Development and Simulation of a Balanced Scorecard for Sustainable Supply Chain Management – A System Dynamics Approach

The objective of this article is to develop a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM). The BSC provides a framework for simulation experiments which serve to evaluate benefits of sustainability investments for the partners within a recycling supply chain. A system dynamics approach was employed to perform the simulation experiments. First, the simulations help to identify the preconditions that must be met before environmental and social measures can lead to a long-term profit increase for all network partners. Second, they demonstrate how limitations of the traditional BSC can be overcome, especially regarding multi-causal relationships between key performance indicators. The model is based on the results of a literature review and information gathered in expert interviews. The limits of the analysis lie in the fact that the simulation experiments are partly based on hypothetical assumptions. However, where possible, the authors have drawn on expert knowledge and existing surveys

Sprachbewusst unterrichten. Handreichung für den Unterricht an Grund-, Haupt-, Ober- und Realschulen

Sprachliche Bildung in allen Fächern gehört zu den Kernaufgaben der Grund- und weiterführenden Schulen. Unterschiede in den sprachlichen Kompetenzen der Schülerinnen und Schüler erfordern einen Unterricht, der sich neben der fachlichen Vermittlung zugleich sprachsensibel verhält. Dies wiederum verlangt von den Lehrpersonen entsprechende Konzepte, mit denen sie den sprachlichen Herausforderungen ihrer Schülerinnen und Schüler konstruktiv begegnen können. Die Handreichung richtet sich deshalb an Dozentinnen und Dozenten aller Fächer in der Hochschullehre und in der Lehrerfortbildung sowie an Lehrerinnen und Lehrer, die sich im Selbststudium zu Fragen der sprachlichen Bildung weiterqualifizieren möchten. Neben einem theoretischen Überblick über aktuelle Aspekte sprachsensiblen Unterrichts werden exemplarische Seminarkonzepte aus der universitären Lehrerfortbildung vorgestellt. Das Material der Handreichung ist im Rahmen des Verbundprojektes „UMBRÜCHE GESTALTEN. Sprachenförderung und -bildung als integrale Bestandteile innovativer Lehramtsausbildung in Niedersachsen“ entwickelt, erprobt und evaluiert worden

Enablers to implement sustainable initiatives in agri-food supply chains

yesDue to rapid agricultural industrialization, increased global food demand, and, increasing concerns related to food quality and safety, the concepts of sustainability and supply chain transparency are becoming critically important to the agriculture and agri-food sector. The new focus on sustainability performance objectives emphasizes the effective utilization and consumption of natural resources to balance ecological, economic and societal aspects of agri-food businesses. The management of sustainability adds a new demand on business managers who often have small profits and receive stringent requirements from large powerful customers and retailers. In this paper, we recognize and analyze the key enablers in implementing sustainable initiatives for Agri-Food Supply Chains (A-FSCs). Ten important sustainability driven enablers were considered from a rigorous literature review and phase of expert consultation. The identified enablers were then analyzed using a combined Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) - fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) based framework. The ISM approach enabled an appreciation of the contextual relationships among the enablers and to classify the enablers based on their driving and dependence potential. The fuzzy DEMATEL technique supported the determination of the influential and influenced enablers and also to categorize them into cause and effect groups. An empirical case study, drawn from a vegetable and fruit retail supply chain in India, is used to focus and test the applicability of the proposed research framework. The paper facilitates professional management practice and researchers to uncover and explore the enablers for the real execution of sustainability oriented initiatives in the agri-food business sector

Green process innovation: Where we are and where we are going

Environmental pollution has worsened in the past few decades, and increasing pressure is being put on firms by different regulatory bodies, customer groups, NGOs and other media outlets to adopt green process innovations (GPcIs), which include clean technologies and end-of-pipe solutions. Although considerable studies have been published on GPcI, the literature is disjointed, and as such, a comprehensive understanding of the issues, challenges and gaps is lacking. A systematic literature review (SLR) involving 80 relevant studies was conducted to extract seven themes: strategic response, organisational learning, institutional pressures, structural issues, outcomes, barriers and methodological choices. The review thus highlights the various gaps in the GPcI literature and illuminates the pathways for future research by proposing a series of potential research questions. This study is of vital importance to business strategy as it provides a comprehensive framework to help firms understand the various contours of GPcI. Likewise, policymakers can use the findings of this study to fill in the loopholes in the existing regulations that firms are exploiting to circumvent taxes and other penalties by locating their operations to emerging economies with less stringent environmental regulations.publishedVersio

Passenger gene co-amplifications create collateral therapeutic vulnerabilities in cancer

DNA amplifications in cancer do not only harbor oncogenes. We sought to determine whether passenger co-amplifications could create collateral therapeutic vulnerabilities. Through an analysis of >3,000 cancer genomes followed by the interrogation of CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens across >700 cancer cell lines, we determined that passenger co-amplifications are accompanied by distinct dependency profiles. In a proof-of-principle study, we demonstrate that co-amplification of the bona fide passenger gene DEAD-Box Helicase 1 (DDX1) creates an increased dependency to the mTOR pathway. Interaction proteomics identified tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle components as previously unrecognized DDX1 interaction partners. Live-cell metabolomics highlighted that this interaction could impair TCA activity, which in turn resulted in enhanced mTORC1 activity. Consequently, genetic and pharmacologic disruption of mTORC1 resulted in pronounced cell death in vitro and in vivo. Thus, structurally linked co-amplification of a passenger gene and an oncogene can result in collateral vulnerabilities. SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate that coamplification of passenger genes, which were largely neglected in cancer biology in the past, can create distinct cancer dependencies. Because passenger coamplifications are frequent in cancer, this principle has the potential to expand target discovery in oncology