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Abstract: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of a suite of technology options that might play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, outside of traditional enhanced oil and gas recovery operations with a well established business model, CCS project deployments are struggling with adoption of a federal or international climate policy driver appearing unlikely for the foreseeable future. As part of a feasibility study for an industrial CCS project at the Boise White Paper mill in Washington State, a business model and CCS system design was developed that provided financial surety for the project developers while recognizing that uncertainty in revenue forecasts for CO2 storage would persist for the foreseeable future. Key to the business model was installation of a new 37MWe biomass-fueled power island at the plant that would replace antiquated boilers and that could still supply the necessary steam to run pulp and paper production operations when capturing CO2 emissions under favorable market conditions for monetizing CO2 storage credits. Under unfavorable market conditions, CO2 capture would be suspended and excess power generated from the plant would reduce external electrical energy purchases required for paper mill operations. The net CO2 reduction for the project versus current operations is 1.0MMT of CO2 per year with the CCS system online, and 139ktons per year with the CCS system offline due to reduced natural gas co-firing. So, both operational modes offered a significant net reduction in CO2 emissions. Based on assumptions regarding electricity and natural gas pricing, and CO2 storage revenue generated through an open market mechanism priced at $15 per metric ton CO2, the payback period for the project capturing 0.5MMT/yr (62% of total CO2 production) was estimated at 6.7 years versus 7.4 years with the CCS system offline. Geologic storage was evaluated in the deep flood basalt formations that dominate the storage capacity in Eastern Washington. Sub-basalt sediments were also examined at the site to provide alternative or supplemental storage capacity in the event that storage in the basalt sequences did not prove technically or economically feasible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This review identifies a timeline to nanomedicine anticancer drug approval using the business model of inventors, innovators and imitators. By evaluating the publication record of nanomedicine cancer therapeutics we identified a trend of very few publications prior to FDA approval. We first enumerated the publications related to cancer involving polymers, liposomes or monoclonal antibodies and determined the number of citations per publication as well as the number of published clinical trials among the publications. Combining these data with the development of specific nanomedicines, we are able to identify an invention phase consisting of seminal papers in basic science necessary for the development of a specific nanomedicine. The innovation phase includes the first report, the development and the clinical trials involving that nanomedicine. Finally, the imitation phase begins after approval when others ride the wave of success by using the same formulation for new drugs or using the same drug to validate other nanomedicines. We then focused our analysis on nanomedicines containing camptothecin derivatives, which are not yet approved including two polymers considered innovations and one liposomal formulation in the imitation phase. The conclusion that may be drawn from the analysis of the camptothecins is that approved drugs reformulated in polymeric and liposomal cancer nanomedicines have a more difficult time navigating through the approval process than the parent molecule. This is probably due to the fact that for most currently approved drugs, reformulating them in a nanocarrier provides a small increase in performance that large pharmaceutical companies do not consider being worth the time, effort and expense of development. It also appears that drug carriers have a more difficult path through the clinic than monoclonal antibodies. The added complexity of nanocarriers also deters their use to deliver new molecular entities. Thus, the new drug candidates that might be most improved by drug delivery in nanocarriers are not formulated in this fashion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The global business environment of today requires industries to be increasingly agile in order to create added value. There is a particularly urgent need to innovate and redefine business models in the mature pulp and paper industry, which is continually announcing mill closures and reporting persistent profitability problems. This paper focuses on the emerging forest energy business, which appears to offer many novel opportunities for both the forest and the energy industry. We conducted a qualitative dissensus-based online Delphi study and carried out themed expert interviews in order to identify the main industry- and company-level factors that are most likely to influence the bioenergy sector, its value-creation potential and forest and energy companies'' future roles in it. The Delphi technique proved to be a valuable research tool with which we were able to obtain comprehensive information on a subject that lacks historical and financial data, and yet requires input from many quarters. The results suggest that the complementary resources held by forest and energy companies make collaboration in the bioenergy business favorable. Moreover, the procurement and logistics of forest raw material appear to be key success factors in terms of yielding the most synergetic gains. Uncertainty about policy interventions nevertheless causes concern given their relatively rapid effect on the prospects of the bioenergy business. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The increase in mining-related social conflict around the globe can only be partly attributed to broader societal factors such as communities becoming more assertive, empowered and connected. The aggressive growth strategies of mining companies have also been a contributing factor, as this has taken them into areas which are socially and politically more challenging and has increased the potential for conflict with other land users. While mining companies may have embraced the language of ‘trust’, ‘shared value’ and ‘partnership’, they remain locked into a business model that periodically threatens these values. Given the constraints of this business model, there has to be a practical focus on creating stronger external, as well as internal, drivers for companies to improve how they engage with communities and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Healthcare third-party contractors supplying (semi-)durables might play a critical role in product lifetime extension (PLE). • Three third-party contractors of (semi-)durables are analyzed. • Their practices are assessed along the eight dimensions of the PLE business models (PLEBM) framework. • The contractors' PLE solutions include predominantly product access, maintenance, redistribution / recovery, and more marginally, improved design. The business model theory has been applied across a variety of contexts and especially in order to develop more sustainable organizations. Given the rise in municipal solid waste emanating from healthcare institutions' disposition of durable or semidurable products, and the ensuing challenges arising both in the environmental and in the social realms, product lifetime extension constitutes a valuable approach to curb product disposition and contribute to sustainability. This paper explores product lifetime extension opportunities among healthcare institutions' third-party contractors who are in charge of supplying and maintaining products in the medical sector. Product lifetime extension business models involve either nature strategies that improve product durability through improved design or nurture strategies that prolong product lifetime while in use and as long as the product remains functional. The paper uses a case study approach to investigate organizations articulating product lifetimes extension in their business model blueprint. The business models are analyzed and compared to gain useful insights that will contribute to develop professional practice, future research as well as policy making and decision making that is focused on achieving through product lifetime extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital servitization has emerged over the last years, at the convergence between digital- and service-oriented business strategies, leading manufacturing companies to transform their business models through the adoption of so-called Smart PSS (Smart Product-Service-Systems). As a contribution to the relatively recent scientific literature on Smart PSS design, this paper presents a framework for the design and engineering of Smart PSS offers, based on a value-driven approach. The added-value of the framework is notably to integrate (i) a smart PSS prototyping approach associated with (ii) a risk management process, all along the design process. When a manufacturing company has to shift from a 'product-centric' to a 'Smart PSS' business model, sPS2Risk Framework helps decision-makers anticipating and mitigating key innovation risks. The paper presents the generic framework and its experimentation for an industrial case study, in the heating appliance sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently a "mother-daughter" model for hydrogen refueling stations (HRS). On-site "mother" stations produce hydrogen from city natural gas or water electrolysis, and off-site "daughter" stations are supplied with hydrogen from nearby on-site stations. This HRS system is a micro hydrogen supply chain that includes hydrogen suppliers, retailers, and end consumers characterized via demand functions. The present paper designs an optimal business model for this distributed HRS system using a multi-level game model, given that on-site and off-site HRS can operate individually or as a coalition to supply hydrogen. Stackelberg game and Shapley value models are constructed to explore how cooperative operation is superior by generating more profits than separate operation. Accordingly, in order to promote cooperation between on-site and off-site operators of HRS, an evolutionary game model is developed to investigate the allocation of profits and coordinated costs on the equilibrium of cooperative operation. The authors conclude that boosting the initial probabilities of actors to choose cooperative strategies and decreasing the coordinated cost can lead the game system to the ideal consequence. The present paper offers recommendations including establishing regulation standards for HRS operation, and advancing the information technology to design a more effective cooperative mechanism. • A business model of the hydrogen distribution is designed by multi-level games. • The centralized cooperation mode is better than the decentralized separation mode. • Reduction in the communication cost can help to achieve the cooperative mode. • Regulation and information technology related to the hydrogen should be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need of undertaking effective actions against the climate change is pushing industrial companies to find new business models and technological solutions to reduce the resource utilization and the waste production. In this context, several companies are moving towards servitization, that has been proved as a promising strategy to enable sustainable business models in a wide spectrum, namely encompassing environmental, economic and social aspects. Nevertheless, companies lacks of tools for evaluating different servitization models with a clear view of economic and environmental benefits. This paper presents a model to estimate the profitability of servitization opportunities by combining economic Net Present Value index and environmental impacts estimation. The model is targeted on the steel sector, for which a preliminary application has been developed and is discussed in the paper. The results show that adopting different servitization business models, several benefits could be exploited both from providers and customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urgent need to act against climate change is emphasized in many initiatives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, and the Circular Economy Action Plan. The role of the industrial sector is crucial. Companies, however, have to operate in a very complex environment driven by digitization and are supposed to be more sustainable. This paper explores how companies can implement the ecological transformation, with a focus on the role of digital technologies and data in enabling the twin transition. This paper proposes an approach to support SMEs in the twin transition through a combination of digital and sustainable business model development. The concept includes an interdisciplinary methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, focusing on the latter. The suggested method collection includes adaptations of the business model canvas, value proposition analysis, data-driven decision-making, and the integration of environmental and economic considerations using the system of environmental-economic accounting. In particular, approaches to define the quantification of economic as well as ecological value will be key levers for sustainable implementation. By leveraging these approaches, SMEs can navigate the challenges of digital transformation and sustainability and contribute to a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, multiple crises have shown the fragility of global supply chains. In particular, climate change sheds light on the never-ending waste of resources caused by the linear economic model. In response, circular economy emerges as a promising alternative. Companies must rethink and innovate their business models, product life cycles, and underlying mindsets for a systemic transition. Cross-sectoral collaboration in networks is necessary to redesign, reuse, recycle, and remanufacture products and close the loop of material flows. First, projects and research on the concepts of open source hardware, open innovation, and open design show that openness can be a game-changer for the circular economy and circular business models. Although there has been growing interest, there is still a lack of comprehensive research examining possible synergies of openness and circularity, as well as identifying patterns for integrating these concepts into business models. This paper explores possible ways, prerequisites, and obstacles of open source concepts enabling circular value creation in industry. We combine explorative data from a literature review and more than 10 interviews with open source and circular economy experts. Furthermore, a total of 38 case studies of circular or open or open & circular business models were identified and selected for analysis. The empirical results were triangulated with existing business model patterns from the literature. The study presents a framework to describe open and circular business models and four prototypical patterns. In an exploratory approach, we identify necessary lines of future research in order to facilitate open source movements toward a circular economy. The paper provides insights for academics and practitioners from production and supply chain management. It combines interdisciplinary perspectives to unlock the potential of open source concepts and collaboration for enabling a circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an academic exploration of the shifting landscape of business models toward greater sustainability, considering the environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The United Nations has emphasized the need for companies to prioritize sustainability, leading to scholarly discussions on the topic. While economic sustainability remains important, decision-makers must now navigate the transformation of their business models to incorporate environmental and social sustainability, driven by emerging regulations such as the European Union's Green Deal. This transition may initially appear as an additional task accompanied by potential investment costs and reduced profits. However, it also presents opportunities for economic growth through the creation of new value propositions, entry into untapped markets, access to novel customer segments, the provision of innovative services, and the facilitation of data-driven supply chains. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review on sustainability as a pivotal future value proposition for companies and identifies potential pathways that can leverage its transformative potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM) has a great potential to change drastically the mobility landscape and improve safety on the roads by assisting drivers to take the best decisions in given circumstances or by supporting autonomous driving features aboard the car, among other expected benefits. Yet, providing CCAM services poses not only technical but also business challenges, especially in cross-border environments. In this paper, we present a general techno-economic methodology intended first, to identify the cross-border ecosystem and the potential business models to enable CCAM services provision and second, to derive the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of deploying the required Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle to Network (V2N) infrastructure. As an illustration, we then apply this methodology to a canonical Cooperative Lane Merging (CLM) scenario in a representative border environment (i.e., the Brenner pass between Italy and Austria). On this occasion, the impact of Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) placement on the deployment cost is also discussed and finally, a cost allocation model is developed to link these deployment costs to the key stakeholders within the identified business models. Results aim to give insights into the different deployment strategies in typical cross-border environments and settings. • This paper presents a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of providing CCAM services in cross-border environment considering both technical and business challenges. • Proposed business models based on the adoption of new 5G technologies namely network slicing and MEC to ensure seamless service provision. • Collaborative business model is the most promising but needs review of regulations. • The collaborative business model is particularly attractive when considering the implementation of passive and active network sharing strategies. • Cost modelling results provide TCO insights for 5G network deployment scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has enabled the prevailing digital transformation (i.e. digitalization), where physical products can be readily digitized in the virtual space and seamlessly interconnected. Meanwhile, industries are ever increasingly adopting service business models (i.e. servitization), so as to offer not only