Proposal of a Hotspot-based Approach to Identifying Social Impacts along the Product-Service Systems Life Cycle in the Early Design Phases

© 2017 The Authors. The potential for sustainability has been highlighted as one of the most important characteristics of product-service systems (PSS). Nevertheless, a PSS is not intrinsically sustainable. Methods and tools for PSS sustainability assessment should be developed to be integrated into the design process, especially in the early design phases, in order to conceive sustainable solutions. In addition, a PSS should be planned considering the three sustainability dimensions, from a life cycle perspective. However, PSS design and assessment considering the full life cycle is scarcely addressed in the literature, especially concerning the social dimension of sustainability. In this sense, this study proposes a streamlined life cycle assessment based approach to identify potential social impacts along the PSS life cycle that can be integrated into the early PSS design stages. The proposal is based on a hotspot analysis, which identifies where in the life cycle the most significant issues may occur. The proposal was developed in three main phases, anchored in both hotspots analysis and PSS literature. After developing it, 10 experts in PSS and sustainability assessed the proposal strengths and weakness. Some suggestions were offered by the researchers and improvements were introduced to the proposal regarding PSS life cycle phases and the social impact subcategories. The experts considered the hotspot analysis suitable to be applied in the early design stages when there is not much information yet regarding the system to conduct a complete life cycle assessment. The next step of this research is the proposal assessment by practitioners in industry. Further work will also integrate the environmental dimension of sustainability into the proposal

Lifecycle Management of Product-service Systems: A Preliminary Investigation of a White Goods Manufacturer

© 2017 The Authors. Product-Service Systems (PSS) have been discussed as promising business strategies towards a circular economy (CE). However, PSS solutions are not necessarily more sustainable. PSS lifecycle management may play an important role to improve the offering and achieve sustainability benefits. Nevertheless, bottom-up issues for CE implementation in the industry such as lifecycle management are still little discussed in the literature. In this sense, this paper aims to explore a PSS business strategy adopted by a large white goods manufacturer that transitioned from a linear to a circular business, and the practices applied throughout the entire lifecycle that may be valuable to achieve CE requirements. A case-based approach was employed in this study and multiple sources of evidence were considered. Data were analyzed in the light of the literature, considering an inductive approach. The main preliminary findings suggest that resources consumption reduction and cost savings can be obtained through lifecycle management practices that take into consideration CE issues since the beginning of life of the PSS offering. Design practices, the adoption of different strategies at the end of life (reuse/remanufacturing or recycle), and the implementation of cleaner production practices are some of the identified practices that can contribute to achieve resource efficiency and CE requirements. This is a work in progress and further work is going to focus on a quantitative analysis of the environmental and economic performance of this PSS. In addition, as this study focused on a use-oriented PSS, future research may compare lifecycle management practices adopted by other and distinct PSS categories, and how different lifecycle management practices may contribute to achieving resource efficiency

Exploring business model innovation for sustainability: an investigation of two product-service systems

© 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The conceptual exploration of sustainable business models (SBMs) is new in the literature, and there is still a limited understanding of how these models might look in practice. As theory development should be grounded in reality, more empirical research is needed. This paper aims to contribute to the literature by exploring how a specific type of SBM (product-service systems) may contribute to sustainability. The business models of two companies located in an emerging economy (Brazil) were analysed through business model lenses. The goal was to examine the key characteristics, how the solutions have overcome the barriers associated with business model implementation, enablers, cooperative arrangements, and the link between technology advancement and innovation. Multiple sources were used to gather data, and an inductive approach based on grounded theory was applied for data analysis. The main findings show the role of collaborative approaches and stakeholder interaction in fostering SBM implementation and overcoming the main barriers associated with the implementation. Innovative technologies are also an important driver for achieving environmental improvements. Future research may focus on exploring other SBMs implemented in developing countries, the main sustainability benefits, and the collaborative approaches established

Theoretical analysis of the relationships between modularity in design and modularity in production

© 2016, Springer-Verlag London. This paper investigates the relationships between modularity in design (MID) and modularity in production (MIP) in the automotive industry in terms of how automotive companies obtain benefits and/or drawbacks through MID/MIP relationships. A literature analysis was conducted in order to identify the possible relationships between MID and MIP as well as the concepts behind these connections. Sixty-one papers were identified to portray relationships between modular product architecture and modular production systems. Results show a representation of MID and MIP relationships by illustrating that many automotive firms are working towards establishing a better connection between these modularity typologies. Those relationships may occur in both ways and involve various conceptual elements, which are important in guiding managers’ decisions regarding applications of modularity. From the analysis, two propositions are offered for future field research. Finally, relationships between MID and MIP might be connected with modularity’s maturity level in companies. This is a literature review paper; therefore, empirical evidence is needed to further support current findings. Future studies could analyze the managerial implications through causal relationships between MID and MIP. In addition, the propositions that emerged from this study may provide a foundation for conducting empirical research. As main contributions, this paper establishes the relationship trajectories between MID and MIP in a systematized way, which enables to describe the main specific conceptual elements involved in MID and MIP relationships. Additionally, it offers propositions on how these relationships may increase practical relevance and grounds for field analysis

