In the last decade, private companies have successfully used crowdsourcing to revolutionise mobility, while public transport companies are still mostly failing to utilise the benefits of crowdsourcing. The application of crowdsourcing in public transport is a new area of academic research, and research on crowdsourcing en route in real-time is missing. This research aims to address this gap, explore opportunities and challenges of this type of crowdsourcing, and conceptualise this phenomenon. The research is based on empirical data collected in five Northern European countries. Our research findings help identify areas where crowdsourcing en route can add value to public transport: new forms of communication, opportunities to communicate with third parties, and improved transit planning and optimisation. Identified challenges are related to behavioural change for users, a need to develop infrastructure to enable crowdsourcing en route, and financial rationalities.

Systems-of-systems are designed to provide a capability that their constituent systems cannot achieve individually. A key property is that the constituent systems have some degree of operational and managerial independence. The concepts of capability and independence are thus central to the field of systems-of-systems. Yet the contemporary literature and standards only give vague definitions of these terms. This vagueness is a barrier to progress in the field, and this paper aims at contributing with a more detailed conceptualization. It describes a system capability as a state-transforming process that uses certain resources. Independence means that the system has a choice about when and how its capabilities should be activated. This requires that the system is an intelligent agent with a notion of utility, a perception of the world around it, and a decision-making capability. When given a mission, the system can complete that mission by activating appropriate combinations of capabilities. A system-of-systems can decompose its mission into parts that correspond to the capabilities of various constituent systems.

Circular Economy Outlook är en undersökning och analys av företagens cirkulära omställning i Sverige och Norden. Eftersom de flesta materialflöden går genom företagen behöver vi förstå med vilken omfattning och intensitet bolagen arbetar för cirkularitet: från mål och val av cirkulära strategier till mätbara resultat. Problemet. Ungefär hälften (av de globala klimatutsläppen kan elimineras genom minimering av utvinning och maximering av användning, återanvändning och återvinning av material. De nordiska länderna presterar dåligt: vi ligger alla under det globala genomsnittet för cirkularitet på 7,2%4 – som tyvärr stadigt sjunker. Möjligheten. Cirkulär ekonomi är en förutsättning för klimatomställning och ett hållbart samhälle. Vi ser en växande medvetenhet och engagemang hos näringslivet. Att skapa förutsättningar för företagens omställning bör därför vara en prioritet för samhället. Syfte. Det finns utmärkta studier på nationella materialflöden uppifrån-ner. Men det finns (tills nu) ingen storskalig datadriven undersökning av företagens cirkulära aktiviteter nerifrån–upp. De frågor vi försöker besvara i denna studie tror vi behövs för att möjliggöra en saklig diskussion om och acceleration av näringslivets omställning och utformning av effektiva styrmedel. Metod. Analysen i denna rapport omfattar en kvantitativ studie av samtliga bolag som är noterade på LargeCap-, MidCap- och SmallCap-listorna samt ett mindre urval onoterade småföretag (10–49 anställda). I studien ingår även kvalitativa intervjuer med ett representativt urval bolag och samtal med en lång rad experter och intressenter. Vi redovisar analys och resultat i två publikationer: 1. en svensk delrapport (denna publikation) och 2. en nordisk rapport på engelska (publiceras under hösten). Koncept. I den kvalitativa enkäten har vi utvecklat och tillämpat en frågematris där vi för varje cirkulär strategi ställt nio frågor om prevalens, viktighet, mål, genomförande, mätning, pengar, drivkrafter, konkurrenter och hinder. Svaren har genererat högupplöst data som möjliggör en mängd olika typer av analyser. Svarsfrekvens. I denna delrapport ingår 196 enkätsvar från och 28 intervjuer med svenska företag. Svarsfrekvensen för enkäten är hög: 38% av de noterade bolagen på Stockholmsbörsens tre huvudlistor har svarat (137 av 363). Resultat. Detta är den första breda undersökningen av hur svenska företag arbetar med cirkulär ekonomi. Studien ger oss inblick i aktivitet, motiv och behov. Den vanligaste drivkraften för cirkulära strategier är affärsmöjligheter. Det vanligaste hindret är bristande efterfrågan eller att bolagen fastnat i en linjär affärsmodell. Samtidigt är det få bolag som själva ställer cirkulära krav på sina leverantörer. En femtedel uppger att de gör det enbart när de tvingas av kunder eller myndigheter. En majoritet förväntar sig att deras konkurrenter kommer att utveckla signifikanta cirkulära förmågor de närmaste åren. 90% uppger att de i någon mån arbetar med minst en cirkulär strategi, men bara hälften av dessa jobbar med genomförande. De bolag som har mål och mäter måluppfyllnad indikerar att de jobbar med genomförande i fyra gånger högre utsträckning än bolag utan mål. Det som mäts blir alltså gjort. Eller: de som formulerar mål ser till att genomföra dem.