physical products but also services as a solution bundle to meet individual customer needs. Such convergence of both digitalization and servitization (i.e. digital servitization) has triggered an emerging IT-driven business paradigm, smart product-service systems (Smart PSS). As a novel paradigm coined in 2014, to the authors' knowledge, only 2 conference papers have provided some literature review to date, and many issues remain uncovered or not comprehensively investigated. Aiming to fill this gap, this paper has conducted a systematic review of Smart PSS or related papers published ever since its first brought up to date (30/06/2019), and selected 97 representative items together with other 37 supplementary works to summarize the tendency towards Smart PSS, its business and technical aspects, current challenges, and future perspectives. From the survey, it is found that several hybrid concerns are the key challenges faced, and self-adaptiveness with sustainability, advanced IT infrastructure, human-centric perspectives, and circular lifecycle management are the core future perspectives to explore. It is hoped that this work can attract more open discussions and provide useful insights to both academics and industries in their exploration and implementation of Smart PSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning enterprise applications (EA) software from on-premises to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a crucial question for IT adoption decisions. Grounded in the literature, this article suggests a research model to support enterprises assessing a transition strategy from on-premises to a SaaS model. The research model proposes eight hypotheses to be tested and analysed with data collected from a questionnaire among firms that have EA software. This paper goes beyond the software functionality and usage to address the strategic challenges of selection in a new landscape of the enterprise software industry, also considering the industry's software deployment chain, business model, and the moderating factor of firm's business process sophistication. We aim to provide new and significant guidelines for enterprise's and software vendor´s decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturers around the globe are expected—with growing urgency—to contribute to the implementation of a circular economy (CE) to enhance environmental sustainability. However, to put circularity into practice, companies need to be better guided. Responding to their need, this paper 1) documents research-based insights for CE implementation; 2) clarifies key CE concepts; 3) highlights learning of CE research and innovation in various regions; 4) outlines guiding principles for CE implementation; and 5) proposes issues for future research to various communities with a cross-disciplinary approach in mind. The adopted method is a literature review supplemented with stakeholder interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the popularity of the environment, social and governance (ESG) concerns, the circular economy concept has gained tremendous attraction from the industries, policy makers and academicians. On a firm level, this is implemented through the so-called Circular Business Model (CBM), which is seen through various initiatives. This includes firms in the energy industry, who are transitioning from conventional to renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, despite of the importance and the omnipresence of the practice, there is still lack of empirical research within the CBM topic. In particular, empirical research combining the CBM and technological innovation topic within energy industry (as technology-intensive and high risk industry) in developing country such as Indonesia, is still lacking. To answer this gap, using literature review as research method, this paper has arrived into the following propositions as main result; (1) there is a positive relationship between firm's level of CBM and technology innovation adoption to firm's performance, where (2) the two antecedents that are positively impacting firm's level of CBM and technology innovation adoption are leader's innovativeness and perceived level of technology. For academicians, this research is expected to provide contribution to the energy transition literatures within CBM and technology innovation adoption topic. Propositions provided in this paper is expected to serve as valuable basis in conducting further empirical research. For practitioners, this research is expected to provide valuable insights to make improvements and/or innovations in terms of business model, technology adoption, and strategy. At last, this research is expected to support energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we put forward a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based energy management system (EMS) solution for a typical Korean net-zero residential micro-grid (NZR-MG). We model NZR-MG EMS to extract a profitable business model that respects whole stakeholders' interests and meets Korean power system regulations and specifications. We deployed the value-based DRL technique, dual deep Q-learning (DDQN), as a solution for our EMS problem since of its simplicity, stability in the learning process, and non-dependency on hyper-parameter selection compared to actor–critic methods. Due to the implementation of mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) to solve the reward function in this paper, DDQN, despite other DRL methods, provides precise, explicit, and meaningful rewards. In addition to encouraging the agent to choose profitable actions, this approach releases the proposed DRL-based method from the hindrance of redesigning the reward function experimentally in any future extension of the environment elements. Moreover, attaching transfer learning (TL) to the process of training DDQN agent defeat the MINLP imposed latency in training convergence. An extensive benchmark is proposed to test the superiority of the proposed method versus other DRL algorithms. [Display omitted] • This paper presents a profitable business model for net-zero residential micro-grids considering whole stakeholders' interests based on Korean power system regulations. • The double deep Q-learning technique is hired as a principle optimization method to solve arranged net-zero residential micro-grid energy management cost function. • The accuracy of double deep Q-learning is enhanced by deploying mixed integer non-linear programming as a reward estimator to feasible hiring explicit reward for our optimization solution. • Transfer learning is applied to accelerate double deep Q-learning convergence rate by sequentially training agent action selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things in the energy sector manifests itself in the form of smart energy technologies that bring forth new smart energy business models (BMs). This technological progress alongside with decentralization of renewable energy production, market liberalization, and changing customer demands is making it difficult for organizations to keep up with the changing nature of the energy industry. Traditional energy utilities are challenged by the emerging smart energy BMs as the latter can replace established business operations. This is especially true for the customer segment of private households, which has become a focus of BM innovation in recent years. To address the challenge of low market transparency and the dynamics of technology-induced BM change, we analyze the BMs of 175 energy firms addressing the end consumer market by using a static (i.e., deriving BM representations) and dynamic BM lens (i.e., analysis of BM changes). We identify eight smart energy BM representations in form of BM archetypes. The findings are set in relation to a theoretical understanding of BM change revealing a hesitancy of traditional utilities to revise their BMs. Instead, the energy utilities prefer to build on BM extensions by outsourcing the innovation activities in subsidiaries or by using partnerships. The BM archetypes together with the BM changes provide an overview of the current smart energy market for private households and can serve as a starting point for BM innovation especially for energy utilities. • The business models (BMs) of 175 companies regarding smart energy are presented. • Analyzed business models are synthesized in the form of eight smart energy BM archetypes. • The paper introduces smart energy BM changes. • The BM changes and archetypes enhance the understanding of BM innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply Chain Integration (SCI) has attracted increasing attention in Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) literature as it could be a very useful tool for risk mitigation. At the same time, companies in several sectors are experiencing a transition towards more circular and sustainable business models, which poses new challenges and risks for firms. Despite the relevance of integrative practices in supply chains to deal with risks and uncertainties, evidence about the role of SCI for dealing with risks of Circular Economy (CE) is still lacking. The focus of this paper is on the causal link between SCI and SCRM in a circular economy context, with the main aim of investigating the effects of SCI and SCRM practices combined with CE on company performance. For this research, a multiple case-study approach was adopted involving several companies at different levels in the furniture industry. The results are expected to guide companies in their transition towards CE business models, being able to better deal with CE