Sustainable car life cycle design, taking inspiration from natural systems and thermodynamics

This paper exposes the search for a tool and method, which from a systems approach, adopts the rules and logic that govern our physical context (biosphere) in order to provide guidelines that the car industry could use to achieve an ideal state for ecological, economical and social sustainability

Creative destruction or mere niche creation? Innovation policy mixes for sustainability transitions

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in policy mixes in innovation studies. While it has long been acknowledged that the stimulation of innovation and technological change involves different types of policy instruments, how such instruments form policy mixes has only recently become of interest. We argue that an area in which policy mixes are particularly important is the field of sustainability transitions. Transitions imply not only the development of disruptive innovations but also of policies aiming for wider change in socio-technical systems. We propose that ideally policy mixes for transitions include elements of ‘creative destruction’, involving both policies aiming for the ‘creation’ of new and for ‘destabilising’ the old. We develop a novel analytical framework including the two policy mix dimensions (‘creation’ and ‘destruction’) by broadening the technological innovation system functions approach, and specifically by expanding the concept of ‘motors of innovation’ to ‘motors of creative destruction’. We test this framework by analysing ‘low energy’ policy mixes in Finland and the UK. We find that both countries have diverse policy mixes to support energy efficiency and reduce energy demand with instruments to cover all functions on the creation side. Despite the demonstrated need for such policies, unsurprisingly, destabilising functions are addressed by fewer policies, but there are empirical examples of such policies in both countries. The concept of ‘motors of creative destruction’ is introduced to expand innovation and technology policy debates to go beyond policy mixes consisting of technology push and demand pull instruments, and to consider a wider range of policy instruments combined in a suitable mix which may contribute to sustainability transitions

The enterprise’ performance in the knowledge based society

As in the traditional enterprise, the performance of the enterprises in the knowledge based society is expressed through the same well-known financial indicators: return on equity, the profit margin, return on assets, gross margin, asset turnover, inventory turnover, the collection period, days’ sales in cash, payable period, fixed-asset turnover, balance sheet rations, coverage rations, market value leverage rations, liquidity ratios, return on invested capital and many others. But, the differences that appear are in the way of acquiring at this performance in the enterprises. The actual knowledge based society is promoting the methods and models of the rational management that will lead to performance acquiring by the enterprises. Although as a first step, the reference to financial character as income statement, balance sheet, schedules to a balance sheet started to include references to the brain capital that is considered the success key in the businesses. In this paper I intend to present the effects on enterprise’ financial performance of the main components of the brain capital: the human capital characterised through the employees’ competences and skills; organizational capital that defines the internal structures of the enterprises, inclusively the informatics structure and social capital, related to the enterprise relations with thirds (investors, banks, customers, suppliers etc.). The brain capital mustn’t be looked as a present vogue but as a necessity of its consideration and evaluation thus to the old economic-financial rules used in decision making to be added and the knowledge/information decision.enterprise’ performance, knowledge based society, ICTs, brain capital, social capital

The Enterprise’ Performance in the Knowledge Based Society

As in the traditional enterprise, the performance of the enterprises in the knowledge based society is expressed through the same well-known financial indicators: return on equity, the profit margin, return on assets, gross margin, asset turnover, inventory turnover, the collection period, days’ sales in cash, payable period, fixed-asset turnover, balance sheet rations, coverage rations, market value leverage rations, liquidity ratios, return on invested capital and many others. But, the differences that appear are in the way of acquiring at this performance in the enterprises. The actual knowledge based society is promoting the methods and models of the rational management that will lead to performance acquiring by the enterprises. Although as a first step, the reference to financial character as income statement, balance sheet, schedules to a balance sheet started to include references to the brain capital that is considered the success key in the businesses. In this paper I intend to present the effects on enterprise’ financial performance of the main components of the brain capital: the human capital characterised through the employees’ competences and skills; organizational capital that defines the internal structures of the enterprises, inclusively the informatics structure and social capital, related to the enterprise relations with thirds (investors, banks, customers, suppliers etc.). The brain capital mustn’t be looked as a present vogue but as a necessity of its consideration and evaluation thus to the old economic-financial rules used in decision making to be added and the knowledge/information decision.enterprise’ performance, knowledge based society, ICTs, brain capital, social capital

Understanding digital eco-innovation in municipalities: An institutional perspective

