES

Recently, other disciplines and scientific communities discuss the Circular Economy paradigm as a key vehicle to establish more sustainable production and consumption patterns by decoupling eco-nomic output and emissions. Conversations about information system solutions for sustainable pro-duction and consumption, however, remain notably absent in the Information Systems research community. We develop a taxonomy of information flows relevant for the successful application of Circular Economy practices. Drawing on conceptual and empirical data, we categorized nine Circu-lar Economy practices based on their underlying material flow networks and identified four classes of information flows that enable the proper functioning of these practices. Our work (a) provides a conceptual foundation for Circular Economy-related conversations within the Information Systems research community, (b) stimulates future solution-oriented Information Systems research for envi-ronmentally sustainable production and consumption, and (c) strengthens inter-disciplinary re-search

Information Flows in Circular Economy Practices

Recently, other disciplines and scientific communities discuss the Circular Economy paradigm as a key vehicle to establish more sustainable production and consumption patterns by decoupling economic output and emissions. Conversations about information system solutions for sustainable production and consumption, however, remain notably absent in the Information Systems research community. We develop a taxonomy of information flows relevant for the successful application of Circular Economy practices. Drawing on conceptual and empirical data, we categorized nine Circular Economy practices based on their underlying material flow net-works and identified four classes of information flows that enable the proper functioning of these practices. Our work (a) provides a conceptual foundation for Circular Economy-related conversations within the Information Systems research community, (b) stimulates future solution-oriented Information Systems research for environmentally sustainable production and consumption, and (c) strengthens inter-disciplinary research

Design and Evaluation of Domain-Specific Platforms and the Special Case of Digital Healthcare

The implementation of digital innovations in the healthcare sector is faced with different barriers and challenges. The complex system of regulations, the lack of interoperability, and highly dynamic interorganisational networks lead to missing widespread adoption of eHealth solutions. Digital platforms can help to overcome these barriers by providing a holistic infrastructure. They create a modularised foundation that innovators can use to create own innovations and provide them to demanders of digital solutions. As intermediaries, they can be accessed both by healthcare professionals and eHealth solution providers. Providers can offer their eHealth services via the platform. Healthcare professionals can use these services to create own interorganisational information systems. In the field of information systems research, effects and strategies for two-sided platforms are well researched and the potentials of eHealth platforms are also discussed. However, the organisational and technological design and methods for the construction of platforms are fewer questioned. Nonetheless, platform owners can benefit from implementation strategies and architectural guidance to create sustainable platforms and surrounding ecosystems. This doctoral thesis questions how domain-specific platforms can be designed systematically. Conducting a design-science research process, it develops both a modelling system and the Dresden Ecosystem Management Method (DREEM) to support the development of platforms in different domains. Furthermore, it describes the design characteristics of two-sided platforms in the healthcare sector and provides an evaluation approach to analyse the platforms’ ability to create a viable innovation ecosystem in the healthcare sector. The doctoral thesis contributes by providing methodical guidance for platform owners and researchers to design and evaluate digital platforms in different domains and improves the understanding of platform theory in the healthcare sector.:A. Synopsis of the Doctoral Thesis 1. Introduction 2. Foundational Considerations 3. Requirements for Design Artefacts and Knowledge 4. Structure of the Doctoral Thesis 5. Conclusion B. Paper 1 - Governance Guidelines for Digital Healthcare Ecosystems C. Paper 2 - Revise your eHealth Platform! D. Paper 3 - Business Model Open ”E-Health-Platform” E. Paper 4 - Modelling Ecosystems in Information Systems F. Paper 5 - Designing Industrial Symbiosis Platforms G. Paper 6 - Management of Digital Ecosystems with DREEM H. Paper 7 - Guiding the Development of Digital Ecosystems I. Paper 8 - Towards Maintenance Analytics Ecosystems J. Paper 9- Sustainability of E-Health-Projects K. Paper 10 - ISO 11354-2 for the Evaluation of eHealth-Platform

Sustainability transition of production systems in the digital era - a systems perspective for building resilient and sustainable production systems

Locked-in manufacturing industries with highly structured operations and path dependencies are major contributors to the sustainability challenges currently burdening our planet. The effects of the ongoing pandemic, large-scale environmental impacts due to climate change and constant economic and social downturns are just some examples of these sustainability challenges. Increased digitalisation, awareness, global initiatives and regulations are pressuring manufacturing industries to transition towards sustainable development. However, there exists a multitude of interpretations in implementing sustainability in manufacturing industries. This makes proposing tangible actions to translate global initiatives complicated, thus hindering the sustainability transition process.The purpose of this thesis is to support the advancement of resilient production systems which can overcome sustainability challenges in the Industry 4.0 era. Hence, the thesis aims to investigate: (i) the systemic challenges of manufacturing companies which hinder their sustainability transition process and (ii) the mechanisms by which a systems perspective may be applied to support the transition. A mixed-methods approach was used to carry out the research, using qualitative and quantitative data from three (empirical and theoretical) studies. Applying a systems perspective helped reveal the challenges which hinder the sustainability transition of production systems. Understanding the production ‘system’ as a whole (and the underlying web of intricate dependencies and challenges in production operations) required this holistic perspective. Regarding the challenges, it was observed that manufacturing industries across different domains face three main types of challenge: internal (such as organisational routines, strategies and cultural mindset), external (such as regulations and collaboration with stakeholders) and technological (such as maturity levels and data). Three different enabling mechanisms were explored which may help overcome the above sustainability challenges and support the sustainability transition of manufacturing industries: (1) Industry 4.0 technologies, (2) dynamic capabilities and (3) resilience engineering. It was observed that Industry 4.0 technologies (such as artificial intelligence/machine learning, virtual development tools and sensors) are largely implemented to enable sustainable manufacturing in the form of resource efficiency and waste reduction. The results also revealed five microfoundations of dynamic capabilities – communication, organisation, resources, collaboration and technology. Based on Industry 4.0 opportunities to promote sustainability transitions, the results revealed five industrial resilience factors – robustness, agility, resourcefulness, adaptability and flexibility.This research contributes to theory by studying the convergence of emergent research topics, such as Industry 4.0, dynamic capabilities and resilience engineering in the context of sustainability transitions. In terms of a practical contribution, the sustainability transitions model developed in this thesis may support industrial practitioners in gaining a holistic understanding of the systemic challenges to sustainability, plus corresponding mechanisms to promote the sustainability transition of industries and the building of resilient production systems

Designing Industrial Symbiosis Platforms – from Platform Ecosystems to Industrial Ecosystems

Industrial Symbiosis describes cooperations between industrial actors to create economic value from waste and to reduce its environmental impact. Although the advantages of such cooperations have been demonstrated in research and practice through many case studies it is not an established concept yet. The concept of Industrial Symbiosis is supported by the development of information and communication technologies, which increasingly take the form of online platforms, and help to mitigate information and social barriers. However, most tools are not comprehensively documented, not accessible for new participants, not operational or not used. Motivated by the potentials of platforms to provide support for the emergence of Industrial Symbiosis and the number of unsuccessful platforms, we analyze the relationships, roles and phases in Industrial Symbiosis against the background of the current platform ecosystems theory. Based on these findings, we give a design guidance for Industrial Symbiosis Platforms