risks through integrative practices and obtaining an overall increase of efficiency, particularly in costs, due to the optimization and green use of waste materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated industrial Visual Inspection Systems (VIS) are typically customized for specific applications, limiting their flexibility. They are characterized by a demanding setup, high capital investments, and significant knowledge barriers. In this paper, we propose an alternative architecture for the visual inspection of 3D printed parts or complex assemblies using a robotic arm equipped with hand-eye sensors and controllable lighting system. The core of the proposed Flexible Vision Inspection System (FVIS) is the self-extraction of 3D text annotations from STandard for the Exchange of Product model (STEP) AP242 files. The system self-selects and parametrizes the most suitable inspection algorithm, including lighting settings. Additionally, it autonomously performs self-localization, self-referencing of physical products, and self-planning of robot inspection path based on CAD information. This framework, characterized by self-X, cost-effective, non-invasive, and plug-and-play architecture has the potential to disrupt the business model of vision inspection, enabling an as-a-service solution aligned with the next generation of flexible manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the role of entrepreneurship education has grown dramatically in significance, as a driver for innovation, employment, and economic development. The acquisition of entrepreneurship skills empowers individuals to recognize and capitalize on opportunities, effectively manage risks, and navigate the dynamic landscape of the Deep Tech industry. These skills enable engineers to identify viable business models, understand market dynamics, secure funding for research projects, and effectively communicate their ideas to stakeholders, including investors, industry partners, and policymakers. To realize the aforementioned objectives, Higher Education Institutions play a critical role by educating future (engineering) experts and are seen as drivers of innovation. This paper presents a use case in the form of an educational toolkit. It focuses on how to professionalize entrepreneurship education, fostering entrepreneurial mindsets among engineering experts, academic staff, and non-academic staff at Higher Education Institutions in Deep Tech-related disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MDA represents a fundamental standard established by the Object Management Group (OMG) that serves as a foundation for model-driven development. Within the MDA framework, the computation-independent model (CIM) holds the position of the initial abstraction level. As a business model, the CIM describes the requirements and environment of a business, playing a pivotal role in influencing all other levels of the MDA approach. Recognizing the significance of this stage in MDA, the primary objective of this paper is to propose a web-based approach for automating the construction of CIM. This approach utilizes web interfaces to gather relevant information from users about the business model. Furthermore, an illustrative example is presented to provide a clearer demonstration of the application of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Born circular startups play a pivotal role in implementing high-level circularity to fight resource depletion and address climate change. In developing circular business model innovation, circular startups face the challenge of lacking legitimacy, which can be approached by certifications provided by concepts like Cradle-to-Cradle. As there is currently no supporting tool to develop such business models, this paper employs a design science research approach and proposes a Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) Business Model Tool. The tool is developed based on a literature review, feedback from 42 users in six demonstration workshops and is finally tested with eight startups. It succeeds in aiding born circular startups in navigating the venturing process with a focus on high-level circularity. In this paper, C2C principles developed for the product level are theoretically linked to the business model level. The tool addresses elements such as partnerships, communication, and action-taking, thereby contributing to the literature on circular business model innovation and serving as a practical resource for born circular startups. [Display omitted] • Circular startups face great challenges when innovating for circular business models. • Cradle-to-Cradle principles can enable high level circularity in business models. • Cradle-to-Cradle as a product level concept can be integrated in business models. • Proposed business model tool can support startups with Cradle-to-Cradle innovation. • Design science research contributes to bridging design-implementation gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual study explores the alignment between servitization—a shift from selling products to offering services—and circularity principles. The study introduces institutional confluence—a configuration of institutional pressures that enhance business model legitimacy to stakeholders and facilitate operational success— which can serve as a driver aligning servitization with circular principles. Institutional confluence has the capacity to trigger novel business models, shape resources and processes, enhance value capture, and inhibit unsustainable business models. The study develops the concept and underscores the role of institutional confluence in promoting this alignment and subsequent environmental sustainability. The article utilizes illustrative case examples from servitization and circular business models to develop the concept of institutional confluence serving sustainable servitization. The study offers strategic insights for managers and policymakers, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that integrates servitization and circularity from the outset of business model design. It advocates for policies that leverage regulatory, normative, and mimetic pressures to foster sustainable business practices. The article contributes to the servitization literature by delineating the mechanisms through which institutional forces facilitate or hinder the integration of servitization and circularity, offering directions for future research to explore these dynamics across different contexts and industries. • Management scholars have tended to view the uptake of servitized circular business model frameworks through an internal business model lens, with firm-level innovation capabilities. We look beyond the focal company and consider how business model development interacts with wider societal development. • This paper utilizes institutional influences as explanatory drivers for this process. • The paper introduces the concept of institutional 'confluence', a mutually reinforcing process of interactivity between institutional pressures, for servitized circularity. • Policymakers are encouraged to enhance normative socio-cultural pressures for servitized circularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The company's ability to innovate has a significant impact on its business model. Innovation encourages companies to move towards a more sustainable direction in their business, this shift is of course based on the sustainable values in it. The paper aims to analyze the value flow sustainable business model from a study case of mining company. The company wants to shift their business model in order to accommodate the innovation business process that has been develop from one year ago. Value intention, value proposition, value creation and delivery, and value capture are four values that is included in sustainable business model, these values indicate that the company is concern on how the goods will align with sustainable concept. This research using qualitative method by interviewing top management about their value. The result of this paper assigns that value intention as the main variable that push the company to shift the business model to be more sustainable, along with the value proposition of making asphalt residue become Asphalt Solid Waste (ASW), for value creation and delivery the company wants to introduce ASW as a sustainable product to replace imported oil asphalt and the last from value capture is about generating profit from this new sustainable product. From all of the values above, it confirms that the company has ready to shift to sustainable business model conceptually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the options for corporations to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace is by establishing business cooperation between large companies and start-ups. Start-ups see corporations as recipients of their solutions (products, services). Meanwhile corporations are interested to a large extent in getting access to breakthrough technologies, innovations, new business models present on the market. This paper deals with the assessment of opportunities for business cooperation in the start-up-corporate model at the background of global market turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The research focused on the perception of this cooperation from the perspective of start-ups', which: are at different phases of development (concept phase, development phase, scaling up phase) and are characterised by different lengths of time they operate in the marketplace. This paper aims at presenting the impact of market turbulence on the relationship