Sustainability and energy efficiency

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 148-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remko van Hoek ◽  
Mark Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Equilibrium Points ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer the questions posed by the special issue editors using insights from leading academics in the field and case examples drawn from two renowned global companies. It also aims to define potential avenues for further research in the thematic areas covered.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a roundtable discussion with the Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals's Education Strategy Committee and case materials and presentations from Cisco Systems and Walmart to generate the insights.FindingsThe existing cost/lead‐time trade‐off model still applies yet changes in fuel prices and the importance of sustainability initiatives (also from a marketing point of view) lead to different equilibrium points.Research limitations/implicationsBased on insight from leading academics and case examples, the paper suggests that the trade‐offs are made more intricate and require the more accurate addition of new factors such as social costs as today most of the decision making tends to be traditional economic and not yet include social and environmental as much. Nuances need to be added to avoid marketing skewing the trade‐off away from sustainability over time if it turns out that sustainability is a marketing/public relations fad that might go away. And the length of time for sustainable initiatives to have an impact needs to be considered, if it turns out the marketing advantage does not have staying power as long as investment write off periods. These suggest potentially fruitful avenues for further research. The cases also offer practical guidance as to how leading companies green their supply chains.Originality/valueThis paper specifically addresses the call for papers questions of the special issue editors through the synthesis of insights from leading academics and companies.

A new framework for time-cost trade-off considering float loss impact

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameh Monir El-Sayegh ◽  
Rana Al-Haj
Keyword(s):  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Time Cost ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Deterministic Optimization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Project Objectives ◽  
The Impact ◽  
New Framework

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a new framework for time–cost trade-off. The new framework provides the optimum time–cost value taking into account the float loss impact. Design/methodology/approach The stochastic framework uses Monte Carlo Simulation to calculate the effect of float loss on risk. This is later translated into an added cost to the trade-off problem. Five examples, from literature, are solved using the proposed framework to test the applicability of the developed framework. Findings The results confirmed the research hypothesis that the new optimum solution will be at a higher duration and cost but at a lower risk compared to traditional methods. The probabilities of finishing the project on time using the developed framework in all five cases were better than those using the classical deterministic optimization technique. Originality/value The objective of time–cost trade-off is to determine the optimum project duration corresponding to the minimum total cost. Time–cost trade-off techniques result in reducing the available float for noncritical activities and thus increasing the schedule risks. Existing deterministic optimization technique does not consider the impact of the float loss within the noncritical activities when the project duration is being crashed. The new framework allows project managers to exercise new trade-offs between time, cost and risk which will ultimately improve the chances of achieving project objectives.

scholarly journals The transformative service paradox: the dilemma of wellbeing trade-offs

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-663
Author(s):  
Rebekah Russell–Bennett ◽  
Rory Mulcahy ◽  
Kate Letheren ◽  
Ryan McAndrew ◽  
Uwe Dulleck
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiment ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Implicit Assumption ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Physical Wellbeing ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Future Implication

PurposeA transformative service aims to improve wellbeing; however, current approaches have an implicit assumption that all wellbeing dimensions are equal and more dimensions led to higher wellbeing. The purpose of this paper is to present evidence for a new framework that identifies the paradox of competing wellbeing dimensions for both the individual and others in society – the transformative service paradox (TSP).Design/methodology/approachData is drawn from a mixed-method approach using qualitative (interviews) and quantitative data (lab experiment) in an electricity service context. The first study involves 45 household interviews (n = 118) and deals with the nature of trade-offs at the individual level to establish the concept of the TSP. The second study uses a behavioral economics laboratory experiment (n = 110) to test the self vs. other nature of the trade-off in day-to-day use of electricity.FindingsThe interviews and experiment identified that temporal (now vs. future) and beneficiary-level factors explain why individuals make wellbeing trade-offs for the transformative service of electricity. The laboratory experiment showed that when the future implication of the trade-off is made salient, consumers are more willing to forego physical wellbeing for environmental wellbeing, whereas when the “now” implication is more salient consumers forego financial wellbeing for physical wellbeing.Originality/valueThis research introduces the term “Transformative Service Paradox” and identifies two factors that explain why consumers make wellbeing trade-offs at the individual level and at the societal level; temporal (now vs. future) and wellbeing beneficiary.

