Business model innovation for eco-efficiency: an empirical study

Business model has the potential to create value and capture value for companies, which is critical for their sustainable development [1]. The concept of eco-efficiency can be a useful concept to link an enterprise’s business with sustainable development as well as achieving long-term profits [2,3]. Extant lit- erature reveals that there is a need to study business model innovation and eco- efficiency under one text to achieve a win-win rationale to increase profits while reducing environmental impact [4,5]. This empirical study conducted 8-in-depth case studies with manufacturing companies across UK and China. The author synthesized the cases and concluded the measures of business model innovation for eco-efficiency in five categories, namely (1) Selling of service model, (2) Direct selling model, (3) Collaboration strategy, (4) Whole system design strat- egy, and (5) Technology renovation strategy. The empirical finding suggests the adaptation of strategy and exploitation of the technologies are essential to busi- ness model innovation when manufacturing companies seeking to implement eco-efficiency

Methods and tools for sustainable development of products and services

This chapter aims to provide companies with tools and methods for the analysis and optimization of their processes in order to increase sustainability. Based on the development methodology for sustainable solutions presented before, which combine and integrate various management and operational methods and supportive tools, this chapter offers a useful tool and method box for the development of solutions that ensure maximum value of products, services, and processes throughout the complete life cycle

Patients with Crohn's disease have longer post-operative in-hospital stay than patients with colon cancer but no difference in complications' rate

BACKGROUNDRight hemicolectomy or ileocecal resection are used to treat benign conditions like Crohn's disease (CD) and malignant ones like colon cancer (CC).AIMTo investigate differences in pre- and peri-operative factors and their impact on post-operative outcome in patients with CC and CD.METHODSThis is a sub-group analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology's prospective, multi-centre snapshot audit. Adult patients with CC and CD undergoing right hemicolectomy or ileocecal resection were included. Primary outcome measure was 30-d post-operative complications. Secondary outcome measures were post-operative length of stay (LOS) at and readmission.RESULTSThree hundred and seventy-five patients with CD and 2,515 patients with CC were included. Patients with CD were younger (median = 37 years for CD and 71 years for CC (P < 0.01), had lower American Society of Anesthesiology score (ASA) grade (P < 0.01) and less comorbidity (P < 0.01), but were more likely to be current smokers (P < 0.01). Patients with CD were more frequently operated on by colorectal surgeons (P < 0.01) and frequently underwent ileocecal resection (P < 0.01) with higher rate of de-functioning/primary stoma construction (P < 0.01). Thirty-day post-operative mortality occurred exclusively in the CC group (66/2515, 2.3%). In multivariate analyses, the risk of post-operative complications was similar in the two groups (OR 0.80, 95%CI: 0.54-1.17; P = 0.25). Patients with CD had a significantly longer LOS (Geometric mean 0.87, 95%CI: 0.79-0.95; P < 0.01). There was no difference in re-admission rates. The audit did not collect data on post-operative enhanced recovery protocols that are implemented in the different participating centers.CONCLUSIONPatients with CD were younger, with lower ASA grade, less comorbidity, operated on by experienced surgeons and underwent less radical resection but had a longer LOS than patients with CC although complication's rate was not different between the two groups