scholarly journals Success Drivers for Implementing Circular Economy: A Case Study from the Building Sector in Colombia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1350
Author(s):  
Luz Elba Torres-Guevara ◽  
Vanessa Prieto-Sandoval ◽  
Andres Mejia-Villa
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Direct Communication ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Large Building ◽  
Do So

This paper contributes to the circular economy (CE) literature by investigating the drivers of success of the CE implementation in the construction sector and how those drivers can complement any implementation process in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). To do so, we analyzed the case of TECMO Estructuras Metálicas, using the methodology proposed by Jaca and colleagues to implement the CE in SMEs. It is a Colombian company with more than five decades of experience in the manufacture and installation of steel and aluminum structures for small and large building and infrastructure projects. The data were collected between August 2019 and November 2020 through direct communication with the company via workshops, meetings, and company reports. This research found that five drivers are relevant for implementing CE in the construction sector: fertile ecosystem, management commitment, identification of valuable materials, green teams, and CE intermediaries. Moreover, this study also contributes to teaching the implementation of the CE in companies, since it shows that through the methodology presented, implementation projects can be developed in postgraduate classes.

Identifikasi Hambatan Penerapan Lean di Usaha Kecil dan Menengah (UKM)

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-124
Author(s):  
Mochammad Rifky Pamungkas ◽  
Erna Maulina ◽  
Margo Purnomo
Keyword(s):  
Structural Model ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Contribution ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The City

Today's world competition has increased the pressure on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt lean implementations. The purpose of this study is to make a small contribution by exploring the Lean Implementation Barrier (LIB) in SMEs through three case studies of SMEs in the city of Bandung. A case study approach is used and followed by the Interpretative Structural Model (ISM) in order to see the inter-LIB relationship. The results of this study indicate that lack of management commitment and leadership, lack of employee involvement and lack of resources are the main obstacles to lean implementation in SMEs in Indonesia. Moreover, poor communication among various levels within the company and inadequate dissemination of knowledge about the benefits of lean also create barriers to lean implementation. The implication of this research is to strengthen and expand information related to research on the application of lean in SMEs, especially the results of the identified barriers that can assist SMEs in implementing lean or future research in developing and identifying barriers to implementing lean in SMEs.

scholarly journals An overview of the circular economy among SMEs in the Basque country: A multiple case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Ormazabal ◽  
Vanessa Prieto-Sandoval ◽  
Carmen Jaca ◽  
Javier Santos
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose: This research analyzes the maturity of environmental management as well as the degree of to which the Circular Economy has been implemented in Basque SMEs.Design/methodology/approach: A total of 17 case studies were carried out in industrial SMEs companies in the Basque Country.Findings: The main results show that companies are limited to complying with the law and in many cases are worried about the image of the company, although they are not committed to environmental issues. There is still a lot to do in SMEs, as they are the companies that face the biggest challenges due to a lack of resources.Originality/value: Circular Economy aims to change a linear economy into promoting sustainability of the economy while also engaging in sustainable environmental protection. This research has focused on small and medium enterprises as they represent a 99% of companies in Europe and they are the ones that have the most difficulty reaching a stage of environmental excellence due to their limited resources.

scholarly journals Shortcomings of Transforming a Local Circular Economy System through Industrial Symbiosis: A Case Study in Spanish SMEs

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8423
Author(s):  
John Rincón-Moreno ◽  
Marta Ormazabal ◽  
Maria J. Álvarez ◽  
Carmen Jaca
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
System Level ◽  
Industrial Symbiosis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Circular Economy System

Defining the circular economy (CE) as a material and energy model coincides with the definition given by multiple authors in which Industrial Symbiosis (IS) has been deemed as a foundational strategy to support the implementation of the CE. The consumption of secondary materials is essential to achieve a successful transformation from a linear economy to a CE focused on IS practices. In this scenario, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a major role as stakeholders in developing CE systems as it is not possible to create this model with each company working in isolation. However, there is a lack of empirical studies on the role played by relevant local stakeholders such as individual firms interacting in the development of a local CE system. This study aimed to study the challenges that SMEs face in developing a CE system. A case study is selected as a research strategy using a mixed-method approach: a sequential quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) data collection techniques were employed for this research. It was observed that an absence of inter-organisational collaboration and a misunderstanding of the roles played by SMEs may impede the implementation of a local CE system level.

