Integrating value chain transparency into E-commerce design

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-76).Value chain transparency, such as publishing member biographies and profit distribution, can be a powerful tool in increasing consumer trust and consumer loyalty. This thesis provides a methodology for integrating value chain transparency into Ecommerce site design and makes preliminary findings of the positive influence this strategy has on consumer buying behavior. The design and implementation of integrating value chain information within an E-commerce site is demonstrated through the development of theargantree.com. The Argan Tree is a cooperative of 18 women based in southwestern Morocco who produce argan oil. theargantree.com connects these producers to consumers in the U.S. to sell this oil for its culinary and cosmetic benefits. The implications of this study can transform the cooperative landscape, which is often marked by low wages, a lack of accountability, and difficulty competing in high-end markets. By equipping these organizations with the Internet-based strategies proposed, cooperatives can overcome these challenges and serve as organizations capable of real poverty-alleviation. While the direct application of this thesis is aimed at producer cooperatives of under-privileged populations, the underlying theories and findings can support any retail organization.by Zahir Dossa.M.Eng

A positive approach to sustainability

Thesis (Ph. D. in Sustainable Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Sustainability is a complex term that is becoming increasingly used. While extremely important, sustainability is often misused and misunderstood, yielding undesirable effects. Furthermore, many organizations promote the image of being sustainable without embracing it, otherwise known as green-washing, yet those that truly are sustainable face difficulty communicating their sustainability practices and distinguishing themselves as such. Despite its complexity, sustainability remains an important term that necessitates a greater conceptualization. In this dissertation, three topics in sustainability (sustainability performance, sustainability innovation, and sustainable development) are explored through a positive approach. A positive approach, also referred to as an abundance approach, is one that espouses a greater understanding for how the highest ideals and fullest potential can be achieved as opposed to one that focuses on fixing immediate problems. Borrowing from positive organizational scholarship (POS) theory and the positive organizational ethics (POE) literature, a framework for capturing sustainability performance is developed in Chapter 2 that shifts the emphasis from minimizing negative externalities to maximizing positive outcomes. Extending upon POS theory, the crisis-PEN-innovation framework advanced in Chapter 3 aligns various literature on innovation to postulate that sustainability innovations are achieved through the formation of positive ethical networks (PENs) that arise in response to external crises. Finally in Chapter 4, a PEN analysis is conducted to foster a greater understanding of project trajectories and outcomes in the sustainable development field. It is therefore through the lenses provided by the POS and POE literatures that new frameworks for conceptualizing topics in sustainability can be developed.by Zahir Dossa.Ph.D.in Sustainable Developmen

Understanding Sustainability Innovations Through Positive Ethical Networks

In this paper, a positive organizational ethics (POE)-based framework is informed by the microfinance and socially responsible investing movements to capture the process of sustainable financial innovations. Both of these movements are uniquely characterized by the formation of positive ethical networks (PENs) to develop sustainability innovations in response to external crises. The crisis–PEN–innovation framework proposed makes four contributions to the POE literature: (1) positions corporate sustainability through a POE lens; (2) formalizes the PEN construction through POE theory; (3) proposes PENs are mobilized to respond to external crises; and (4) demonstrates how PENs facilitate sustainability innovations. The theoretical framework is tested using theory-guided process tracing in the sustainable banking sector to understand how sustainability innovations were realized. The findings are consistent with the crisis–PEN–innovation framework proposed