Entrepreneurial round-tripping

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Hunt ◽  
Lauren Ortiz-Hunt

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test the theory that new industry entrants hold advantages over incumbents in the shift from unidirectional to multi-directional revenue streams. Design/methodology/approach Using a Cobb-Douglas production function, modified to isolate returns to innovation, the authors examine data from three separate contexts: steamships on Western US rivers (1810-1860), satellite-based internet services (1962-2010) and food waste recycling (1995-2015). Findings The results reveal that while incumbents often attempt to stretch existing technologies to fit emerging circumstances, entrepreneurial innovators achieve greater success by approaching multi-directional value creation as a distinct challenge, one requiring new technologies, organizational forms and business models. Existing theories have primarily attributed incumb ent inertia to a firm’s inability perceive and pursue radical innovations, the results also suggest that existing firms are unwilling to pursue innovations that are likely to erode the marginal profitability of their respective business models. Ironically, rather than protecting incumbents’ financial interests, the authors find that “marginal reasoning” can lead to diminished performance and even extinction. Research limitations/implications The proposed framework and empirical findings have implications for numerous multi-directional frontiers, including: social networking, commercial space travel, distance education and medical treatments using nanoscale technologies. Practical implications While incumbents often lament the destabilizing effects of multi-directionality, new and small firms enjoy a compelling array of entry points and opportunities. Originality/value Scholars, incumbent firms and start-ups both benefit from insights stemming from the novel formulation of multi-directionality challenges and opportunities.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuc Hong Huynh

PurposeDigital innovation and circular business model innovation are two critical enablers of a circular economy. A wide variety of digital technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, cyber-physical systems, or big data also diverges the applications of digital technologies in circular business models. Given heterogeneous attributes of circular business models and digital technologies, the selections of digital technologies and circular business models might be highly distinctive within and between sectorial contexts. This paper examines digital circular business models in the context of the fashion industry and its multiple actors. This industry as the world’s second polluting industry requires an urgent circular economy (CE) transition with less resource consumption, lower waste emissions and a more stable economy.Design/methodology/approachAn inductive, exploratory multiple-case study method is employed to investigate the ten cases of different sized fashion companies (i.e. large, small medium-sized firm (SME) and startup firms). The comparison across cases is conducted to understand fashion firms' distinct behaviours in adopting various digital circular economy strategies.FindingsThe paper presents three archetypes of digital-based circular business models in the fashion industry: the blockchain-based supply chain model, the service-based model and the pull demand-driven model. Besides incremental innovations, the radical business model and digital innovations as presented in the pull demand-driven model may be crucial to the fashion circular economy transition. The pull demand–driven model may shift the economy from scales to scopes, change the whole process of how the fashion items are forecasted, produced, and used, and reform consumer behaviours. The paths of adopting digital fashion circular business models are also different among large, SMEs and startup fashion firms.Practical implicationsThe study provides business managers with empirical insights on how circular business models (CBMs) should be chosen according to intrinsic business capacities, technological competences and CE strategies. The emerging trends of new fashion markets (e.g. rental, subscription) and consumers' sustainable awareness should be not be neglected. Moreover, besides adopting recycling and reuse strategies, large fashion incumbents consider collaborating with other technology suppliers and startup companies to incubate more radical innovations.Social implicationsAppropriate policies and regulations should be enacted to enable the digital CE transition. Market patterns and consumer acceptances are considered highly challenging to these digital fashion models. A balanced policy on both the demand and supply sides are suggested. The one-side policy may fail CBMs that entail an upside-down collaboration of both producers and consumers. Moreover, it is perhaps time to rethink how to reduce unnecessary new demand rather than repeatedly producing and recycling.Originality/valueThe pace of CE research is lagging far behind the accelerating environmental contamination by the fashion industry. The study aims to narrow the gap between theory and practice to harmonise fashion firms' orchestration and accelerate the transition of the fashion industry towards the CE. This study examines diverse types of digital technologies in different circular business models in a homogeneous context of the fashion industry with heterogeneous firm types.