Pure Biologics – From a Bootstrapped Boutique CRO to an Integrated Drug Discovery Public Company

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-63
Author(s):  
Sameer Deshmukh ◽  
Przemysław Jurek ◽  
Filip Jelen ◽  
Sabina Tabaczar ◽  
Tomasz Bakowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Public Funding ◽  
Corporate Management ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Biopharmaceutical Company ◽  
Public Company ◽  
Medium Enterprises

The present article is a case study of a Polish biopharmaceutical company, “Pure Biologics”. The company was founded in 2010 by a group of scientists and, over the last nine years, grew substantially from just a few individuals to nearly one hundred professionals. Initially, a privately-funded civil partnership, Pure Biologics, has been transformed into a publicly-traded company. Such a transformation has been possible not only because of the expertise and growing experience of corporate management, but also the specific economic environment and substantial public funding dedicated to innovative Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

scholarly journals What Prompts Small and Medium Enterprises to Implement CSR? A Qualitative Insight from an Emerging Economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zengming Zou ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Naveed Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Safdar Sial ◽  
Alina Badulescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Customer Behavior ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Depth Interviews

The topic of corporate social responsibility (henceforth referred to as CSR) has been a central topic during the last decade, but the majority of the existing literature discusses CSR relationship with large organizations. Whereas, its contribution in small and medium enterprises (henceforth referred to as SME) sector has received little attention. There have been some studies that focused on CSR activities in SME sector quantitatively in the context of developing economies like Pakistan, but the fact is, to date, SME sector of Pakistan is not participating actively in CSR-related activities due to some constraints. The present study is a pioneer attempt, to explore CSR barriers that restrict SME sector of Pakistan from practicing CSR initiatives. For this reason, the present study explores these barriers qualitatively in order to gain in-depth knowledge of different CSR barriers. In doing so, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews from 9 SMEs in Lahore city of Pakistan. We performed thematic analysis, which produced five relevant themes of CSR barriers, including: Lack of resources, lack of regulations, lack of top management commitment, lack of CSR knowledge, and passive customer behavior. Our analysis further showed that lack of resources is the most related barrier that hinder SMEs to be engaged in CSR activities. This paper contributes to CSR literature in emerging economies’ context. Through an increased awareness of barriers, policy makers and practitioners may take necessary steps to improve CSR practices in SMEs.

scholarly journals From Barriers to Enablers: The Role of Organizational Learning in Transitioning SMEs into the Circular Economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1021
Author(s):  
Sara Scipioni ◽  
Meir Russ ◽  
Federico Niccolini
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Contextual Elements ◽  
Transfer And Retention ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Medium Enterprises

To contribute to small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) sustainable transition into the circular economy, the study proposes the activation of organizational learning (OL) processes—denoted here as multi-level knowledge creation, transfer, and retention processes—as a key phase in introducing circular business models (CBMs) at SME and supply chain (SC) level. The research employs a mixed-method approach, using the focus group methodology to identify contextual elements impacting on CBM-related OL processes, and a survey-based evaluation to single out the most frequently used OL processes inside Italian construction SMEs. As a main result, a CBM-oriented OL multi-level model offers a fine-grained understanding of contextual elements acting mutually as barriers and drivers for OL processes, as possible OL dynamics among them. The multi-level culture construct—composed of external stakeholders’, SC stakeholders’, and organizational culture—identify the key element to activate CBM-oriented OL processes. Main implications are related to the identification of cultural, structural, regulatory, and process contextual elements across the external, SC, and organizational levels, and their interrelation with applicable intraorganizational and interorganizational learning processes. The proposed model would contribute to an improved implementation of transitioning into the circular economy utilizing sustainable business models in the construction SMEs.

Relevant factors of innovation contests for SMEs

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1196-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Rodriguez Ferradas ◽  
José A. Alfaro Tanco ◽  
Francesco Sandulli
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Retrospective Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Context Factors ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Design Factors ◽  
Relevant Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevant factors that influence the implementation of innovation contests, an open innovation (OI) practice that has been extensively reported in the literature as a managerial tool for external knowledge search. The authors focus the study on the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach The approach is a retrospective case study. This methodology allows an in-depth view into a Spanish SME that successfully undertook two new product development processes thanks to the deployment of innovation contests. Findings The main context factors influencing innovation contests as managerial tool are ambidexterity, technological and marketing turbulence and intermediaries, among others. Regarding design factors, this work highlights the role of attraction and facilitation. Additionally, the repetitive implementation of innovation contests creates a corporate culture that promotes OI activities. Practical implications Managers will understand that they can use innovation contests as a managerial tool, and knowing the factors that need to be taken into account when implementing an innovation contest will help SMEs managers to make better use of this practice. Originality/value This case study enriches the literature of both innovation contests and topics relevant to SMEs. Based on a theoretical framework of the design factors that influence the implementation of innovation contests, the authors propose a research framework that incorporates those context factors in association with an SME.

The Traceability of Construction and Demolition Waste in Flanders via Blockchain Technology: A Match Made in Heaven?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-369
Author(s):  
Jonas Voorter ◽  
Christof Koolen
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Waste Processing ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Legal Case ◽  
Made In

Abstract The construction sector plays a crucial role in the transition to a circular economy and a more sustainable society. With this objective in mind, Flanders – the Dutch speaking part of Belgium – makes use of a traceability procedure for construction and demolition waste in order to guarantee that value can be derived from downstream waste processing activities. This article takes this traceability procedure as a legal case study and examines if the use of blockchain technology could lead to even stronger supply chains, better data management, and, more generally, a smoother transition to circular practices in the construction sector.

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