Green innovation networks: A research agenda

Much of green innovation is the outcome of different levels of collaboration between organizations in different constellations. There is significant knowledge of interorganizational networks on the one hand and on green innovation on the other. However, less is known of interorganizational networks aimed at green innovations. The purpose of the paper is to develop a research agenda for future studies in green innovation networks. Extant literature on collaborations in networks to develop green innovations is reviewed. The Scopus database was used, with a search resulting in 63 papers. The review included a wide range of green innovations: products, services, processes, business models and marketing. Different types of actors and their reasons for engagement, the extent of networks and the prevalence of different actors were all identified. This research discusses what kind of network relationships (e.g. new types or cross-sectoral) need to be understood when studying these green innovations. Three areas for future research directions are proposed: the potential of horizontal collaborations in green innovation networks, cross-sectoral (including public-private) partnerships in green innovation networks and users as actors in green innovation networks

Managing appropriation concerns and coordination costs in complex vendor relationships: Integration and isolation as governance strategies

Many studies have shown that the inter-organizational governance mechanisms required to manage appropriation concerns come into conflict with the mechanisms needed to manage coordination costs. Research has, however, largely left unanswered the question of how client organizations govern complex vendor relationships that involve multiple categories, transactions, and activities where appropriation concerns and coordination costs must be managed simultaneously. We propose that this may be achieved by utilizing two strategies; while integrating some activities, transactions and categories, others can be isolated. Drawing on 23 interviews as well asprocedural documents associated with vendor management, this study examines how a leading automotive manufacturer governs relationships with three vendors. The analysis reveals how corporate and operational-level staff combine formal and informal governance mechanisms as they pursue integration and isolation strategies, enabling the client organization to maintain and develop longterm complex relationships. Our findings lead us to question a tendency in the literature to regard isolation as negative and integration as an ideal strategy for managing long-term relationships. Only when utilized in tandem will isolation and integration strategies enable organizations to align the conflicting governance mechanisms required to manage appropriation concerns and coordination costs

Social cross-functional vendor selection in technologically uncertain sourcing situations

Based on an in-depth case study of an automotive manufacturer sourcing parts for high technology projects, this study investigates the intentions and structure of socialization within and between firms during the supplier selection process in technologically uncertain sourcing situations. Here, we aim to answer the question of how socialization can hedge against the high levels of uncertainty for manufacturers selecting suppliers of high technology resources. The case represents a major automotive manufacturer in Northern Europe, and is based on 38 semi-structured interviews with representatives of the different functions involved in the sourcing for the new development projects. Our data suggest that internal and external socialization during the supplier selection process can improve internal alignment and problem solving, and external familiarity towards the sourcing task. In this context, socialization took place on functional, cross-functional, and (inter)corporate levels, with higher functional autonomy during the assessment, and higher cross-functional integration during negotiations and decision making, adding to the debate on whether functions should be integrated or separated

Resilient supply management systems in times of crisis

Purpose: This study investigated how organizations can maintain their supply chain (SC) resilience in\ua0situations where high-impact shocks cannot be absorbed and what capabilities are needed. The article is an empirical exploration of a socio-ecological view of resilience in the SC context. Design/methodology/approach: The case under study in this article is that of M\ue9decins sans Fronti\ue8res (MSF) and MSF\u27s reconfiguration of its supply management processes in response to the supply shocks during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In total, 503 internal documents and ERP extractions from six databases from late 2019 to September 2020, 43 semi-structured interviews and a 3-round policy Delphi process were used to investigate this phenomenon. Findings: The authors\u27 results show that throughout the pandemic, MSF adapted its procurement and supply processes to cope with supply shortages at both the international and local levels of the SC. This was possible due to the organization\u27s capacity to use its exploitation and exploration capabilities of the organization at the same time. Research limitations/implications: This research is based on the single in-depth case study of a medical aid organization. Further research should investigate this phenomenon in commercial companies with similar or different organizational structures. Originality/value: This study constitutes a first attempt to empirically demonstrate that the four phases of the adaptive cycle put forth in the panarchy theory constitute a suitable representation of the reconfigurations that SCs follow in response to a high-impact shock. The study also adds to the growing body of knowledge on resilience by including ambidexterity as a mechanism to achieve resilience

How Blockchain interrelates with trust in the supply chain context: insights from tracing sustainability in the metal industry metal industry

No abstract availabl

6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> is promoted by the engulfment pathway and inhibited by the transthyretin-related protein TTR-33

<div><p>Oxidative stress is linked to many pathological conditions including the loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease. The vast majority of disease cases appear to be caused by a combination of genetic mutations and environmental factors. We screened for genes protecting <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> dopaminergic neurons from oxidative stress induced by the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and identified the <u>t</u>rans<u>t</u>hyretin-<u>r</u>elated gene <i>ttr-33</i>. The only described <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> transthyretin-related protein to date, TTR-52, has been shown to mediate corpse engulfment as well as axon repair. We demonstrate that TTR-52 and TTR-33 have distinct roles. TTR-33 is likely produced in the posterior arcade cells in the head of <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> larvae and is predicted to be a secreted protein. TTR-33 protects <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> from oxidative stress induced by paraquat or H₂O₂ at an organismal level. The increased oxidative stress sensitivity of <i>ttr-33</i> mutants is alleviated by mutations affecting the KGB-1 MAPK kinase pathway, whereas it is enhanced by mutation of the JNK-1 MAPK kinase. Finally, we provide genetic evidence that the <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> cell corpse engulfment pathway is required for the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons after exposure to 6-OHDA. In summary, we describe a new neuroprotective mechanism and demonstrate that TTR-33 normally functions to protect dopaminergic neurons from oxidative stress-induced degeneration, potentially by acting as a secreted sensor or scavenger of oxidative stress.</p></div

Introducing sharing-focused business models in the B2B context: comparing interaction and environmental sustainability for selling, renting and sharing on industrial markets

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the sales-, rental- and sharing-focused business models for industrial markets by analysing interactions and environmental sustainability efforts within them. Design/methodology/approach Case studies are conducted at two world-leading manufacturing firms of complex industrial products. The analysis compares how interaction takes place in sales-, rental- and sharing-focused business models in industrial markets for high-technology products in connection with environmental sustainability outcomes. Findings The findings show the need for different interaction patterns in sales-, rental- and sharing-focused business models at firm, relationship and network levels. The implementation of sharing-focussed business models requires new interactions with actors within firms, between firms and key collaborators and in networks. The firms in our study have made a wide range of efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of their products. Sharing-focused business models have the potential to be environmentally sustainable if products can be shared among customers. However, under-usage of products and the increased need to transport them may reduce environmental sustainability. Originality/value This study reveals that although manufacturing firms and customers are willing to implement sharing-focused business models, there are obstacles to achieving the expected environmental sustainability associated with this business model. These are due to the high-technology nature and level of customisation of the associated firms\u27 products and services, which make it difficult to share resources across firms without advanced adaptations to products such as re-programming. This study contributes to the sharing-focused business model literature for the business-to-business context, by pointing to the pivotal role partnerships with new actors and closer collaboration with existing actors in supply chains can play in enabling sharing-focused business models in the future

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