How to leverage manufacturing digitalization for green process innovation: an information processing perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zelong Wei ◽  
Lulu Sun

PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine how manufacturing digitalization can be leveraged to promote green innovation in the digital era by investigating the effects of manufacturing digitalization on green process innovation, and thus firm performance. The authors also explored how the role of manufacturing digitalization varies with horizontal information sharing, vertical bottom-up learning and technological modularization.Design/methodology/approachFive hypotheses were examined by performing regression analyses on survey data from 334 manufacturing firms in China.FindingsManufacturing digitalization positively affects green process innovation, and thus firm performance. Furthermore, this positive effect is strengthened by horizontal information sharing and technological modularization and weakened by vertical bottom-up learning.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature rooted in the natural-resource-based view by identifying the crucial role of green process innovation and investigating the value of manufacturing digitalization for developing green capabilities in the digital era. It also contributes to this line of research by revealing contingent factors to leverage manufacturing digitalization from the information processing perspective. Furthermore, this study extends information processing theory to the digital context and identifies the interaction of organizational design (vertical bottom-up learning and horizontal information sharing) and digital investment (manufacturing digitalization).

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anderson Betti Frare ◽  
Ilse Maria Beuren

PurposeThis paper analyzes the mediating role of green process innovation in the relationships of green entrepreneurial orientation and proactive sustainability strategy with environmental performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyze data from 81 Brazilian agriculture technology startups (AgTechs) using partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).FindingsThe results show that the green process innovation assumes an important role in AgTechs, promoting full mediations between green entrepreneurial orientation and proactive sustainability strategy with environmental performance. There are two ways for AgTechs to achieve high environmental performance. In both, green process innovation is a central condition, while green entrepreneurial orientation or proactive sustainability strategy is a complementary condition.Research limitations/implicationsThis study demonstrates how internal elements (green entrepreneurial orientation, proactive sustainability strategy and green process innovation) improve environmental performance. This answers calls to explore which elements translate green entrepreneurial orientation and proactive sustainability strategies into environmental performance, by highlighting the mediating role of green process innovation.Practical implicationsThe findings are useful for founders and managers of AgTechs to find ways to manage sustainable technological advancement and cleaner production in agribusiness.Originality/valueThis study analyses the interface between sustainable entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation in promoting environmental performance of AgTechs from an emerging economy country.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-305
Author(s):  
Adeel Tariq ◽  
Yuosre F. Badir ◽  
Umar Safdar ◽  
Waqas Tariq ◽  
Kamal Badar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between firms’ life cycle stages (mature vs growth) and green process innovation performance. In addition, this research delineates the mechanism by which the mature stage firms are more strongly associated with green process innovation performance compared to growth stage firms and recognizes technological capabilities as a mediating variable fundamental to achieve a higher level of green process innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach This research collected data from 202 publicly listed Thai manufacturing firms. Initially, it used multiple regression analysis to test the relationship between mature stage firms and green process innovation performance compared to the relationship between growth stage firms and green process innovation performance. Later, this research followed Muller et al. (2005) to test the mediating role of technological capabilities and conducted (Sobel, 1982, 1986; Preacher and Hayes, 2004) tests to further validate the mediation effect. Findings The hypothesized relationships were found to be significant, providing a strong support that mature stage firms have higher green process innovation performance compared with growth stage firms. Moreover, the technological capabilities more strongly mediate the relationship between mature stage firms and green process innovation performance compared to growth stage firms and green process innovation performance. Originality/value This research contributes to the existing understanding about the internal drivers of green process innovation performance by incorporating and analyzing the firms’ life cycle stages as an internal driver. This research also contributes by empirically testing the mediating role of technological capabilities on the relationship between firms’ life cycle stages and green process innovation performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Modgil ◽  
Shivam Gupta ◽  
Rébecca Stekelorum ◽  
Issam Laguir

PurposeCOVID-19 has pushed many supply chains to re-think and strengthen their resilience and how it can help organisations survive in difficult times. Considering the availability of data and the huge number of supply chains that had their weak links exposed during COVID-19, the objective of the study is to employ artificial intelligence to develop supply chain resilience to withstand extreme disruptions such as COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachWe adopted a qualitative approach for interviewing respondents using a semi-structured interview schedule through the lens of organisational information processing theory. A total of 31 respondents from the supply chain and information systems field shared their views on employing artificial intelligence (AI) for supply chain resilience during COVID-19. We used a process of open, axial and selective coding to extract interrelated themes and proposals that resulted in the establishment of our framework.FindingsAn AI-facilitated supply chain helps systematically develop resilience in its structure and network. Resilient supply chains in dynamic settings and during extreme disruption scenarios are capable of recognising (sensing risks, degree of localisation, failure modes and data trends), analysing (what-if scenarios, realistic customer demand, stress test simulation and constraints), reconfiguring (automation, re-alignment of a network, tracking effort, physical security threats and control) and activating (establishing operating rules, contingency management, managing demand volatility and mitigating supply chain shock) operations quickly.Research limitations/implicationsAs the present research was conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews to understand the role of AI in supply chain resilience during COVID-19, the respondents may have an inclination towards a specific role of AI due to their limited exposure.Practical implicationsSupply chain managers can utilise data to embed the required degree of resilience in their supply chains by considering the proposed framework elements and phases.Originality/valueThe present research contributes a framework that presents a four-phased, structured and systematic platform considering the required information processing capabilities to recognise, analyse, reconfigure and activate phases to ensure supply chain resilience.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiao-Chieh Chen ◽  
Yu-Ping Chiu