between start-ups and corporations, and thus to verify the research question regarding the impact of market perturbations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on mounting corporate interest in cooperation with start-ups. The results were analysed based on a sample of 101 start-ups participating in acceleration programmes with the involvement of large companies, organised by start-up accelerators. The findings allow to draw several conclusions: representatives of start-ups more often observe a decrease in interest and priority of cooperation between corporations and start-ups in connection with the emergence of a global pandemic. Moreover, they less often feel that corporations are looking for start-ups outside their core areas of interest, while it is start-ups that have to adapt to the changing needs of technology users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to support entrepreneurs in the Business Model Innovation (BMI) process, practice-oriented frameworks such as the St. Gallen Business Model NavigatorTM (BMN) are considered to be a powerful tool. The aim of this paper is to identify strengths and limitations of the BMN when applied to start-ups in their early stages and to contribute to the optimization of the BMN in terms of applicability for start-ups. Furthermore, the paper aims to emphasize the importance of BMI for start-ups and the relevance of a supporting framework as well as formulating a unified catalogue of requirements of BMI frameworks for start-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product service systems (PSS) are an example of a novel business model billed as having the potential to significantly reduce the environmental burdens of production and consumption processes. However, despite widespread interest in PSS, consensus regarding their actual environmental impacts, particularly with regard to salient issues such as global warming, is lacking. Hence this paper explores existing research to investigate the state of the art regarding the climatic impacts of PSS, alongside the set of factors that influence climatic impacts. The paper comprises a systematic review of peer-reviewed academic literature, quantifying the extent to which different types of PSS have the capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across multiple product categories. Our study shows that significant reductions in climatic emissions are possible, but PSS are in many cases associated with more modest reductions and, in some cases, increased emissions. Further, we observe no clear differences in climatic impacts according to the type of PSS model that is deployed. Rather, differences in climatic impact are influenced by factors such as production and design alongside use-phase impacts and contextual factors such as transportation and the energy mix. The study argues that further research is needed to establish a more robust baseline upon which to draw conclusions regarding the sources of climatic impacts, and outlines fruitful ways for companies to tackle the complexities of climatic emissions that are beyond their control. • In some cases, product service systems can reduce climatic impacts by up to 80%. • In other cases, climatic impacts increase compared to traditional product sales. • Climatic impacts are influenced by use intensity, transportation and production. • Other contextual factors such as the energy mix play a role. • More quantitative assessments are needed with less reliance on estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional business models increasingly less accurately accommodate changes taking place in the market. Growing competition, sharing economy, digital transformation, corporate environmental responsibility, and increasing customer requirements exert pressure on enterprises to change their business mentality. One can easily observe the need for integrated, environment-friendly solutions that generate new value added to customers. To achieve that, we need new business models that would allow to discover new potential in new markets. In the face of dynamic market changes, traditional business models are increasingly less capable of addressing the growing competition, sharing economy, digital transformation, corporate environmental responsibility, and the rising demands of customers. There is a clear need for integrated, environmentally friendly solutions that generate new added value for customers. Achieving this goal requires the development of new business models that enable the discovery of potential in new markets. Therefore, searching for and creating new business models that would stand up to requirements is vital. These problems could be solved by a PSS considered a personalized business model operating in an extended time horizon. PSS is an opportunity to sell product functions and availability, as well as a perspective for multiple uses of products. This paper presents a pioneering attempt to develop a Product-Service System (PSS) business model specifically tailored for the plastics industry. An innovative approach consists in the integration of a machinery and a tool into a production unit and adding an array of services to it. This groundbreaking research, unprecedented in its scale, involved a comprehensive questionnaire-based study conducted across 60 plastics processing plants employing prevalent production techniques. The study is unique in its extensive scope and depth, as such an analysis of PSS business models within the plastics industry has not been previously explored in the open literature. The research methodology applied is thorough, covering a wide range of practical aspects crucial for the effective implementation of PSS in the plastics sector. This paper stands out for its detailed examination of 60 enterprises in the plastics industry, focusing on their interest in 95 services essential for the optimal operation of plastics processing plants and their engagement with representatives from the plastics industry. This extensive study offers valuable insights into the usage of machines and tools in plastics processing, as well as the specific needs, requirements, and challenges faced by businesses in this sector. Results of analyses demonstrate that interest in services differs depending on the size of an enterprise, processing technique, having a toolroom or not, product range, and the duration of breakdowns. A new PSS business model for plastics processing was built based on the analysis of PSS design methods and sectors to which they are addressed, PSS used in practice, plastics processing sector, questionnaire-based studies conducted among plastics processing plants, statistical analyses, advice and consultancy sessions with experts from the investigated industry, finances and trade patterns for machines. Until to date the question of precise design of such a business model for the plastics processing sector has neither been examined nor discussed or evidenced. The paper aims to bridge this gap. The approach to the issue was innovative, based on a questionnaire survey and consultations with experts which allowed to faithfully reproduce the current condition of the investigated sector. In addition, each service added on to the production unit underwent a detailed statistical analysis. The hereto presented business model is extremely comprehensive as it can be used in plastics processing plants of different sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Research-in-Progress paper presents a preliminary design of a maturity model for assessing the internal readiness of business-to-business equipment manufacturing companies implementing new, service-based pay-per-x (PPX) business models. By using existing maturity model design guidelines, action design research methodology as well as PPX-related literature and analogous maturity models in fields such as servitization, digitization, Industry 4.0, data-driven manufacturing and product-service systems, this paper explains how the creation of a maturity model could enable a systematic approach to implementing the new PPX business models. The paper will also provide the basis for the PPX maturity model development and validation in the future, while aiding the equipment manufacturing companies in assessing their current as-is situation in the most critical areas of PPX implementation as well as formulating a roadmap towards the implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to identify farm business models in family and nonfamily succession focused on continuity. Three databases and 77 selected papers were collected for analysis. Family and nonfamily models characterized 13 possibilities for business continuity in farm succession. The findings showed that each case is unique, including business characteristics, the institutional environment, and its stakeholders. Having one or more family heir interested in taking over as a successor is related to the economic potential of the business and the family governance form to minimize intrafamily conflicts. Solutions can provide financial security and emotional stability to older farmers. Lack of information, poorly drafted contracts, or insecurity to organize a succession process within or outside the family members can lead farmers not to pass on his business to others when his capability is wearing out. • Agricultural norms are flexible in terms of business continuity, taking over, and withdrawing. • While family succession is preferable, alternatives are emerging for the farm continuity. • Lack of information, poorly drafted contracts, or insecurity about succession bring complexity. • New models to overcome the limitations of