From Linear to Circular Economy: a Transaction Cost Approach to the Ecological Transformation of the Firm

Ownership and control have been the strategic focus of organizational analyses to achieve performance. The emergence of sustainable strategies has, however, confronted conventional organizational theory because performance has become a complex concept containing both social elements and environmental dimensions together with conventional economic aspects. Increased climate change, temperature risk, and environmental hazards, as well as intertwined social consequences, create a need for new theoretical insights to understand the emerging circular organization of product lifecycle networks. The ongoing climate crisis calls for new institutional approach that challenges future organizational structures. We present a framework for integrating low-carbon ecological transformation from linear to sustainable circular inter-organizational networks. The global and circular economy increases performance ambiguity, the uncertainty of eco-opportunism, information asymmetry, and transaction costs. Consequently, sustainability makes it necessary to integrate and control organizations throughout the supply chain to avoid eco-opportunism and to economize transaction costs.Open access funding provided by Kristiania University College.publishedVersio

The Geopolitical Risk and Strategic Uncertainty of Green Growth after the Ukraine Invasion: How the Circular Economy Can Decrease the Market Power of and Resource Dependency on Critical Minerals

Following the invasion of Ukraine, there is a call to replace Russian gas and oil with green electric energy. A prime sector subject to electrification is the transportation sector. Consequently, access to the critical minerals for electrification has become an important strategic issue in the electric vehicle industry. Our analysis indicates that the markets for scarce and critical minerals, like cobalt, graphite, lithium, and rare earth elements, are in a highly concentrated number of countries. China, a strategic partner of Russia, has a dominant power position in both graphite and rare earth elements and is a dominant player in the processing of copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements. Furthermore, at least 70% of cobalt, graphite, and rare earth element resources are in corrupt or very corrupt states. Transportation sector electrification might therefore increase Europe’s and the USA’s resource dependency on totalitarian, corrupt, and unstable countries. The surging resource dependency on China, Russia’s most important strategic partner, intensifies the geopolitical risk to the green transition. We suggest strategies like vertical control of supply chains, specific technology and infrastructure investments, innovation of other green energy sources, and exploration of critical minerals in other countries. Substitution and closed-loop technology also reduce resource dependency and geopolitical risk. However, closed-loop recycling cannot compensate for the short-run growth in the electric vehicle markets. Thus, the circular economy will reduce but not eliminate geopolitical risk. Countries, supply chains, and companies should examine the geopolitical risk and strategic uncertainty associated with different green energy sources and technology.Open access funding was provided by Kristiania University College.publishedVersio

Sustainable development and greenwashing: How blockchain technology information can empower green consumers

The unethical behavior of greenwashing threatens the growth of sustainable products and markets. Greenwashing degrades essential efforts to reduce climate change and pollution and to promote social justice. False marketing communication that claims products are sustainable hurts the value of green products and weakens customer capability to prefer sustainable to nonsustainable products. Greenwashing also eliminates trust in “green” products. Markets infected by fake “green” products ultimately fail to provide the necessary sustainable transformation. Our study demonstrates that consumer access to reliable transparent, traceable, and tamperproof product information counteracts perceived greenwashing among consumers of ecological foods. Furthermore, our data indicate that blockchain information significantly more than certification systems safeguard consumers against the threat of greenwashing. Information validating authenticity promotes the development of sustainable products, protects intellectual property rights for suppliers of green products, and safeguards the supply of green products to consumers. Consumers need key information that ensures the provenance of green products. Conventional wisdom endorses certifications to constrain greenwashing. However, we find that blockchain information dimensions protect brands against perceived greenwashing more robustly than certification systems.publishedVersio

Sustainable development and greenwashing: How blockchain technology information can empower green consumers

The unethical behavior of greenwashing threatens the growth of sustainable products and markets. Greenwashing degrades essential efforts to reduce climate change and pollution and to promote social justice. False marketing communication that claims products are sustainable hurts the value of green products and weakens customer capability to prefer sustainable to nonsustainable products. Greenwashing also eliminates trust in “green” products. Markets infected by fake “green” products ultimately fail to provide the necessary sustainable transformation. Our study demonstrates that consumer access to reliable transparent, traceable, and tamperproof product information counteracts perceived greenwashing among consumers of ecological foods. Furthermore, our data indicate that blockchain information significantly more than certification systems safeguard consumers against the threat of greenwashing. Information validating authenticity promotes the development of sustainable products, protects intellectual property rights for suppliers of green products, and safeguards the supply of green products to consumers. Consumers need key information that ensures the provenance of green products. Conventional wisdom endorses certifications to constrain greenwashing. However, we find that blockchain information dimensions protect brands against perceived greenwashing more robustly than certification systems