PurposeSocial media have become famous platform to search and share the COVID-19-related information. The objective of this research is to bridge the gap by proposing the effects of network cluster and transmitter activity on information sharing process.Design/methodology/approachData were collected by using Facebook application, which was available for 14 days (May 1–14) in 2020. These data were analyzed to determine the influence of the network cluster and transmitter activity.FindingsThe results showed that network cluster is positively related to transmitter activity on social media. In addition, transmitter activity partially mediated the effect of network cluster on the extent of information liked and shared. That is, transmitter activity can affect COVID-19-related information sharing on Facebook, and the activity effect is plausible and should become stronger as social network become denser.Originality/valueThis study has contributed to the knowledge of health information sharing in social media and has generated new opportunities for research into the role of network cluster. As social media is firmly entrenched in society, researches that improve the experience or quality for users is potentially impactful.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Munjal ◽  
Anjana Singh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize the theme issue outcomes in relation to the strategic question: How is the hospitality and tourism industry in India responding to the dynamic digital era? Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on the findings of the theme issue contributors to identify the response of the Indian hospitality and tourism industry towards the rapid pace of digitization and use of technology. Findings The summary highlights the research on various facets of digital push with respect to marketing of products and services, role of data analytics, use of technology tools in operations to impact customer experience. It has implications for industry practitioners, researchers and policymakers. Practical implications It is quite clear that technology needs to be embraced by the hospitality and tourism Industry in India at a faster pace to compete well globally, deployment of digital technology has potential to positively impact efficiencies and quality of customer experience. There are huge implications for how digital marketing is going to become a critical part of the marketing strategy at large. Originality/value The research in this theme provides insight from both practitioner and academic perspectives provide a take on the ground realities with respect to how the hospitality and tourism businesses in India are changing how they work in the digital era.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaqin Yuan ◽  
Linlin Liu ◽  
Liu Liu

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the relationship between information integration, supply chain capabilities and credit quality of small and middle enterprises (SMEs) in supply chain finance (SCF).Design/methodology/approachGrounded in the resource-based view (RBV) and signaling theory, this study proposes a theoretical model. Then, structural equation modeling and interview analysis are employed to test the theoretical model.FindingsThe results show that both two aspects of information integration, namely, information technology and information sharing, have positive effects on the SMEs’ credit quality in SCF, and these effects are mediated by supply chain capabilities.Originality/valueFirst, the paper contributes to SCF literature by simultaneously examining the role of two dimensions of information integration (information technology and information sharing) in enhancing SMEs’ credit quality. Second, this paper enriches the existing theoretical research on SCF by integrating the SMEs perspective and SCF service provider perspective. Moreover, this paper explores the indirect effects of information integration on SMEs’ credit quality by incorporating supply chain capabilities as a mediating factor.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 508-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna Tomor

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of local entrepreneurs, embedded in both the civil and the business arena, in creating public value by establishing strategic collaboration around smart technologies. Design/methodology/approach The paper suggests a novel – the local entrepreneurial – type of smart bottom-up initiative between civil grassroots and market-based initiatives. This idea is further evolved in the paper to define the patterns of this alternative type of smart bottom-up initiative. For this purpose, the paper conducts a case study of a community-based sustainable energy and mobility system launched by a local entrepreneur in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Findings The local entrepreneur has played a catalyzing role in public value creation by initiating and upscaling cooperative practices around smart technologies. This success has mainly been achieved due to the entrepreneurial attitudes of pioneering and risk-taking as well as the capability to bridge between the state, the market and society to accelerate urban sustainability transition. Practical implications This paper offers a practical illustration of the potential of local entrepreneurs to evolve cooperative practices with smart technologies for societal change. It also shows the vital role of local governments in the achievement of bottom-up initiatives contributing to urban smartness. However, in the case of commercializing initiatives, governments also need to take a balancing role to safeguard the needs of all citizens based on fairness and equity, which is at the core of public value creation. Originality/value The study adds to the citizen participation literature by revealing a novel type of active citizen grasping technological opportunities to mobilize networks to cooperate for the collective good. The research also contributes to a better understanding of the bottom-up smart city as a form of governance, and its advantages as well as drawbacks concerning public value creation.


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