scholarly journals Pedagogical and learning theories and the improvement and development of lesson and learning studies

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Runesson
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Learning Study ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Concepts

Purpose – It has been suggested that, if pedagogical and learning theories are integrated into lesson and learning study, a systematic construction of pedagogical knowledge is possible (Elliott, 2012). In this Special Issue, it is reported how theory and theoretical concepts can add value to lesson and learning study. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Special Issue and explore the above concepts. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the Special Issue papers thematically and the main issues are discussed. Findings – Together the papers suggest that pedagogical theories and theorizing practice may contribute to the improvement of teachers’ practical knowledge and knowledge about teachers’ professional tasks and objects. Furthermore, some theories and theoretical concepts hitherto under-exploited in lesson and learning study are presented and discussed from the point of view how these might improve the quality of the studies. Originality/value – As a total, this collection of papers bring out issues about the role of pedagogical and learning theories and how these could inform lesson and learning study.

scholarly journals Prophages in Lactobacillus reuteri Are Associated with Fitness Trade-Offs but Can Increase Competitiveness in the Gut Ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jee-Hwan Oh ◽  
Xiaoxi B. Lin ◽  
Shenwei Zhang ◽  
Stephanie L. Tollenaar ◽  
Mustafa Özçam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
Lactobacillus Reuteri ◽  
Distal Colon ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Phage Production

ABSTRACT The gut microbiota harbors a diverse phage population that is largely derived from lysogens, which are bacteria that contain dormant phages in their genome. While the diversity of phages in gut ecosystems is getting increasingly well characterized, knowledge is limited on how phages contribute to the evolution and ecology of their host bacteria. Here, we show that biologically active prophages are widely distributed in phylogenetically diverse strains of the gut symbiont Lactobacillus reuteri. Nearly all human- and rodent-derived strains, but less than half of the tested strains of porcine origin, contain active prophages, suggesting different roles of phages in the evolution of host-specific lineages. To gain insight into the ecological role of L. reuteri phages, we developed L. reuteri strain 6475 as a model to study its phages. After administration to mice, L. reuteri 6475 produces active phages throughout the intestinal tract, with the highest number detected in the distal colon. Inactivation of recA abolished in vivo phage production, which suggests that activation of the SOS response drives phage production in the gut. In conventional mice, phage production reduces bacterial fitness as fewer wild-type bacteria survive gut transit compared to the mutant lacking prophages. However, in gnotobiotic mice, phage production provides L. reuteri with a competitive advantage over a sensitive host. Collectively, we uncovered that the presence of prophages, although associated with a fitness trade-off, can be advantageous for a gut symbiont by killing a competitor strain in its intestinal niche. IMPORTANCE Bacteriophages derived from lysogens are abundant in gut microbiomes. Currently, mechanistic knowledge is lacking on the ecological ramifications of prophage carriage yet is essential to explain the abundance of lysogens in the gut. An extensive screen of the bacterial gut symbiont Lactobacillus reuteri revealed that biologically active prophages are widely distributed in this species. L. reuteri 6475 produces phages throughout the mouse intestinal tract, but phage production is associated with reduced fitness of the lysogen. However, phage production provides a competitive advantage in direct competition with a nonlysogenic strain of L. reuteri that is sensitive to these phages. This combination of increased competition with a fitness trade-off provides a potential explanation for the domination of lysogens in gut ecosystem and how lysogens can coexist with sensitive hosts.

