Blockchain Technology in International Trade in Goods

No other technology has been mentioned as frequently as blockchain technology. No less than a technical revolution should go along with it. In addition to a brief introduction to the functionality of the blockchain technology, this chapter will also highlight various fields of application and the related legal challenges in international trade. The transport industry may be mentioned as an example. Especially in the transportation of goods, a large number of documentation obligations must be adhered to and permits must be obtained. Packing lists, export licenses, and product certificates are examples of this. All mentioned documents are based on the same data set, namely the details of the type, origin, and quantity of the goods. Large parts of these documents must be carried along with the goods and presented on instructions, which causes considerable bureaucracy and makes transportation more difficult and expensive. These documents could be displayed on the blockchain in the future.

Marketing to Develop Environmental Sustainability, Awareness, and Action

The main purpose of the chapter is to understand the role of marketing in creating awareness and action for sustainability in the fourth industrial revolution. The chapter is sequenced as follows: It begins with a brief introduction, followed by exploring the relationship between marketing and sustainability. The chapter then explains how marketing can play an important role in developing awareness and action at various phases of sustainability with suitable examples. The chapter then discusses the various issues which one faces in sustainability and ends with a conclusion. The chapter has great theoretical and managerial implications.

Factors Inhibiting Green Supply Chain Management Initiatives in a South African Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and increased environmental awareness is forcing business leaders to adapt to the changing environment in functional areas such as the supply chain. This chapter focuses on the role of green supply chain management in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage, exploring the factors that affect green supply chain management initiatives at a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in Durban. The study used a descriptive and exploratory case study approach in which in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 participants. Content analysis was used to analyze the collected data. The findings of the study reveal that the main factors affecting green supply chain management initiatives include high costs, lack of government support, and pressure to reduce selling prices. Since a limited number of studies have been conducted on this topic, the findings and recommendations of this work contribute to the existing body of research knowledge.

Factors Influencing Port Terminal Automation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Port terminals play an integral role in the transportation logistics chain by providing cargo handling, storage, and warehousing services to a range of shipping lines, freight forwarders, and cargo owners. This chapter reports on a case study aimed at determining the challenges and limitations experienced with the current information and communication technology used in port terminals in Durban and examines how technological, organizational, and environmental factors influence port automation. A quantitative approach was adopted, and a questionnaire was designed to collect data. The findings revealed that adequate technology needs to be acquired, and the compatibility and complexity of the technology have the biggest influence on the automation of terminal ports in Durban. Communication with stakeholders and IT skills retention were found to be the most important organizational factors and customer readiness emerged as an important environmental factor influencing the automation of port terminals in Durban.

Responsible and Sustainable Business Model Innovation in the Textile Industry

The global textile industry offers huge potentials regarding the transformation towards sustainability. These improvements require a facilitation of business model innovations embedding shifting consumer demands. How can the textile industry drive responsible and sustainable business practices in terms of social sustainability? Tackling this question, a qualitative content-based analysis of current literature conducted highlights main themes and concepts on business model innovations, textile industry, and social sustainability. In addition, an exploratory multiple case study design was used. Results show social sustainability patterns are seldom and often linked to external pressures. This chapter proposes a reorientation towards stronger holistic and inclusive approaches for sustainability and reflects on socio-cultural aspects linked to sustainable textile business models. Progressing sustainability in the textile industry needs both a single consideration of environmental and social issues as well as an integrative and systemic perspective in academia as well as in practice.

The Overlooked Roots of Innovations

Imagination is an often-overlooked integral element of human progress, in general, and innovations, in particular. In this chapter, it is argued that the examination of the diffusion and evolution of imaginations and their manifestation as innovations can help to understand the imaginative roots of innovations and to create a responsibly chosen path into a sustainable future. Science fiction as a specific area of manifested imagination is used to show how manifested imaginations influence the social imagination in general and certain individuals like scientists and innovators in particular. It is even used to sell ideas (or make them stick) and give them heritage, again influencing the social imagination. And the accelerated fusion, development, and progress of technologies in the wake of the digitalization is enabling fast and vast diffusion and distribution of imaginations, creating a need to explore, understand, and responsibly utilize imaginations.

Sustainable Implications of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0, and in general, digital technologies, represent a fundamental model shift towards decentralization and individualized production. With this, the development of new services and business models based on the internet is encouraged. Somehow, this forces traditional supply chains to evolve into highly adaptative networks. Companies have to consider their internal resources and the benefits of getting closer to partners in the supply chain. In this sense, the implementation of these technologies is accompanied by a series of sustainable implication at economic, environmental, and social levels.

Governance and Public Policy Challenges in Managing Disruptive and Innovative Technologies

This chapter is an effort to promote and guide thinking about the global and local challenges in how governments respond to innovative and disruptive projects and technologies. The chapter is based on the considerations of and concerns regarding the challenges and changes that we face on a global scale and how it impacts on the notion and need for innovation. Not all inventions or innovations are disruptive or serve the interest of the public at large, and some even may have serious harmful consequences or impacts. These may be unforeseen or sometimes deliberately obscured and perhaps just serve the narrow interests of profiteers. Governments are required to consider their roles and plan to be responsible and proactive to ensure that the best interests of both the business and public sector are pursued for the purposes of long-term sustainability.

Sustainable Project Management

Sustainability is a concept that has increased in popularity constantly over recent years. During this time, the discipline of project management begun to focus on sustainability, but literature shows that the topic of sustainable project management is still incipiently explored. Therefore, the goal of the chapter is to identify connections between sustainability and project management, which is achieved through the literary review of 46 different texts. These sources were analyzed using a bibliometric analysis and a qualitative content analysis. As deductive and inductive derived categories “definition project management,” “definition sustainability,” “definition sustainable project management,” “affected areas,” “principles of sustainable project management,” and “project manager” were defined. In order to develop the profession of sustainable project management, focusing upon the verification of theoretical findings with empirical research is suggested.

Towards a Classification Framework for Concepts of Innovation for and From Emerging Markets

A closer look at innovation for and from emerging markets reveals that a variety of different terms and concepts related to this type of innovation exist. The objective of this conceptual work is to develop a theoretical classification framework based on a comprehensive literature overview that provides a starting point for structuring these different terms and concepts. After a first investigation and comprehensive search for the keywords “reverse,” “frugal,” “jugaad,” and “bottom of pyramid” in the Google Scholar database, 19 different texts were identified and classified for further analysis. As a result, 33 identified terms concerning innovation for and from emerging markets, various spellings and synonyms are presented. Finally, a theoretical-based classification framework is derived and the criteria “market orientation,” “determinants,” “nature,” “sophistication,” “sustainability,” “novelty,” and “innovator type” was proposed. This classification framework could be used for further research and teaching in innovation, responsible, and sustainable management disciplines.