An ex ante evaluation of mobile depots in cities: A sustainability perspective

Today, a large share of cost, congestion, and emission in cities is attributed to light goods vehicles like carrier vans distributing to the last mile. The aim of many policy agendas is to reach cleaner cities with less disturbance from the distribution vehicles. Several suggestions have been put forward and tested in research and practice, such as access restrictions, multimodal transport, and use of cleaner vehicles. In this paper, we develop a case for a more sustainable freight distribution within cities using an ex ante case study. The idea of the mobile depot is built on the iteration between historical transitions within cities and contemporary developments in urban freight distribution, and then analyzed ex ante both quantitatively in calculations and qualitatively in two stakeholder workshops. The idea is integrated and multimodal, based on a mobile depot (e.g., a bus, truck, barge, or tram) that circles the city and connects to low emission last mile delivery options such as LEVs (Light Electrical Vehicles) or cargo bikes. We found that such a system can be environmentally and socially better for the city context, while maintaining economic viability above a certain utilization rate of the mobile depot for the transport operators

FROM ASSIMILATION TO INTEGRATION WHEN PURCHASING INNOVATION – insights from two auto makers

How the buying firm can organize (supplier selection) for better identification and integration of innovation

Getting innovations out of interactions in the public procurement context

PurposeThe\ua0purpose\ua0of\ua0this paper is to discuss how a seller can use\ua0interactions\ua0to respond to\ua0public\ua0procurement\ua0needs for innovation when\ua0the\ua0buying side is restricted by\ua0public\ua0procurement\ua0regulations.Design/methodology/approachThe\ua0authors collected data using qualitative semi-structured interviews\ua0of\ua0different empirical examples,\ua0in\ua0which private-public\ua0interactions\ua0of\ua0four different high-technological products are studied. Two products belong to\ua0the\ua0defence industry and two to\ua0the\ua0civil industry.FindingsThe\ua0findings point to three types\ua0of\ua0innovations\ua0in\ua0public\ua0procurement: product, service and business model.\ua0The\ua0empirical examples further indicate, as suggested\ua0in\ua0previous studies, that innovation is hindered by regulations that limit interaction between suppliers and\ua0the\ua0public.\ua0In\ua0addition,\ua0the\ua0empirical examples indicate that firms mobilize actors\ua0in\ua0their network when\ua0the\ua0buyer is restricted\ua0in\ua0regard to interaction.\ua0The\ua0findings also add to\ua0the\ua0IMP literature by comparing\ua0interactions\ua0in\ua0the\ua0three types\ua0of\ua0innovations\ua0in\ua0the\ua0public\ua0procurement\ua0context.Originality/valuePublic\ua0procurement\ua0is an area where\ua0innovations\ua0are lagging behind, compared with private\ua0procurement. Research points to limited interaction between actors as an obstacle to innovation\ua0in\ua0public\ua0sector collaborations. This paper extends\ua0the\ua0literature on how organizations interact\ua0in\ua0the\ua0setting\ua0of\ua0public\ua0procurement.\ua0The\ua0authors identify demand and supply triggers for three types\ua0of\ua0innovations: product, service and business model innovation

Collaboration beyond the supply network for green innovation: insights from 11 cases

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the how, why, who and what of collaborations in green innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on 11 case studies conducted at high-technological firms where 30 top management representatives were interviewed.FindingsThe study shows that firms share knowledge on green innovation across industries through horizontal collaborations and their extended network, such as their suppliers’ and customer’s networks in other industries. The results also show that digitalization, connectivity and big data are considered important vessels to improve environmental sustainability, as firms believe that these technologies will result in large gains related to resource utilization. Finally, the firms in this study engaged to a wide extent in green innovation activities, which resulted in a variety of improved resource utilization related to energy efficiency, new materials, new technologies, limiting emissions and recycle management.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper contributes to the literature by showing that firms share knowledge on green innovation not only within their network but also across industries through horizontal collaborations and their extended network.Practical implicationsThe study points to the complexity of collaborating on green innovation. The authors show the importance of digitalization to improving environmental sustainability, with managers needing to develop business models and finding collaboration partners that can facilitate the transformation towards more connected products and services.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the field of supply network collaboration by studying how firms collaborate to improve environmental sustainability

The multiple levels of trust when selecting suppliers – Insights from an automobile manufacturer

In this study, we aim to develop a framework for the concept of trust prior to forming relationships when selecting suppliers. Entering a relationship with a supplier for an extended period requires a certain level of trust in different facets (such as interpersonal relationships, continuous supply, and compatibilities). In situations in which suppliers need to enter into relationships characterized by high uncertainties, such as sourcing for high technology, trust becomes even more important. The question raised is how this ex-ante trust is defined and used during the supplier selection, when the buyer decides to enter into a relationship with a potential supplier. The phenomenon is studied in the automobile industry, which is experiencing a higher level of dependency on suppliers for sensitive, and at times strategic, components. A single case of a major auto manufacturer is studied using 36 interviews. Our findings show that when selecting the supplier with which to enter a relationship, trust manifests itself on multiple levels: interpersonal, organizational, interorganizational, and network. Contrary to some previous suggestions in the literature, we found interrelationships across these levels

ORGANIZING FOR THE PURCHASING OF INNOVATION: Insights from two auto manufacturers

Our observations show two different approaches to organizing purchasing of innovation as a response to the conflicting needs of purchasing innovation compared to matured technologies in these industries: 1) higher levels of cross-functional sourcing with a larger role for the engineering function, and 2) a sourcing group for innovation in parallel to the existing ones. Both organizations were developed in response to similar challenges that the existing established processes were not apt to respond to