Australian customer willingness to pay and wait for mass-customised products

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Daronkola Kalantari ◽  
Lester Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Market Segments ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mass Customisation ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
To Receive

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find out how consumers constantly trade off the potential extra cost of mass customisation with the additional time they have to wait to receive their customised products. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine this issue by using conjoint analysis to estimate the trade-offs using a sample of Australian consumers. The authors use cluster analysis to form market segments in the three product categories examined. Findings The segments demonstrate that there are groups of customers who are quite willing to trade-off price with waiting time. The results have significant implications for Australian manufacturers who are contemplating moving into mass customisation. Originality/value Many researchers have investigated the issue of a customer’s readiness to buy a customised product. In particular, they have examined whether customers are willing to pay extra for a mass-customised product, whether they would spend some time to design it, as well as wait to receive it. There has been no study that has examined all three factors simultaneously. The results of this study can help manufacturers form a better understanding of customer willingness for purchasing mass-customised products.

scholarly journals Optimal maintenance scheduling for local public purpose buildings

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnt O. Hopland ◽  
Sturla F. Kvamsdal
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Formal Model ◽  
Maintenance Scheduling ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Maintenance Schedule ◽  
Public Purpose ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Optimal Maintenance ◽  
The Cost

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to set up and analyze a formal model for maintenance scheduling for local government purpose buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The authors formulate the maintenance scheduling decision as a dynamic optimization problem, subject to an accelerating decay. This approach offers a formal, yet intuitive, weighting of an important trade-off when deciding a maintenance schedule. Findings – The optimal maintenance schedule reflects a trade-off between the interest rate and the rate at which the decay accelerates. The prior reflects the alternative cost, since the money spent on maintenance could be saved and earn interests, while the latter reflects the cost of postponing maintenance. Importantly, it turns out that it is sub-optimal to have a cyclical maintenance schedule where the building is allowed to decay and then be intensively maintained before decaying again. Rather, local governments should focus the maintenance either early in the building’s life-span and eventually let it decay toward replacement/abandonment or first let it decay to a target level and then keep it there until replacement/abandonment. Which of the two is optimal depends on the trade-off between the alternative cost and the cost of postponing maintenance. Originality/value – The paper provides a first formal inquiry into important trade-offs that are important for maintenance scheduling of local public purpose buildings.

“F*ck off Google”: protest against Google Campus Berlin

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 669-688
Author(s):  
Martin Paul Fritze ◽  
Gertraud Maria Gänser-Stickler ◽  
Sarah Türk ◽  
Yingshuai Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Consumer Research ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Psychological Ownership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Trade Offs

Theoretical basis This case applies a stakeholder analysis to examine the trade-offs between the firm’s strategy and the interests of different stakeholder groups. A PESTEL analysis supports an evaluation of the firm’s situation. Consumer behavior theories on psychological ownership and territoriality offer a framework for analyzing the conflicts that arise from the inhabitants’ protests. Research methodology This case relies on secondary sources, including news reports, social media sites and company websites. This case has been classroom tested with undergraduate students in a strategic management course in January 2019 at the University of Cologne, Germany. Case overview/synopsis In November 2016, Google announced its intentions to rent a building in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin to open a Google Campus, a business incubator for tech start-ups that would offer entrepreneurs support, workshops and access to networks. Following the announcement, dissatisfied local communities organized protests, in which leaders complained that “It is extremely violent and arrogant of this mega-corporation, whose business model is based on mass surveillance and which speculates like crazy, to set up shop here” (Business Times, 2018). Berlin’s Government supported the Google Campus plan; inhabitants rejected it with fierce and persistent protests. In face of this challenge, was it still possible for Google to continue its plans in Berlin? Complexity academic level This case qualifies for use in strategic management classes at undergraduate and MBA levels. Its focus aligns well with stakeholder analyses, PESTEL analyses and business strategy. In addition, for courses on organizational communications or public relations, this case provides a way to explore the relationship between Google and its stakeholders, especially protesters, in detail. Moreover, this case is well suited for consumer research and public policy courses (e.g., transformative consumer research) centered on discussions of territoriality.

