scholarly journals Circular Economy at the Firm Level: A New Tool for Assessing Maturity and Circularity

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5288
Author(s):  
Pasqualina Sacco ◽  
Christian Vinante ◽  
Yuri Borgianni ◽  
Guido Orzes

Although the circular economy (CE) concept is gaining traction and methods to assess companies’ CE-related aspects exist, there is no established CE assessment tool. In many cases, it is not clear how metrics or indicators included in extant CE assessment methods have been selected. To fill this gap, this paper presents a new instrument named Circularity and Maturity Firm-Level Assessment tool (CM-FLAT). The CM-FLAT has been developed starting from a transparent scientific basis, i.e., a recent systematic literature review and comprehensive collection of CE metrics. In addition, it targets the separate assessment of CE maturity, i.e., the presence of documented activities and practices laying the foundations for CE introduction, and circularity, i.e., attained CE-related performances. The development of the CM-FLAT has foreseen its formal evaluation by experts in the field of CE and sustainability, and its testing by a pilot group of companies from South Tyrol, Italy. The multiple verification activities have confirmed its usefulness and usability. Therefore, companies can now benefit from a tool capable of providing a comprehensive framework of factors and organizational areas affecting the introduction of the CE. This will be fostered by a computer-supported tool implementing the CM-FLAT, which represents the authors’ future work.

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naga Vamsi Krishna Jasti ◽  
Srinivas Kota ◽  
Samir Ramdas Kale

Purpose Lean enterprise (LE) is one of the emerging fields because of its impact across industry sectors. There were many LE framework articles published in the past without reviewing or considering the already published literature which lead to lots of inconsistencies in the existing frameworks of LE. This study aims to critically review the existing frameworks to identify inconsistencies and propose a new LE framework to overcome limitations of the existing LE frameworks. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted to identify the existing LE frameworks. All these identified frameworks were classified based on the following criteria: novelty of the framework; based on participation of academicians/practitioners/consultants; whether the proposed frameworks were verified; type of verification methodology used; and the degree of standardization of LE elements. A comprehensive LE framework was proposed after a thorough review of the existing LE frameworks which has been validated through reliability analysis and validity analysis. Findings The analysis revealed major inconsistencies such as lack of adaptation of existing frameworks in literature which lead to incoherent elements in LE frameworks. The study also found shortage of significant participation of academicians and practitioners in LE frameworks development compared to consultants. The present work established a road map to find a “cohesive theory of LE”, which resulted in the development of a set of coherent elements. Finally, a comprehensive LE framework was proposed with the help of extensive literature review. The initially proposed 106 elements were condensed to 50 after the validation to increase the focus and relevance. Research limitations/implications The proposed LE framework needs to be validated via an empirical approach or clinical approach such as a case study which will be the future work. Originality/value The present study performed extensive literature review to identify LE-related articles, corresponding elements and established coherency among them. A new comprehensive framework was proposed.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianqian Zhu ◽  
Annibale Panichella ◽  
Andy Zaidman

Mutation testing has been very actively investigated by researchers since the 1970s and remarkable advances have been achieved in its concepts, theory, technology and empirical evidence. While the latest realisations have been summarised by existing literature review, we lack insight into how mutation testing is actually applied. Our goal is to identify and classify the main applications of mutation testing and analyse the level of replicability of empirical studies related to mutation testing. To this aim, this paper provides a systematic literature review on the application perspective of mutation testing based on a collection of 159 papers published between 1981 and 2015. In particular, we analysed in which testing activities mutation testing is used, which mutation tools and which mutation operators are employed. Additionally, we also investigated how the core inherent problems of mutation testing, i.e. the equivalent mutant problem and the high computational cost, are addressed during the actual usage. The results show that most studies use mutation testing as an assessment tool targeting unit tests, and many of the supporting techniques for making mutation testing applicable in practice are still underdeveloped. Based on our observations, we made nine recommendations for the future work, including an important suggestion on how to report mutation testing in testing experiments in an appropriate manner.


Author(s):  
Qianqian Zhu ◽  
Annibale Panichella ◽  
Andy Zaidman

Mutation testing has been very actively investigated by researchers since the 1970s and remarkable advances have been achieved in its concepts, theory, technology and empirical evidence. While the latest realisations have been summarised by existing literature review, we lack insight into how mutation testing is actually applied. Our goal is to identify and classify the main applications of mutation testing and analyse the level of replicability of empirical studies related to mutation testing. To this aim, this paper provides a systematic literature review on the application perspective of mutation testing based on a collection of 159 papers published between 1981 and 2015. In particular, we analysed in which testing activities mutation testing is used, which mutation tools and which mutation operators are employed. Additionally, we also investigated how the core inherent problems of mutation testing, i.e. the equivalent mutant problem and the high computational cost, are addressed during the actual usage. The results show that most studies use mutation testing as an assessment tool targeting unit tests, and many of the supporting techniques for making mutation testing applicable in practice are still underdeveloped. Based on our observations, we made nine recommendations for the future work, including an important suggestion on how to report mutation testing in testing experiments in an appropriate manner.