Municipalities consume over 67% of global energy and are responsible for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that rapid adjustments need to happen at a global level, or the effects of climate change will be irreversible. The contribution of municipalities is therefore vital if GHG emissions are to be reduced. Our research is timely in its exploration of the ways in which municipalities institutionalise environmental sustainability practices in and through Green digital artefacts. Using mechanism-based institutional theory as a lens, the paper presents the findings of three contrasting case studies of large municipalities in the United Kingdom in their respective programmes to leverage the direct, enabling and systemic effects of Green ICT in order to reduce GHG emission and achieve their eco-sustainability goals. The case sites are also regarded as exemplars for further research and practice on digital eco-innovation. The mechanism-based explanations illustrate how a social web of conditions and factors influence eco-sustainability outcomes. We conclude that the digital technology-enabled grassroots-based initiatives offer the best hope to begin the transition to sustainable climate change within municipalities. The contributions of our study are therefore both theoretical and practical

Energy transitions, sub-national government and regime flexibility : how has devolution in the United Kingdom affected renewable energy development?

We acknowledge the support of the Economic and Social Research Council for funding the research on which this paper was based (Grant Number RES-062-23-2526).Peer reviewedPostprin

Increasing territorial capitalization by incorporation of small enterprises into clusters

Modernization of the Russian national economy depends on small businesses and their involvement in capitalization of the territorial potential. This article discusses methods, models, and mechanisms of territorial capitalization based on incorporation of small business enterprises into clusters along with medium- and large businesses. We propose an optimization model for assessing the efficiency of such clusters: our research has shown that this model can be applied for decision-making in regional strategic planning. Methodologically, this study relies on the theories of industrial development and economic growth, the industrial cluster theory, and the works of Russian and international researchers on mechanisms of management of territorial potential, their establishment and implementation. Capitalization of the region's resource potential manifests itself in the form of static and dynamic effects. We developed models of interaction between small and other businesses and structures within a cluster oriented towards territorial capitalization. We demonstrated that incorporation of a university into a cluster structure increases the innovative capacity of all cluster members. This research may be further expanded to study the mechanisms of involving small businesses operating in peripheral areas into clusters

Tangled Nature: A model of emergent structure and temporal mode among co-evolving agents

Understanding systems level behaviour of many interacting agents is challenging in various ways, here we'll focus on the how the interaction between components can lead to hierarchical structures with different types of dynamics, or causations, at different levels. We use the Tangled Nature model to discuss the co-evolutionary aspects connecting the microscopic level of the individual to the macroscopic systems level. At the microscopic level the individual agent may undergo evolutionary changes due to mutations of strategies. The micro-dynamics always run at a constant rate. Nevertheless, the system's level dynamics exhibit a completely different type of intermittent abrupt dynamics where major upheavals keep throwing the system between meta-stable configurations. These dramatic transitions are described by a log-Poisson time statistics. The long time effect is a collectively adapted of the ecological network. We discuss the ecological and macroevolutionary consequences of the adaptive dynamics and briefly describe work using the Tangled Nature framework to analyse problems in economics, sociology, innovation and sustainabilityComment: Invited contribution to Focus on Complexity in European Journal of Physics. 25 page, 1 figur

Nature as paradigm for sustainability in the textile and apparel industry

Imagine if clothing of the future would adapt, grow, self repair and change appearance. The relationship between wearer and garment would be that of symbiosis enabled by developments in material science that produce textiles able to imitate functionalities of living organisms rather than just the properties of natural fibres. We can expect clothing of the future to host an array of new properties that may interact or integrate with the body, self maintain, reproduce and self assemble to accommodate changes in our activity and environment. Materials and structures in nature already demonstrate these functions and can indicate ways of transferring the technology into clothing. Biomimetics can operate as a platform to accommodate these future requirements and provide a new perspective in the design and assembly of clothing systems

What is protective space? Reconsidering niches in transitions to sustainability

The transitions literature emphasises the role of niches, defined as a protective space for path-breaking innovations. Surprisingly, the concept of protection has not been systematically interrogated. Our analysis identifies protection as having three functions in wider transition processes: shielding, nurturing and empowerment. Empowerment, understood as processes and mechanisms that contribute to changes in mainstream selection environments in ways favourable to the path-breaking innovation, is considered the least developed in current niche development literature. We argue that these properties need to be understood from an agency perspective, with attention for the politics involved in their realisation. The paper ends with an outlook upon two promising research avenues: 1) the reconstruction of niche development pathways in light of the present framework; 2) analyses of the diverse (political) narratives seeking to empower niches across time and space.transitions, sustainability, niches