succession have been increasingly dependent on external labor. • Economic potential and governance are related to having one or more family heir interested in succession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current pandemic situation creates several challenges for many entities. One of them is the fact that fast fashion retailers have to change their strategic activities related to the whole business model concept. In the proposed paper it is assumed that business model plays crucial role as the success factor for entities from different industries including fast fashion retailing especially in the era of global pandemics. Therefore, the aforementioned area (business model as the success factor of the company) constitutes the subject of the paper. Purpose. The aim of the paper is to indicate the scope and main character of changes in business models implemented by fast fashion retailers in pandemic times. The following goals of descriptive and cognitive character are assumed in the paper: a) identification of the fast fashion retailers' common activities in changing business models in the era of pandemics, and b) identification of e-commerce solutions applied by fast fashion retail chains which are caused by development of multi-channel and omni-channel solutions based on Inditex example. Methodology. Based on the theoretic deliberation of retail chains business models in the pandemic times, qualitative research was conducted to supplement the theoretical background. The purpose of this study was to identify how fast fashion retailers develop their e-commerce solutions to maintain the sales level. The conducted research enabled finding the answers to the following research questions: What are the good practices of fast fashion retailers in terms of development of e-commerce channels? Can fast fashion retailers relying on e-commerce business models stay profitable in the Covid-19 pandemics? The theoretic deliberation is based on critical literature review. The empirical part of the paper is based on case study research. The conducted research was descriptive in nature, conducted in order to describe a particular phenomenon within its context, and was not intended to provide conclusive evidence, but to have a better understanding of the problem. Descriptive intrinsic case study was the method applied in the research. Results. On the grounds of literature studies, as well as collected information, it can be stated that e-commerce solutions are the predominant business model of fast fashion retailers in the era of global COVID 19 pandemics. The descriptive case study research allowed to observe, analyse, and report good practices of fast fashion retailer Inditex in terms of implementing into their business models more and more e-commerce solutions such as: development of applications, development of multi and omni channels. The theoretical contribution. On the grounds of the case, it can be stated that during pandemics fast fashion retail chains focus on development of innovative business models based on e-commerce solutions. Practical implications (if applicable). The paper provides intellectual input into the managerial problem of how to develop mutual beneficiary business models for fast retail chains as well as for their customers. The study suggests that fast fashion retail chains have to take into consideration growing customers expectation, with regard to e-commerce solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitization is one of the main drivers of changing the way of work within enterprises because new business models evolve from recent digitization processes. Besides the ongoing information technologies in the world of business, it is important for small and medium-sized enterprises to care for their employees and to ensure employee satisfaction. This paper aims at assessing the influence of digitization on employee satisfaction in small and medium-sized companies. This paper is based on qualitative empirical research with focus on expert interviews. The transcribed expert interviews were evaluated using the Grounded Theory approach. Grounded Theory is a method that is particularly suitable for theory building and for identification of new and unknown relationships. The objective of this study is to provide recommendations for small and medium-sized enterprises regarding when they face increasing challenges as a result of volatile market environments and versatile digitization processes to ensure employee satisfaction. Our study identifies emerging factors which influence employee satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of a review system in e-commerce platforms results in an effective business model. The effects of positive/negative reviews on the success of a product are well studied in the literature. Therefore, for the vendors, it is crucial to obtain positive reviews of their products. This fact opens fraudulent scenarios. Indeed, some vendors can pay an incentive to the buyers to obtain, in exchange, a fake positive review. This fake-review system (FRS) is so widespread that vendors rely on ad-hoc companies that, through intermediaries, find buyers available to release fake reviews. In this paper, we propose a game-theory-based strategy to discourage the above fraudulent business model, and an effective way to implement this strategy leveraging an Ethereum smart contract. Specifically, the contribution of the paper is two-fold. First, we formalize the current business model as a sequential game, and we identify sufficient conditions making FRS advantageous. Second, we propose to introduce in the review system a new mechanism, thanks to which, the corresponding sequential game requires conditions necessary to make advantageous FRS that are strictly less convenient than the previous ones. We implemented the solution and evaluate the cost of the smart contract execution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a descriptive analysis of repayment performance for pay-as-you-go solar lamps, based on pilots conducted in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia during 2014 and 2015. In our sample, 95% of accounts were eventually paid off by the end of the observation period, and the median time to ownership was one week less than the nominal repayment term. Default rates of 11% and 7% were observed with a grace period of 50% and 100% of the repayment term, respectively. We document differences between weekly and monthly accounts (e.g., although time to ownership and on-time performance were better in weekly accounts, longer-term default rates were lower for monthly accounts). The observed payment patterns demonstrate that customers make extensive use of the flexibility allowed in rent-to-own models (e.g., fewer than 30% of customers followed a regular schedule of fixed installments). The analysis identified repayment frequency as one key factor associated with this behavior, as flexible payment patterns were much more likely to occur in weekly accounts than in monthly accounts. This paper highlights the importance of business model design in the diffusion of off-grid energy products in developing countries, outlining opportunities for future research in this domain. • Descriptive analysis of repayment performance for pay-as-you-go solar lamps • 95% of accounts were eventually paid off by the end of the observation period. • Default rate of 11% and 7%, with grace period of 50% and 100% of the repayment term • Customers make extensive use of the flexibility allowed in rent-to-own models. • Differences between weekly and monthly accounts for off-grid energy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated energy systems for multi-purpose applications are garnering increased interest in the international nuclear energy community, energy system designers and planners and decision makers in the context of deep decarbonization and net zero targets. They are expected to reduce costs and increase flexibility in operation of nuclear reactors when coupled with intermittent renewable energy sources, while also producing various commodities such as hydrogen or potable water. Adaptive solutions must be considered for each geographical area and based on the involved components of the energy system, available infrastructure, and policy in place. This paper provides an in-depth look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of such systems, while addressing different aspects related to the creation of the business case for such systems including decentralization and digitalization of future energy systems. The regulatory aspects are the ones that impose challenges on the emerging hybrid energy systems and this paper highlights some of the considerations that are needed for the couplings involved, in terms of licensing procedures and safety analysis. The potential contribution of such integrated energy systems towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are also discussed. Concerning the stakeholders, special attention should be paid to building social acceptance and trust as this lays the foundation for successful implementation of such projects. By focusing on areas such as research and development, integration of technologies, policy support, market development, grid integration, energy storage, efficiency improvement, system modelling and simulations, significant advances in integrated/hybrid energy systems deployment can be achieved. • Role of integrated energy systems in deep decarbonization for climate change mitigation. • Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of multigeneration energy systems. • Decarbonization, decentralization and