2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (12) ◽  
pp. 2762-2777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Michalec ◽  
Martin Fodor ◽  
Enda Hayes ◽  
James Longhurst

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present results from the action research project, where sustainability professionals, local businesses and academic researchers collaborated on exploring barriers for food waste recycling in SMEs food outlets in order to inform local policy and business practices in Bristol, UK. Design/methodology/approach The researchers conducted face-to-face, qualitative surveys of 79 catering businesses in three diverse areas of the city. The action research methodology was applied, where a range of co-researchers contributed towards study design and review. Findings The research reveals the main barriers to recycling and how such perceptions differ depending on whether the respondents do or do not recycle, with “convenience” and “cost” being the main issue according to the already recycling participants. On the other hand, participants who do not recycle state that their main reason is “not enough waste” and “lack of space”. Practical implications Participants recommended a range of measures, which could improve the current food waste services in Bristol. For example, they suggest that business engagement should address the barriers voiced by the participants applying the framings used by them, rather than assuming restaurants and cafes are not aware of the issue. By inviting a variety of non-academic stakeholders into the process of research design and analysis, the project addressed the imbalances in knowledge production and policy design. Originality/value Despite the local and qualitative focus of this paper, the results and research methodology could act as a useful guide for conducting food waste action research in the policy context.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Higgs ◽  
Grace MyHyun Kim

Purpose Research on nonschool settings suggests young people benefit from digital multimodal composition. Less is known about how digital composing can support students as they interpret required literary class texts. To understand the potential benefits and challenges of digitally composing for literary analysis, design interviews with two high school students were conducted to examine their processes as they designed digital multimodal compositions to interpret Anglo-Saxon poems. Grounded in the social semiotic theory of multimodality, this study aims to examine how students engaged in literary analysis and interpretive digital composition within secondary ELA. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative classroom data were collected through digital means over a six-week period: a whole-class student survey, focal student semistructured design interviews, emails, field notes, analytic memos and student-created digital artifacts. Findings Students’ print-based literary engagements and digital multimodal composition processes were mutually shaped. Additionally, digital multimodal composition offered entry points into challenging print-based literary texts, resulting in understandings enacted across multiple forms of mediation. Research limitations/implications The study focused on one cycle of multimodal composition. Additional studies of students’ digital multimodal composition processes in ELA classrooms over time could be beneficial to the field. Practical implications The study identifies an approach to digital multimodal composition that may help teachers address and integrate core disciplinary objectives. Originality/value This study contributes to scholarship concerned with how “new” technologies and “old” literacies co-exist in contexts requiring students to engage in expanded communication modes alongside specific academic literacies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1283-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Régis Delafenestre

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find and classify the most relevant works in the literature on the latest technologies applied in global supply chains. To help future researchers find the most relevant the authors according to the authors’ research interest quickly and to provide insights into the most promising areas. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide a bibliometric analysis of 292 documents referenced in the Scopus® database clustering by relatedness of works and keywords. Findings The authors present insights and deduce new perspectives in the potential search for new business models. The authors show that in specific fields, some works and authors have a much greater influence than others. Research limitations/implications Some documents published on the web or in paper form may be missing. The analyses largely depend on the choice of keywords. Another selection might have shown different results. Practical implications This paper provides the basis for new research in applications of the latest technologies in supply chains and corresponding new business models. Originality/value This work is a first effort to help researchers make sense of the mass of published scientific results on new technologies and their impact on new supply chain business models.


IMP Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-391
Author(s):  
Olga Mikhailova

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address challenges and opportunities that smaller hospitals with limited resources may face when they are adopting and implementing innovative technologies. Design/methodology/approach Based on a single case study with interviews and document analysis, this paper focuses on the recombination of resources, actors and activities during the process of technology adoption and implementation at a Danish hospital. Theoretically, it takes an interaction perspective for exploring the interplay between inner and outer networking during the innovation processes. Findings This study illustrates how the adoption and implementation of advanced medical technology requires significant investment, which is particularly burdensome for smaller hospitals. Constrained by limited resources, they have to develop creative combinations of resources through negotiation and embrace collaborative approaches to join and sustain themselves in the user-producer network. Originality/value This paper contributes to the innovation field by suggesting ways in which practitioners at smaller hospitals can align with technology providers’ strategies and succeed by positioning their hospitals in relation to extended user-producer networks. This study further emphasizes the necessity of a broader discussion regarding the importance of user-producer interactions during innovation processes in health care settings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip T. Roundy

Purpose Social entrepreneurship represents an unconventional, but increasingly prevalent, activity in developed and emerging economies. Social entrepreneurs devise novel business models that blend business and social missions with the aim of (co-)producing value with two primary stakeholder groups, beneficiaries and customers. Although interactions between social entrepreneurs and their beneficiaries are well-studied, the relationship between social ventures and consumers has received almost no extended attention. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative, partially-inductive approach based on interviews with 40 social entrepreneurs, a study of how social entrepreneurs market their ventures to consumers was conducted. Findings Findings reveal the ways in which marketing is relevant for social entrepreneurs, the unique challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face in their interactions with customers, and the tactics entrepreneurs use to understand and educate their consumers. Originality/value The study’s findings contribute to work on social entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurship and marketing interface and have practical implications for social entrepreneurs.


