Sustainability transition in industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing with the triple-layered business model canvas

Sustainability transition is becoming increasingly relevant at a manufacturing level, especially for resource- and energy-intensive industries. In addition, the 4.0 industry paradigm opens new opportunities in terms of sustainable development. The aim of this research is to analyze the introduction of sustainability in the corporate value proposition, through the evolution from a traditional to a sustainable business model. The business model innovation will be investigated in the case of a ceramic tile producer in the district of Sassuolo, Italy. The company has introduced several sustainability practices over the years and, through investments in Industry 4.0 technologies, is able to conduct impact assessments of its production process. The applied tool for the business model transition will be the Triple-Layered Business Model Canvas by Joyce and Paquin. The results illustrate the new company's sustainable value proposition, considering all three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy, and society. Despite the limitations resulting from the individual case study, the findings can be easily adapted to other ceramic tile companies in the sector. Besides, the paper could inspire other manufacturing companies in the drafting of a sustainable business model. The paper explores the still limited literature on the application of sustainable business models in operational scenarios

Identification and rejection of pile-up jets at high pseudorapidity with the ATLAS detector

The rejection of forward jets originating from additional proton–proton interactions (pile-up) is crucial for a variety of physics analyses at the LHC, including Standard Model measurements and searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. The identification of such jets is challenging due to the lack of track and vertex information in the pseudorapidity range |η| > 2.5. This paper presents a novel strategy for forward pile-up jet tagging that exploits jet shapes and topological jet correlations in pile-up interactions. Measurements of the per-jet tagging efficiency are presented using a data set of 3.2 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector. The fraction of pile-up jets rejected in the range 2.5 < |η| < 4.5 is estimated in simulated events with an average of 22 interactions per bunch-crossing. It increases with jet transverse momentum and, for jets with transverse momentum between 20 and 50 GeV, it ranges between 49% and 67% with an efficiency of 85% for selecting hard-scatter jets. A case study is performed in Higgs boson production via the vector-boson fusion process, showing that these techniques mitigate the background growth due to additional proton–proton interactions, thus enhancing the reach for such signatures

Does religion influence location choice in the hotel industry?

Relying on data from the Spanish hotel industry, this paper analyzes the role of informal institutional factors (IIF) in location choice. Earlier studies mostly use an aggregate level of cultural differences as informal institutional factors. We, however, go deeper into this concept and study the impact of two distinct but interrelated informal institutional factors, religion and language, on the location decisions of hotel chains. We resolve the overlapping problem between these two highly correlated IIF by means of a ‘layer’ measurement in Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Our results show that the higher the informal institutional differences (IID), the lower the presence of the hotels in the foreign country. While physical distance plays a key moderating role, formal institutional differences (FID) did not show any effect. We contribute by unravelling the role of language and religion in location choice in the internationalization process of service firms. Moreover, we test the moderating role of formal institutions in these decisions, thus combining the impact of formal and informal institutions on location choices in service firms

New circular networks in resilient supply chains: An external capital perspective

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had an impact on the relationships established between different actors in organisations. To deal with these changes, it is necessary to develop a resilience capacity that allows for the establishment of different patterns of relationships through a new management model. The application of circularity principles implies a radical change in stakeholder relations, breaking with the “end-of-life” concept existing in linear economies. Fur-thermore, circular economy can ensure resilience in supply chains, and it can be considered as a tool in uncertain environments. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyse the association between the customer–supplier relationships with circular supply chains based on the intellectual capital-based view theory. External capital is a crucial factor for organisations, and it helps with building remarkable capabilities for the whole supply chain due to collaboration and cooperation. This research contributes with a systematic revision of the literature regarding circular supply chains and customer–supplier external capital, providing an exploratory model. Establishing a closer and effective relationship with customers and suppliers supposes a differentiating value and competitive advantages. Actors involved in the supply chain are essential in the implementation of circularity in organisations for reducing waste production and returning resources to the production cycle. Therefore, circular networks related to customers’ behaviour, sustainable supplier election and IT tools play a key factor in improving resilience in supply chains

Analysis of the Textile Supply Chain from a Circularity Perspective: A Case Study

Circular economy practices and its implementation is paramount to drive the design of circular and reverse supply chains, thus enabling products to enter the chain again through recycling and reuse. The main purpose of the research is to analyze the importance of the supply chain in the transition to a circular economy, focusing on the textile industry. So-called “fast fashion” and the linear supply chains followed by the large fashion multinationals are a serious problem. The textile closed supply chain and its harmful effects have been examined, as well as the boosters and barriers associated with their transformation under the circularity paradigm. The implementation of circularity in this industry implies a systemic rethinking of the entire supply chain. A case study of “Teemill” company which produces and sells circular T-shirts is analyzed. The main results showed that Circular Supply Chains in the textile sector are based on two fundamental pillars for their development. On the one hand, the development of new technology that reduces waste and increases efficiency in productivity, using renewable energy and circular principles in all phases of their supply chain through reverse logistics. On the other hand, based on this technological development, the establishment of long-term agreements that allow developed a cloud-connected supply chain. Coordination and cooperation between suppliers and manufacturers are essential to achieve more sustainable products. In addition, customers play a key role in their participation in the recycling and recovery of products

Building exploitation routines in the circular supply chain to obtain radical innovations

The adaptation of the supply chain makes it an effective tool in the management of a circular economy, as it allows aspects of sustainability and regeneration to be incorporated into production. However, empirical evidence is still insufficient. In addition, the use of absorptive capacity theory provides a convenient context model that is adapted to the knowledge management required for the application of circularity principles. To study in depth the functioning of the circular supply chain, we use the dimension of exploitation of absorptive capacity, distinguishing between routines that allow adaptation to new production needs (technological knowledge) and new commercial needs (market knowledge). The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 9612 companies, divided into three levels of technology intensity manufacturing, from the PITEC panel using multivariate models. The results show that the operating routines associated with the use of production and logistics technologies developed in a circular fashion favor the development of new products. Similarly, a bidirectional knowledge flow is necessary. The first flow is toward the company with practices that allow a better understanding of the customer and their needs in the framework of the circular economy. The second flow would be toward customers, who need to be informed and educated through various marketing and communication activities to adapt their behavior to the principles of circularity