digitalization based business models. • Integrated systems can help achieving sustainable development goals (SDG7,11,13). • Hybrid energy systems can address the challenges of intermittency and grid stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of mobile communication, 6G technology has enhanced features, such as ultrahigh data rates and sharing, bandwidth connectivity, and low data latency, compared to 5G technology. As new services become possible due to these characteristics, attempts to present promising future services based on 6G technology are occurring in academia and industry. However, because 6G technology has a very wide range of applications as a fundamental technology, 6G service scenario research is also being conducted for each sector. To predict 6G technology use in the future, it is necessary to understand comprehensively the scenarios being studied sporadically by sector. Therefore, we aim to derive major service scenarios by analyzing in-depth public data for 6G service scenarios. We collected research papers, corporate reports, and news articles on 6G service scenarios and performed topic modeling to derive four major domains and 16 application areas. Afterward, the derived service's feasibility and promising scenario were evaluated by utilizing the future-context canvas and business model canvas that analyze the service's value from the user's and supplier's perspectives, respectively. The research results are expected to support technology development and business planning in the field by enhancing understanding of 6G service scenarios. • We analyzed public data for investigating 6G service scenarios. • Research papers, corporate reports, and news articles were collected for this purpose. • Topic modeling was performed to derive four major domains and 16 application areas. • In-depth analysis was conducted using future-context canvas and business model canvas. • The service's value was evaluated both from the user's and supplier's perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing recognition among academics and practitioners that growth hacking provides a means to bridge the gap between strategy definition and strategy implementation. Significant tensions tend to arise across this gap. However, the data-driven experimentation, and the organizational capabilities developed within the firm, increase the ability of the company to foster technological forecasting and business model innovation. It is argued within this paper, that growth hacking actually mitigates these tensions. This paper is a critical review complemented with insights from practitioners and an illustrative case, the purpose of which is to: a) shed light on what growth hacking is; b) give practical tips on how to implement growth hacking. In achieving the first goal, the paper unravels the following myths. First, growth hacking is not a framework for platforms and high-tech companies only. Second, it is not only a marketing strategy and third, that growth hacking is a predefined process. These issues are traced back to two flawed assumptions underlying growth hacking; namely that (a) it is a framework designed for start-ups only and (b) that a "one size fits all" approach to growth hacking is appropriate. By unravelling those issues and combining these observations we shall provide ground for a fundamentally different approach to growth hacking, designed for business model scalability, enabled for adaptability in a changing business environment and focused throughout on the effective management of a firm's resources and capabilities. These insights shall guide scholars towards a better understanding of the phenomenon and of the two waves that characterize its evolution, providing also promising future research avenues. Moreover, the implications drawn from the discussion shall help managers in guiding their journey from strategy definition to strategy implementation. • We unravel the role of growth hacking in bridging the gap between strategy definition and strategy execution. • We critically review the literature on growth hacking and we provide insights from practitioners • We unravel three false myths on growth hacking and elaborate on strategic planning and forecasting in times of change • We propose several practical tips on how to implement growth hacking [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Startups' inherent qualities, as well as their crucial role in development, implementation and diffusion of improved goods and services, which reduce the use of natural resources or increase societal inclusion, enabled to identify two main goals of the paper. The first one is to get more insight into the way strategy and business model are used in startups. Second goal is to take a closer look at the relationship between them to find out, which one – if any – dominates. The way startup uses these approaches is going to have a significant impact on: implementation of management methods and tools, process of strategy identification and implementation, as well as business model innovation (BMI) management. Since BMI provides mechanisms to assist the innovation process for embedding sustainability, it can be viewed at as an alternative to product or process innovation. Hence, the way BMI is implemented is critical not only for sustainable product and service innovation, but also startup's sustainable growth. The five-step research procedure included both qualitative and quantitative research methods, main one being survey questionnaire. The sample comprised 152 Polish startups. Research results confirmed, that both strategy and business model approaches were used by the sample companies. It means that well-known and established strategic management tools do hold significance also in startups. In the context of relationship between these two approaches, two main conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, all three scenarios included in the research were used; secondly, the most popular one being business model adapted to strategy. Moreover, research results suggest, that there is a point in startup's life cycle, at which it starts to focus on its strategy, bringing it closer to company model typical for strategic management mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we will examine how innovation, which is the source of competitiveness of good companies, is managed in their organizational structure by combining patent-based network analysis, the Business Model Canvas, one of the tools for practical activities for new businesses, and the perspective of ISO 56000, and by analyzing Fujifilm's The analysis was conducted focusing on the period when Fujifilm underwent a major corporate transformation. As a result, we could distinguish between the organizational structure of the genus-based approach and the organizational structure of the organization-based approach based on the network diagram and the relationship between proximity centrality and eigenvector centrality. It was also suggested that a deeper analysis of new business development activities, e.g., "What aspects should be improved?" would be possible by overlaying the analysis results from the perspective of the Business Model Canvas and the ISO 56000 innovation management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional successful business model of companies has been to increase productivity with high efficiency in order to provide good quality products to society. However, this business model is changing to focus on how to optimally manage corporate technology and resources to solve social issues. Therefore, it is necessary to promote three different types of activities to improve quality, productivity and sustainability that ensure the sustainability of each organization into the future. In this paper, we propose an SDQ Cube Template that expresses the strategy to promote SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), DX (Digital transformation) and QC (Quality Control) initiatives in business processes. Additionally, we clarify the effectiveness of the proposed method by expressing practical business processes using the SDQ Cube template. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sector coupling will play a key role in the future energy system to realise greenhouse gas emission reductions. A major factor will be green hydrogen based on renewable energies to defossilise consumption sectors. Related business models of power to gas are not yet implemented on the market. However, given the urgency of the change, this is essential. This paper investigates hydrogen business models under current market conditions of high power prices, no existing market for green hydrogen and the given regulatory framework with no levies for green hydrogen production in the German market. For this purpose, an open-source business model evaluation tool for sector coupling, which enables a simple and generic evaluation of sector coupling business models including production and possible transportation infrastructure, is developed and applied. Furthermore, the impact of changes of the input parameters like power prices and the influence of regulatory changes on profitability are assessed. The results show that X-to-power business cases can be already profitable due to high power prices on the wholesale market. However, power-to-X business models like hydrogen production still have negative net present values and the net present value is worsened when infrastructure for hydrogen transportation is considered. Key parameters for the negative result are investment costs and low hydrogen prices. Nevertheless, it must be considered that higher