Subject Outlook for the globally systemically important banks. Significance Ten years on from the global financial crisis, regulatory changes have been especially costly for large, interconnected banks. Reflecting these pressures, the banks are now transforming their business models to maintain and enhance their profitability, stability and supply of credit to the economy. Impacts Global banks have become more resilient in light of post-crisis regulatory reform; they will increasingly invest in new technologies. Rising forced subsidiarisation on national lines to separate banks’ investment and deposit taking arms is raising costs and altering risks. European banks are reducing their global footprint even as they consider consolidation with European peers to create economies of scale.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Melander ◽  
Ala Pazirandeh

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the how, why, who and what of collaborations in green innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on 11 case studies conducted at high-technological firms where 30 top management representatives were interviewed.FindingsThe study shows that firms share knowledge on green innovation across industries through horizontal collaborations and their extended network, such as their suppliers’ and customer’s networks in other industries. The results also show that digitalization, connectivity and big data are considered important vessels to improve environmental sustainability, as firms believe that these technologies will result in large gains related to resource utilization. Finally, the firms in this study engaged to a wide extent in green innovation activities, which resulted in a variety of improved resource utilization related to energy efficiency, new materials, new technologies, limiting emissions and recycle management.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper contributes to the literature by showing that firms share knowledge on green innovation not only within their network but also across industries through horizontal collaborations and their extended network.Practical implicationsThe study points to the complexity of collaborating on green innovation. The authors show the importance of digitalization to improving environmental sustainability, with managers needing to develop business models and finding collaboration partners that can facilitate the transformation towards more connected products and services.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the field of supply network collaboration by studying how firms collaborate to improve environmental sustainability.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Nunkoo ◽  
Meetali Bhadain ◽  
Shabanaz Baboo

PurposeFood waste at the household level represents a major component of all food waste. Therefore minimizing food waste at the household level remains an important component of the food chain responsibility. This study explores the problem of food waste in Mauritius through an understanding of households' attitudes toward food waste and their motivations and barriers to food waste recycling.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a grounded theory approach to identify thematic categories that represent participants' attitudes toward food waste and the barriers they face to food waste reduction. We used a purposive sampling technique to guide the selection of participants. Interviews were conducted with 14 participants: three experts in food waste and 11 households. The data were analyzed using the tools of grounded theory.FindingsParticipants' expressed views on food waste included (1) guilt toward wasting food; (2) (lack of) environmental awareness; (3) financial considerations and (4) exemption from responsibility. The findings also led to the development of four themes that defined the barriers participants face to recycling food waste: (1) lack of awareness; (2) space limitations on recycling methods; (3) inadequate policy and (4) lack of time/priority.Practical implicationsAddressing the problem of food waste requires a holistic approach that takes into account households' attitudes to food waste, their motivation and barriers to food waste recycling as well as the regulatory and institutional framework governing food waste management in Mauritius. Policymakers should try to improve households' knowledge about food waste through educational campaigns. The authorities can provide different types of bins to households freely to facilitate the sorting out of waste and impose a fee for food waste generated beyond a certain limit or provide subsidies to them for handling food waste properly.Originality/valueThe management of food waste is particularly challenging for small islands developing states because of their unique characteristics of smallness, limited resources and environmental vulnerability. Appropriate interventions to reduce household food waste require place-based and geographically sensitive analyses that take into account the specificities of local food and waste management systems and cultural norms with respect to food. However, there is not only a paucity of research on household food waste, but most studies have been carried out in nonisland economies. The study contributes to the limited research on household food waste in small islands.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen ◽  
Kirsti Reitan Andersen

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore current barriers and opportunities for sustainability in the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a study among 36 fashion experts from academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations, who took part in an online study on sustainable fashion. Findings – The results from the study indicates that the fashion industry faces immense social and environmental challenges and that the scale and scope of current approaches to sustainability are limited and fail to address more fundamental challenges linked to the dominant business models and consumption behaviors. Research limitations/implications – As the study is based on the knowledge, values, attitudes, and cultural stances of the participating experts it cannot claim to provide a picture of the “real world.” Nonetheless it contributes with a nuanced understanding of current challenges and opportunities within the industry, as experienced by key stakeholders in the field. Originality/value – The expert study approach moves beyond “good practice” case studies and allow a broader discussion of micro- and macro challenges for sustainability within the fashion industry. The learnings gained through such an approach could inspire future system level research as well as business model innovation in the industry.


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