Deploying Six Sigma practices to General Electric subsidiaries in a developing economy: An empirical analysis

© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate Six Sigma implementation in the subsidiaries of General Electric (GE) located in Brazil and to explore the role of the quality culture of headquarters in overcoming common obstacles to Six Sigma implementation reported by other studies. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory survey was the basis for gathering data for this study. A structured questionnaire was developed covering issues related to Six Sigma implementation, such as experienced benefits, main outcomes, and metrics adopted by companies. Data from eight GE subsidiaries were qualitatively analyzed. The findings were discussed in the light of other studies conducted in Brazil as well as in other developing countries in the context of the role of existing quality culture in overcoming barriers to Six Sigma implementation. Findings: The findings revealed that Six Sigma at GE subsidiaries achieved better results in comparison with the results obtained by other Brazilian companies reported in the literature. GE quality culture aspects such as top management commitment, high investment in training, recognition schemes, and development of a well-planned infrastructure were identified as valuable to overcome common barriers to Six Sigma implementation. Moreover, the findings showed a strong alignment with the goals and practices of GE headquarters, which is an evidence of the quality culture that exists in GE and that allows all GE businesses achieve benefits with Six Sigma. Originality/value: Since limited empirical research has been conducted concerning Six Sigma implementation in developing countries, this paper aspires to contribute to Six Sigma body of knowledge by illustrating the practices of a world benchmark corporation

Project portfolio management: A landscape of the literature

Project portfolio management (PPM) has a central position in both the business literature and companies' management practices. Although PPM has been practiced for decades and the theoretical contributions in the field have grown, overviews of the state-of-the-art of PPM research and its processes are scarce. Therefore, this paper analyses the PPM literature to identify relevant PPM concepts through a systematic literature review. This study analysed 470 articles, and the core PPM sub-categories were identified. The main findings show that, in general, two or more PPM sub-categories are collectively analysed in the publications, which indicates that there is a synergy among these sub-categories. Moreover, since the subject is somewhat broad, several tools have been developed to support the complex decision-making problems involving optimisation, statistical techniques, stochastic simulations, and artificial intelligence. For practitioners, the findings of this study may provide a useful basis for PPM implementation

R&D portfolio management practices in Brazilian electric power utilities

© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Project portfolio management (PPM) has been recognized as critical for the productivity of research and development (R&D) investments, but empirical research on PPM use and outcomes in non-commercial R&D environments is limited. The purpose of this paper is to investigate PPM processes and outcomes in a unique R&D context within Brazilian electric power utilities. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory best practice survey was used to collect data on PPM processes, methods and performance results in the power sector. Analysis of the data employs descriptive statistics and comparative analysis in the light of the literature. Findings: The findings emphasize the importance of strategic value and the need for PPM to be customized for the specific context. The results also demonstrate the importance of adopting selection criteria and measures in accordance with the organizations strategic goals. Practical implications: The findings may help organizations better understand how PPM can be tailored for the environment. PPM managers in utilities and other non-commercial R&D environments may find guidance in tailoring and improving their PPM approaches. Originality/value: The contributions of this paper are twofold. First, it provides empirical findings to support PPM concepts on strategic alignment and the importance of context by demonstrating how PPM works to deliver strategy in a unique environment. Second, it contributes to the management of R&D projects and portfolios in power utilities, providing an example and analysis that may offer guidance. The contributions from this study may also offer insights that are valuable for R&D management in other utilities, or for R&D management in general

What does operational excellence mean in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era?

Although the term Operational Excellence (OE) has been widely applied over the past few decades, its meaning is still ill-defined. This issue may be especially aggravated after the advent of the Industry 4.0 (I4.0), which introduces disruptive digital technologies that may help to overcome traditional barriers in operations management. This paper examines the concept of OE in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. For that, we conducted semi-structured interviews with experts from both academia and manufacturing companies, focusing on the shifts in OE's concepts implied by the I4.0 with regards to four key aspects (people, partnerships, processes, and products and services). Experts’ responses had their content analysed through the lens of General Systems Theory, which allowed the formulation of propositions towards the conceptualization of OE in the digital transformation era. Our findings indicated that, although some attributes may remain the same, the emphasis of OE in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is likely to change. The extensive integration of digital technologies into manufacturing companies tends to entail different expectations in terms of excellence in people, partnerships, processes, and products and services. As interconnectivity and cyber-physical systems gain prominence, a more integrative and systemic perspective of OE is facilitated, expanding its meaning and understanding