hydrogen prices have a negative impact on the X-to-power business model. To allow for profitable business cases, the market conditions need to be adjusted to ensure sufficiently high prices for green hydrogen. Furthermore, subsidies on investment or operational and maintenance costs can support the integration of power-to-X into the market. Transportation infrastructure has a significant impact on profitability. Given these facts, it is necessary to create the required framework conditions to ensure the realisation of sector coupling. • Presentation of an open-source approach to assessing sector coupling business models. • Case study on hydrogen including renewables, transportation infrastructure, and regulatory and market conditions in Germany. • No market-based introduction of power-to-X business models without subsidies. • X-to-power business models profitable due to high power prices. • Power-to-X and X-to-Power jeopardise each other as they require opposing hydrogen and electricity prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing data in the industrial environment offers manufacturing companies numerous opportunities to optimize their own processes and develop new service offerings that go beyond existing business models. Many companies have already recognized this potential and have developed their own data-based solutions. But despite these efforts, many of the solutions developed, ultimately fail on the market. This is commonly caused by companies struggling to develop suitable business models for their technical solutions. A crucial factor in this regard is the lack of adequate economic evaluation during the development phase. On the revenue side, the selection of a suitable pricing strategy represents an important decision. It determines the acceptance on the market as well as the profitability of a data-based business model. Due to the growing share of data-based value creation, new challenges and opportunities arise in this regard. This paper presents an approach to select and develop a suitable pricing strategy for data-based services in the industrial environment. For this purpose, challenges in the selection of pricing strategies with a special focus on intangible goods such as data are examined first. Subsequently, existing pricing mechanisms are identified and discussed. Based on this, a process model for determining suitable pricing strategies is derived, which companies can use in the context of their business model development. The method is then validated with an industrial use case and the results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platform-based manufacturing is substantially changing the way production is conceived and performed. Companies do not know who is making their parts, part manufacturers do not necessarily own the machines, and knowledge and decisions cross the borders of firms. This revolutionary approach is already becoming a reality thanks to a wealth of innovations related to manufacturing science as well as information and communication technologies, and novel business models that meet together at the right moment of their evolution. Considering the existing literature and digging into the phenomenon by interviewing decision-makers, the paper reconstructs the roots of these developments, analyzes the challenges posed to the manufacturing sector, focuses on recent challenges and opportunities, and finally delineates visions for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar home systems (SHSs) have seen rapid growth and have proven to be a viable source of electricity for households due to their capability to reach remote users that do not have access to grid systems. Based on a comprehensive literature review of 139 papers focussing on SHSs in Sub-Saharan Africa, this paper highlights the key trends, research gaps and policy recommendations. The literature was categorised into four themes: institutional, technology, viability and user-centric. The review finds that the current primary themes of research are technology, user-centric and viability. This highlights the need for further research into the institutional barriers of SHSs, as well as the regulatory frameworks and incentives needed to increase their adoption. The most popular topics discussed in the reviewed literature included SHS business models, SHS design, the energy demand of end-users and barriers to SHS adoption. The authors also identified paucity of research in countries with low electrification rates, highlighting new locations for SHS research. • The authors reviewed 139 papers focussing on SHS research in Sub-Saharan Africa • Almost even split between technology, viability and user-centric SHS research with limited research on institutional issues. • There is a gap in SHS research in SSA countries with low electrification rates • Most popular topics were SHS business models, SHS design, end-user energy demand and adoption barriers • Need to develop stronger regulatory frameworks for SHSs and improved quality assurance through cross-sectoral partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the implementation of new concepts and business models to increase data quality by defining clear rules for real-time error detection in an experimental decision support system (DSS), which helps financial decision-makers to analyse and process useful and business information from raw data, documents, personal knowledge and/or business models in order to identify and solve complex financial problems and to choose the best decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • New tool, Circular Flow, tackles the lack of consistency in measuring circularity. • Circular Flow provides quantitative results for energy and material flows. • Circular Flow can be applied in any sector/system with material and/or energy flows. • Novel visual representation helps to spot opportunities for internalizing value. • A case study in a Brazilian agroindustrial cooperative was performed. Unlike the linear model "take-make-use-dispose", the circular economy model "grow-make-use-restore" intends to potentiate material and energy flows within a system with the premise of increasing environmental gains. Moreover, circular economy practices can be alternatives for closing loops in companies from different sectors, with material-, waste-, and energy-related initiatives towards promoting greater internal value-adding. However, the lack of consistent tools for measuring circularity of processes and companies is a gap yet to be covered. To tackle this gap, this paper's aims are: (i) to build a new tool, called Circular Flow, for generating greater internal value and competitive advantage in organizations and identify potential circular economy-related opportunities for closing loops based on external flows, (ii) to apply the tool in a case study, an organization that presents material and energy (electricity) flows and exchanges with other organizations, and (iii) to discuss the integration and potential opportunities for the tool in organizations. The novel, Circular Flow, tool is based on a set of circular graph visualizations, and quantitative circularity indicators. For the graphical visualization, the software tool R (using the Circlize package) was used. The graphs aid the visualization of several interconnected pieces of information, allowing to show all quantitative flows of inputs and outputs, intuitively showing the paths (origin and destination of each flow) within the boundaries of the system under study. The quantitative indicators, e.g. Circularity of the organization (Circ p) and Circularity of each process (Circ o), show a circularity index ranging from 0% to 100%, which can be assessed at different levels. The criteria to select these indicators are based on quantities of inputs and outputs regarding mass and electricity. The tool has been applied in a case study of a rural property in southern Brazil, which region holds a tradition for milk and pig farming. The use of the tool showed the involvement of the rural property with its neighbors and with an agroindustrial cooperative. Keeping these flows within the system may increase environmental gains by reducing transportation, using renewable sources of energy, reducing costs, and boosting the generation of jobs and income in the region due to new market opportunities and business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the penetration of digital transformation into enterprises, business model creation has become important issues for modern enterprises. Although business model canvas is well known, it isn't easy to use Business Model Canvas for novice service designers. In this paper, an integrated technique is proposed to develop the service oriented Business Model Canvas step by step by combining with Customer Journey Map and Service Blueprint. Moreover, we examine the applicability of the technique by designing an emergency call service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing a digital direct-to-consumer (D2C) business is a complex and challenging, yet also highly attractive opportunity for many companies. To leverage this opportunity, managers need to understand what types of digital D2C models exist and how to configure them. Based on a review of the D2C literature, an analysis of 15 D2C online shops and interviews with experts from the respective firms, this paper develops a morphological box of D2C models using a design science research process. The morphological box serves as a tool that provides orientation for managers to find a suitable D2C configuration for their business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]