Ledelse, lønnsomhet og etikk gjennom eksemplets makt

Bedriftseiere forventer at bedriftsledere leverer en solid bunnlinje og god avkastning. I tillegg forventer interessentgrupper utenfor virksomhetene at resultatene fremkommer på en etisk forsvarlig måte. Ledere har ulike virkemidler til rådighet for å drive virksomhetene effektivt, men noen av disse virkemidlene kan samtidig virke negativt inn på bedriftenes etiske verdigrunnlag. Ledere er nødt til å ta virksomhetenes etiske verdier på alvor, for hvis de ikke gjør det, kan virksomhetene lide betydelige tap fra redusert servicekvalitet som følge av uetisk atferd. Resultatene fra studien vår viser at etikk i organisasjonssammenheng ikke er en gitt, stabil variabel, men noe ledelsen kan påvirke. Makt er et sterkt virkemiddel for å påvirke, kontrollere og utvikle effektiviteten til en virksomhet. Samtidig påvirker bruk av makt virksomhetens etiske verdier. Til tross for gode intensjoner om effektiv koordinering av virksomheten har tvangsmakt ofte en negativ effekt på virksomhetens etiske verdier. Derfor bør ledelsen unngå å bruke tvangsmakt overfor medarbeiderne sine. Studien vår viser på den annen side at gode eksempler påvirker de ansatte mer enn noe annet. Resultatene fra studien tyder på at eksemplets makt (eller referansemakt, som er det teoretiske begrepet), er det viktigste lederverktøyet når det gjelder å fremme etiske verdier og samhold i virksomheten. Det betyr at virksomhetens ledere selv må gå i spissen som gode rollemodeller for organisasjonen. På den måten fremmer de virksomhetens etiske verdier og tilfredsstiller samtidig kundenes forventninger til servicekvalitet. Denne studien viser at eksemplets makt er mye viktigere enn andre former for påvirkning fra ledelsen i et selskap

Smarte kontrakter kan hindre grønnvasking

acceptedVersio

Økologiske fødevarer og menneskets sundhed

Økologiske fødevarer er genstand for stigende forbrugerinteresse og politisk opmærksomhed i hele den vestlige verden i disse år. Det er i den forbindelse blevet et stadig væsentligere tema hvorvidt økologiske fødevarer kan anses for at have særlige sundhedsfremmende og sygdomsforebyggende egenskaber. På anbefaling af Det Økologiske Fødevareråd bevilgede Strukturdirektoratet i efteråret 1999 derfor midler til at få samlet den faktuelle viden om økologiske fødevarers sundhedsmæssige betydning. Det Økologiske Fødevareråd anbefalede at denne sammenstilling af viden skulle benyttes som fundament for iværksættelse af ny forskning til yderligere belysning af emnet

Plasma free choline, betaine and cognitive performance: the Hordaland Health Study

Choline and betaine are nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism. Choline is essential for neurodevelopment and brain function. We studied the associations between cognitive function and plasma concentrations of free choline and betaine. In a cross-sectional study, 2195 subjects (55 % women), aged 70–74 years, underwent extensive cognitive testing including the Kendrick Object Learning Test (KOLT), Trail Making Test (part A, TMT-A), modified versions of the Digit Symbol Test (m-DST), Block Design (m-BD), Mini-Mental State Examination (m-MMSE) and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). Compared with low concentrations, high choline (>8·4 μmol/l) was associated with better test scores in the TMT-A (56·0 v. 61·5, P= 0·004), m-DST (10·5 v. 9·8, P= 0·005) and m-MMSE (11·5 v. 11·4, P= 0·01). A generalised additive regression model showed a positive dose–response relationship between the m-MMSE and choline (P= 0·012 from a corresponding linear regression model). Betaine was associated with the KOLT, TMT-A and COWAT, but after adjustments for potential confounders, the associations lost significance. Risk ratios (RR) for poor test performance roughly tripled when low choline was combined with either low plasma vitamin B12 ( ≤ 257 pmol/l) concentrations (RRKOLT= 2·6, 95 % CI 1·1, 6·1; RRm-MMSE= 2·7, 95 % CI 1·1, 6·6; RRCOWAT= 3·1, 95 % CI 1·4, 7·2) or high methylmalonic acid (MMA) ( ≥ 3·95 μmol/l) concentrations (RRm-BD= 2·8, 95 % CI 1·3, 6·1). Low betaine ( ≤ 31·1 μmol/l) combined with high MMA was associated with elevated RR on KOLT (RRKOLT= 2·5, 95 % CI 1·0, 6·2). Low plasma free choline concentrations are associated with poor cognitive performance. There were significant interactions between low choline or betaine and low vitamin B12 or high MMA on cognitive performance.publishedVersio