Can SMEs in the food industry expect competitive advantages from proactive CSR when CSR trade-offs exist?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeonsoo Kim ◽  
Nandini Bhalla
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Public Relations Practitioners ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Price Differences ◽  
A Company

PurposeThe study aims to examine the effects of proactive vs passive environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), factoring in the moderating effects of price and the mediating effects of company–consumer identification(C-C identification) on consumer responses.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment with general consumer samples was conducted. A randomized 2 (CSR levels: proactive CSR vs passive CSR) × 2 (price as a CSR trade-off: higher price vs lower price) full factorial design was used.FindingsThe study findings revealed that proactive environmental CSR not only engendered more positive C-C identification but also resulted in more favorable consumer attitudes, stronger supportive communication intent and purchase intent. In addition, when a company demonstrates proactive CSR, consumers' C-C identification is generally positive irrespective of price differences, and in turn, more positive reactions follow. When a company takes a passive approach and offers lower prices, respondents showed significantly less positive C-C identification, and less favorable responses. This indicates that passive environmental CSR programs can potentially backfire, especially when combined with lower prices. This study also shows the important mediating impact of C-C identification on consumer responses.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to explore consumer perceptions of and reactions toward the food industry's environmental CSR programs by degree of CSR involvement and price differences in the context of SMEs. This study's findings provide useful information to SME managers and public relations practitioners who work closely with SMEs, allowing them to make informed strategic decisions, especially when they evaluate the extent of their company's commitment to environmentally proactive CSR practices and its communication to consumers.

Exploring the trade-off between liquidity, risk and return under sectoral diversification across distinct economic settings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Henriques ◽  
Elisabete Neves
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Liquidity Risk ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Objective Functions ◽  
Cardinality Constraints ◽  
Risk And Return ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Risk Increase ◽  
Trade Offs

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the trade-off between liquidity, risk and return under sectoral diversification across distinct economic settings and investment strategies.Design/methodology/approachA novel multi-objective portfolio model is proposed to assess investment decisions under sectoral diversification, where the objective functions and constraints are interval-valued. The objective functions used are risk minimization (through the semi-absolute deviation measure of risk), maximization of liquidity (using turnover as a proxy) and the maximization of logarithmic return. Besides coherence constraints (imposing that the sum of the percentages of investment assigned to each stock should be equal to 100%), constraints regarding the maximum proportion of capital that can be invested (ensuring a minimum level of diversification) and cardinality constraints (to account for transaction costs) are also imposed.FindingsBesides the trade-off between return and risk, the study findings highlight a trade-off between liquidity and return and a positive relationship between risk and liquidity. Under an economic crisis scenario, the trade-off between return and liquidity is reduced. With the economic recovery, the levels of risk increase when contrasted with the setting of the economic crisis. The highest liquidity levels are reached with the economic boom, whereas the highest returns are obtained with the economic recession.Originality/valueThis paper suggests a new modeling approach for assessing the trade-offs between liquidity, risk and return under different scenarios and investment strategies. A new interactive procedure inspired on the reference point approach is also proposed to obtain possibly efficient portfolios according to the investor's preferences. Regarding previous approaches suggested in the literature, this new procedure allows obtaining both supported and unsupported efficient solutions when cardinality constraints are included.

scholarly journals POWER-SPEED TRADE-OFF IN PARALLEL PREFIX CIRCUITS

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (01) ◽  
pp. 65-98
Author(s):  
S. VANICHAYOBON ◽  
S. K. DHALL ◽  
S. LAKSHMIVARAHAN ◽  
J. K. ANTONIO
Keyword(s):  
Power Consumption ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Parallel Prefix ◽  
Capacitance Model ◽  
Prefix Circuits

Optimizing area and speed in parallel prefix circuits has been considered important for a long time. The issue of power consumption in these circuits, however, has not been addressed. This paper presents a comparative study of different parallel prefix circuits from the point of view of power–speed trade-off. An effective circuit capacitance model that is verified through PSpice simulations is used to investigate the power consumption in parallel prefix circuits. The model results in an analytical function for power consumption for each prefix circuit considered. The degrees of freedom studied include different parallel prefix circuits and voltage scaling. The results of the study were applied to evaluate power–speed trade-offs when different prefix circuits are used in Brent's parallel adder.5

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