Denna rapport är en sammanställning av det arbete som gjorts i projekt G833M, ”Trycktäthet i gjutgods”. Idag finns problem med läckande gjutgods och ibland får det stora konsekvenser. Ur miljösynpunkt så får t ex inte olja läcka ut från en motor på en bil. Så ämnet är högaktuellt i dagens samhälle där miljöfrågor får ett allt större fokus. Uppgiften med arbetet var att tydliggöra vad som menas med trycktätt gods, (hur man definierar begreppet trycktäthet). Hur ett tätkrav bör vara utformat och vilka provningsmetoder som finns, och vilka begränsningar de har, har också gåtts igenom. Syftet med artetet har varit att ge en ökad förståelsen för trycktäthet och de provningsmetoder som finns. En korrekt utformad kravsättning bidrar också till att säkerställa att rätt provningsmetod används. Allt för ofta är det kommunikationen mellan köpare och tillverkare som är bristfällig vilket leder till läckageproblem. Genom en ökad kunskap och förståelse hos båda parter bidrar till rätt ställda förväntningar på det färdiga godset. Arbetet har till största del bedrivits genom litteraturstudier och genom några studiebesök hos ett antal företag i branschen.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer response to pictures of smiling models in marketing, focusing on the roles of emotional contagion from the smiling models and the perceived typicality of marketing with smiling models. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports the findings from three experimental studies, comparing consumer response to two versions of an advertisement (Study 1) and a packaging design (Study 2 and 3), including either a picture of a smiling or a non-smiling model. To measure consumer response, a combination of self-report questionnaires and eye-tracking methodology was used. Findings – The pictures of smiling models produced more consumer joy and more positive attitudes for the marketing. The positive effects on attitudes were mediated by consumer joy, and the effects on consumer joy were mediated by the perceived typicality of the marketing with smiling models. Originality/value – Despite the ubiquity of photos of smiling faces in marketing, very few studies have isolated the effects of the smile appeal on consumer response to marketing objects. By comparing marketing where the same model is shown smiling or with a neutral facial expression, the positive effects were isolated. The roles of emotional contagion and perceived typicality in this mechanism were also examined and implications of the findings for research and practitioners are discussed.

This study explains the business model innovation processes in industrial firms. Drawing on three case studies of leading business-to-business firms shifting from product-based to service-based business models, it introduces problems as a theoretical concept to explain business model innovation processes. We show how formulating and solving problems guide the search for a viable business model and why some problem formulation and solving activities lead firms to shift between backward-looking and forward-looking searches. The decision to shift to a forward-looking search is triggered by the perception of failure to continue with an established way of working, while the shift to a backward-looking search is based on the perception of high alternative costs. We contribute to the business model innovation and servitization literature by theorizing the process of business model innovation and providing implications for managers.

