Ecopsychology: Remembering the True Source of our Consciousness

Mainstream psychology is limited by the a-priori assumption that consciousness is an epiphenomenon of the brain; while the emergent discipline of ecopsychology posits the whole of Nature as the source of our consciousness. Ecopsychologists contend that we do not think independently from nature-that it is the living elements of Nature from which human consciousness co-arises. The formal academic discipline of psychology-  formed in the late 19th century-attempted to isolate human consciousness from the rest of Nature. Mainstream psychology is not unique in this attempt; nearly all other academic disciplines, including economics, are based on a similar abstract separation from Nature in an attempt to maintain scientific objectivity. In the past century, quantum theory upended the conventional separation between observer and observed, but mainstream psychology failed to adapt. Ecopsychology, through reestablishing connection to Nature, is a movement in the right direction of dissolving the dichotomous split in consciousness. It must avoid the pitfalls of academe, however, and not become an abstract discipline

The Origin of Thinking: Restoring the Living Roots of Rational Consciousness

Certain tacit assumptions of modernity are jeopardizing the future of humanity and the planet-assumptions around what constitutes life; the nature of being human; rational thought; and our view of time and progress. This paper examines the origins of why we think the way we do today and how we can reclaim the living roots of consciousness (even as they are seemingly lost or obsolete). In so doing, we restore our full humanity and help restore the Earth

Supply and demand chain management: The effect of adding services to product offerings

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how firms manage their product and service offerings, integrating supply chain management (SCM) and demand chain management (DCM) strategies. Adding services to the product portfolio of a firm may bring benefits to an organisation, but requires a reconsideration of the supply chain management approach. Design/methodology/approach: A survey is used to collect data, with valid questionnaires obtained for 4,227 UK-based respondents. Empirical analysis utilises structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings: The paper proposes that a combination of management approaches is required by firms which add services to their portfolio of traditional product offerings. A supply chain management approach may be suitable for traditional product offerings. The management of the services value chain, where the customers' role as value creator is a central feature of the construct, is better served by integration of the market orientation of DCM. Originality/value: The paper addresses a research gap related to the shift in traditional activities carried out by a firm moving from purely product to a product service offer and reconsiders the supply and demand chain management approach. The paper is from a Business to Consumer (B2C) perspective. In this context, the work pioneers analysis into a particular case where a firm's product and service offerings may be substitutes for each other in the eyes of the customer. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Servitization and advanced business services as levers for competitiveness

In the servitization section of IMM’s special issue Vol 60/2017, we examine the current state of the domain of servitization and provide insight into emerging trends

Enterprise imaging: Drawing a complex enterprise

Enterprise Imaging is an approach to provide a two-dimensional visual depiction of a multi-organizational enterprise which provides products and/or service output. It does not show process flows, rather the resource owners and capabilities which come together to produce an output. It is divided into front and back offices, where the front office shows the interaction with the two major contract partners and the back office shows the supporting resources they provide to help the front office succeed.This document introduces the concept of Enterprise Imaging and explains how to create an image for use in your organisation

Blockchain: case studies in supply chain visibility

Purpose:This paper investigates how blockchain has moved beyond cryptocurrencies and is being deployed to enhance visibility and trust in supply chains; its limitations, and potential impact. Approach: Qualitative analysis undertaken via case studies drawn from food companies using semi-structured interviews. Findings: Blockchain is demonstrated as an enabler of visibility in supply chains. Applications at scale are most likely for products where the end consumer is prepared to pay the premium currently required to fund the technology, e.g. baby food. Challenges remain in four areas: trust of the technology; human error and fraud at the boundaries; governance; consumer data access and willingness to pay. Research implications and limitations: The paper shows that blockchain can be utilised as part of a system generating visibility and trust in supply chains. Research directs academic attention to issues that remain to be addressed. The challenges pertaining to the technology itself we believe to be generalisable; those specific to the food industry may not hold elsewhere. Practical implications: From live case studies we provide empirical evidence that blockchain provides visibility of exchanges and reliable data in fully-digitised supply chains. This provides provenance and guards against counterfeit goods. However, firms will need to work to gain consumer buy-in for the technology following repeated past claims of trustworthiness. Originality: This paper provides primary evidence from blockchain use cases ‘in the wild’. The exploratory case studies examine application of blockchain for supply chain visibility.</p

Co-creating value: Through the gate and beyond

Under the government’s “Transforming Rehabilitation – A Strategy for Reform” the work of the probation service moves into private organisational hands with the aim of providing more scope for innovation. This project asks not what service can be provided; rather, what value and services can ex-offenders offer and create themselves? The project draws on the salutogenic model of the relationship between humans and coping to examine how ex-offenders achieve better outcomes through use of their own resource. Work informs value co-creation and business model theory in the context of ex-offenders and support organisations. Research seeks to extend beyond the government’s stated goals and identify organisations that support ex-offenders and self-funding services operated primarily by ex-offenders. Work captured detail of organisations including: Delancey Street Foundation (USA); EMMAUS (Bristol); Greggs the Baker; Timpson’s; and Network Rail. Case studies provide detail of how organisations support, develop and value ex-offender capabilities. Work linking offender assets and viable business models indicate potential areas for innovative service offers that can be adopted by many firms. We hope that this work may encourage organisations to work with ex-offenders and perhaps inspire and support the establishment of a Delancey Street organisation within the UK

Blockchain for good?

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The blockchain innovation appears to represent viable catalysts for achieving global sustainable development targets. Projects and initiatives seeking to extend the reach of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) seem mostly intended for the benefit of for-profit businesses, governments, and consumers. DLT projects devised for the public good could aim, in theory, to fulfill the United Nation’s current sustainable development goals. Blockchain technology is being applied in ways that could transform this ambition for good into a practical reality

A computational method to track the evolution of business models in the Digital Economy

Companies within the Digital Economy are evolving their business models as they take advantage of the opportunities afforded by emerging digital technologies. There is a need to develop methods that will allow researchers and policy makers to understand the existence of, and relationships between, the different business models within the Digital Economy and track their evolution. Such methods could also help quantify the size and growth of the Digital Economy. This paper presents a computational method, which utilizes machine learning and web scraping, to identify new business models, and a taxonomy of organisations, through the analysis of a firm’s webpage. The work seeks to provide an autonomous tool that provides regular output tracking trends in the number of firms in a market, their business model and changes in activity from product to service over time. This information would provide valuable and actionable insight for researchers, firms and markets

The implementation of an environmentalmanagement system in the not-for-profit sector

PurposeThis paper examines the implementation of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in a non-profit, small to medium sized enterprise (SME) in the UK.MethodologyA four year Participatory Action Research study is made upon Knowledge Transfer Partnerships between the University of the West of England and the Royal Bath and West Society. FindingsThrough the adoption of EMAS the organisation was able to identify operational improvements as well as make significant efforts to improve its environmental performance, reducing its carbon footprint by 30 tCO₂e per annum and gaining new business.Research LimitationsThe study is made upon a single not for profit organisation in the UK.Practical ImplicationsIt presents the costs, benefits and challenges that the organisation faced. Techniques that were used to successfully manage the EMS development are also discussed.The investigation identifies deficiencies in the materials that are provided to support companies that are seeking EMAS certification. To improve the uptake of these environmental management systems and assist companies in their successful pursuit of ISO14001 and EMAS, this supporting documentation requires enhancement.OriginalityThere has been relatively little empirical research around the development and benefits of organisational environmental management systems (EMS). Even less has focussed upon the specific constraints and opportunities that face non-profit organisations when implementing EMAS. This paper addresses this gap, identifying its costs and tangible benefits