Author(s):  
Emma K. Austin ◽  
Carole James ◽  
John Tessier

Pneumoconiosis, or occupational lung disease, is one of the world’s most prevalent work-related diseases. Silicosis, a type of pneumoconiosis, is caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica (RCS) dust. Although silicosis can be fatal, it is completely preventable. Hundreds of thousands of workers globally are at risk of being exposed to RCS at the workplace from various activities in many industries. Currently, in Australia and internationally, there are a range of methods used for the respiratory surveillance of workers exposed to RCS. These methods include health and exposure questionnaires, spirometry, chest X-rays, and HRCT. However, these methods predominantly do not detect the disease until it has significantly progressed. For this reason, there is a growing body of research investigating early detection methods for silicosis, particularly biomarkers. This literature review summarises the research to date on early detection methods for silicosis and makes recommendations for future work in this area. Findings from this review conclude that there is a critical need for an early detection method for silicosis, however, further laboratory- and field-based research is required.


Author(s):  
Erick Hungaro Arruda ◽  
Rosângela Andrade Pita Brancalhão Melatto ◽  
Wilson Levy Braga da Silva Neto ◽  
Diego de Melo Conti

Author(s):  
Nan-Hua Nadja Yang ◽  
Ana Carolina Bertassini ◽  
Jéssica Alves Justo Mendes ◽  
Mateus Cecílio Gerolamo

AbstractFor the transition towards a circular economy (CE), organisations have to be prepared to adapt to major changes. Thus, the concept and implementation of change management (CM) will be essential to an organisation’s success during this transformative period. Studies have shown that organisational CE barriers were more significant than individual CE barriers. To overcome such obstacles, the most appropriate set of managerial practices should be carefully considered. These barriers also have the potential to influence the agricultural sector, which seeks to adopt more sustainable ways of production. The goal of this paper is to propose a solution framework based on CM strategies to overcome organisational challenges posed by a CE, especially for agribusinesses. To accomplish this objectively, a systematic literature review and a content analysis were conducted. The common errors in CM within the implementation process and the main CE barriers were identified and classified. An in-depth analysis of the issue’s roots led to a solid understanding of how to tackle such CM problems. This paper presents an overview of organisational CE barriers verified in the agricultural context, the common errors in CM, and the correlation between these findings. The two areas were then combined in a matrix that shows the connection between common errors in CM errors and CE barriers. Based on this result, a solution framework called 3CE2CE was developed that provides a step-by-step guide on how organisations can successfully undergo transformation processes towards a CE with the principles of CM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3553
Author(s):  
Philippe Nimmegeers ◽  
Alexej Parchomenko ◽  
Paul De Meulenaere ◽  
Dagmar R. D’hooge ◽  
Paul H. M. Van Steenberge ◽  
...  

Multilevel statistical entropy analysis (SEA) is a method that has been recently proposed to evaluate circular economy strategies on the material, component and product levels to identify critical stages of resource and functionality losses. However, the comparison of technological alternatives may be difficult, and equal entropies do not necessarily correspond with equal recyclability. A coupling with energy consumption aspects is strongly recommended but largely lacking. The aim of this paper is to improve the multilevel SEA method to reliably assess the recyclability of plastics. Therefore, the multilevel SEA method is first applied to a conceptual case study of a fictitious bag filled with plastics, and the possibilities and limitations of the method are highlighted. Subsequently, it is proposed to extend the method with the computation of the relative decomposition energies of components and products. Finally, two recyclability metrics are proposed. A plastic waste collection bag filled with plastic bottles is used as a case study to illustrate the potential of the developed extended multilevel SEA method. The proposed extension allows us to estimate the recyclability of plastics. In future work, this method will be refined and other potential extensions will be studied together with applications to real-life plastic products and plastic waste streams.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4488
Author(s):  
Raffaele Campo ◽  
Felipe Reinoso-Carvalho ◽  
Pierfelice Rosato

The existing multisensory literature suggests that the combination of the different human senses in a controlled fashion during food/drink experiences can provide more enjoyment to consumers. The present research reviews recent literature relating multisensory perception with wine experiences, focusing on the interaction of the five basic senses (taste, smell, vision, touch, and sound). This is mostly being assessed from a perceptual and behavioral consumer perspective. Here, the authors report different ways in which such interactions across these senses can affect the way a wine is experienced, prior to, during, and even after tasting. The authors finish this literature review by providing some insights in the context of wine and food pairing, while also generally reflecting on potential future work. These insights may be inspirational for a diverse group of organizations working with wine. Based on such multisensory approaches, it may be possible to bring unforeseen sensations to the different wine experiences, while at the same time stressing particular sensory and/or emotional attributes.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 436
Author(s):  
Dimitra C. Lazaridou ◽  
Anastasios Michailidis ◽  
Marios Trigkas

The role of a forest sector in the transition to a circular economy (CE) is critical. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to summarize the main findings of the most important published articles and to provide insights on the interdisciplinary space at the interface of concepts related to a forest-based CE. Moreover, it attempts to assess the challenges raised from adopting the CE in forest sector. Through a systematic literature review, 69 scientific publications were selected and evaluated by two sights: (i) a descriptive analysis and (ii) a cluster analysis of the keywords related to the forest-based CE. The study highlights the need for additional survey on optimizing the interaction between forest ecosystem services and circular economy. Further discussion is also needed about the relations of the key factors associated with the forest-based circular economy, as they emerged from the cluster analysis and the co-occurrence network map.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document