Traditionellt har kärnor i pressgjutgods varit tillverkade av stål. Dessa stålkärnor är rörliga och dras ut ur pressgjutgodset innan gjutgodset stöts ut ur gjutverktyget. Detta innebär att formen på dessa stålkärnor har släppningsvinkel som gör dem möjliga att dra. Övriga gjutmetoder, som använder gravitationen eller låga gastryck för att få in smältan i formen, har länge använt engångskärnor av sand för att skapa håligheter i gjutgodset. Sandkärnorna faller sönder efter gjutningen vilket gör att kärnans form inte behöver begränsas av släppningsvinklar. Hitintills har sandkärnornas begränsade hållfasthet inte möjliggjort användning vid pressgjutning på grund av pressgjutmaskinernas höga inloppshastigheter och eftertryck. För utformningen av pressgjutgods vore det i många fall önskvärt att kunna använda engångskärnor. Utvecklingen går framåt med flera olika metoder för att tillverka engångskärnor som har tillräcklig hållfasthet för att tåla påfrestningar under pressgjutning. Kostnaden för att producera gjutgods med engångskärnor är i flera fall betydligt lägre än att produera samma gjutgods med gravitationsgjutning. Användning av engångskärnor kan även möjliggöra nya utformningar av gjutgods som kan medföra exempelvis nya funktioner, nytt utseende samt viktbesparingar.

Botkyrka kommun har under 2018-2021 bedrivit pilotprojektet Arbetsmiljö och Hälsa i Fokus i syfte att förebygga och minska korttidssjukfrånvaro och för att stödja en mer hälsofrämjande organisation. Arbetet har skett i samarbete med Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner (SKR), Sveriges Forskningsinstitut RISE samt Aino Health som varit utförare för en del av insatserna. Föreliggande rapport utvärderar projektet och är tänkt att utgöra en läranderapport som illustrerar hur arbetet utvecklats under projekttiden, och sammanfattar de lärdomar som framkommit under projektets gång. Pilotprojektet har utvecklats löpande och anpassats efter de utmaningar och lärdomar som dykt upp under projekttiden. Pandemin har påverkat projektet både i det praktiska arbetet och vad gäller den på förhand uppsatta utvärderingsmodellen. Trots det finns det goda indikationer på att arbetssätten kan medföra en positiv påverkan på sjukfrånvaro och det systematiska arbetsmiljöarbetet. Utvärderingen visar att antalet nettodagar korttidsfrånvaro minskade jämfört med referensperioden under de första 17 månaderna fram till att pandemin slog igenom mars 2020. Det går inte att veta hur korttidsfrånvaron hade utvecklats under resterande projekttid utan pandemin. Men baserat på hypotesen som föranledde projektet och erfarenheter från andra håll finns det goda skäl att anta att projektets insatser visat sig effektiva för att minska korttidssjukfrånvaron i Botkyrka. Det bedöms som sannolikt att insatsen Hälsosupport ger den relativt snabba effekt på sjukfrånvaron som kunnat skönjas. När det gäller Chefsstödet hade det varit önskvärt med en längre uppföljningsperiod för att kunna urskilja effekter. Men det finns positiva indikationer. Ett återkommande mönster är att gruppen arbetsplatser som fått stöd på arbetsplatsnivå av Chefsstödet inte haft en lika kraftig ökning i sjukfrånvaro som en följd av pandemin som övriga arbetsplatser inom samma förvaltning. Vid uppföljande mätningar av det Arbetshälsoekonomiska analysverktyget (KI- mätning) visas i genomsnitt en lägre indikerad nivå av produktionsbortfall kopplad till ohälsa. Detta kan vara tecken på att ett mer systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete etablerats och hunnit ge viss effekt på de arbetsplatser där Chefsstödet verkat. Den ekonomiska kalkylen för projektet, som tar fasta på värdet av en korttidssjukfrånvarodag enligt Försäkringskassans beräkningsmetod, tyder på att insatserna på relativt kort sikt är självfinansierade. Det ska då beaktas att flera potentiella värden av en bättre arbetsmiljö inte tas med i kalkylen. Att kostnadsbesparingar kan realiseras så pass snabbt är ovanligt för sociala investeringar och pekar på värdet av att investera i systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete. En utgångspunkt för arbetet är insikten att det behövs stödjande insatser på såväl individ- som organisationsnivå. Samtidigt har utmaningar med att förena dessa perspektiv i ett sammanhållet utvecklingsoch implementeringsarbete synliggjorts. Behov att utveckla kompetens i förändringsledning för att skapa ökad kapacitet i kommunens förvaltningar för ständig utveckling kvarstår.

Understanding consumer preferences in the circular economy can help producers develop profitable strategies, lowering the risk involved in transitioning to circular business models and circular product design. This study uses a choice experiment to identify customer segments for mobile phones and robot vacuum cleaners at different levels of circularity. The experiment observes how a product’s theoretical Circular Economy Score (ranging from 0 to 100) influences consumer preferences as compared to other product attributes like price, appearance, warranty, battery life, reseller type, or ease of repair. Drawing from 800 UK respondents, the results indicate the presence of three customer segments that are sensitive to a product’s Circular Economy Score, including two that appear willing to purchase recirculated items and one that expresses a preference against them. The results offer initial evidence that a market for recirculated consumer electronics exists and that circularity labeling is a marketable option. The results also present a strong rationale for further research that probes a greater variety of products and contexts. © 2021 by the authors

The research in this thesis focused on organisations that can contribute to increased sustainability development in urban freight transport activities. In this study, these organisations were identified, studied, grouped together and labelled as influencing organisations. Four types of influencing organisations in urban freight transport were identified: Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), facility management companies, property owners and public procurement organisations. The results indicated that influencing organisations use a variety of measures and engage in a wide range of urban freight transport initiatives. The way that they engage depends on the types of organisations involved and the relationships the influencers had with said organisations. The findings suggest that influencing organisations have certain characteristics, including: i) the ability to unite other actors, notably goods receivers (such as shops, offices, hotels, restaurants), ii) high motivation to engage in urban freight transport-related questions and sustainability, iii) possessing effective tools to promote sustainable measures, such as the capability to orchestrate and consolidate physical flows, leverage based on contractual relationships, administrative power, outreach power and serving as a common voice for establishments. This places them in a strong position to support the upscaling of sustainable urban freight transport initiatives and broaden the level of implementation. This study paid attention to actors beyond those that are directly associated with urban freight supply chains (carriers, shippers, goods receivers and regulators) to increase the understanding of the role of these organisations in promoting sustainability improvements in urban freight transport activities. The in-depth analysis of the activities carried out by influencing organisations shows why it is important to include them within the scope of urban freight measures and policies: i) they help to overcome the inertia inhibiting the implementation of sustainable urban freight transport initiatives, and ii) they have a connection to many goods receivers as well as the leverage to influence and possibly unite them. Moreover, influencers often have available resources to invest in new infrastructural solutions or processes and the motivation and incentives to carry out these initiatives, thus allowing this engagement to be beneficial both for them and the sustainable development of cities. The results of this thesis provide insights for policymakers about forming policies and regulations to stimulate the engagement of influencers in urban freight transport. This research illustrates to the influencing organisations themselves that they can play a valuable role in the future trajectory of urban freight transport development, as well as examples of ways to change urban freight transport to be more sustainable. 

Abstract 

Purpose: During the past 5-10 years there has been an increasing interest in urban freight activities due to desire to reduce the environmental impact of freight movements in cities while at the same time maintaining efficiency. One way that has been promoted to achieve this has been the urban consolidation centers. However, some of these initiatives have been argued to be costly and their take up has been limited. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the research on receivers by comparing two organisations that provide procurement services - one in the public sector and one in the private sector. Potential differences exist between public sector and private sector procurement behavior and the research will explore this and consider the possible importance of intermediary organisations that can provide a link between the receivers and the carriers.

Research Approach: The paper adopts an exploratory research approach based on a review of relevant literature about transport purchasing and the purchasing behavior of managers in the public and private sectors. This review is then supported by several in-depth interviews. Following the interviews two case studies have been prepared one concerned with public sector procurement and the other with the private sector. These case studies are summarised in the paper and similarities and differences are considered.

Findings and Originality: Most urban freight research has focused on carriers. However, receivers possess considerable supply chain power and their decisions can strongly influence urban goods deliveries. This research identifies some important features of the role played by organisations which are neither receivers nor carriers but instead play an intermediary role within the urban supply chain.

Research Impact: In particular, the focus of this paper is on the procurement patterns of public and private organizations and potential difference between them. Potential impact of this work would be the contribution to the knowledge about the receivers’ side and their purchasing behavior in relation to the freight generation aspect of urban freight. This study can contribute to the knowledge about consolidation of the goods delivered to the receivers and how the receivers or those organisations working with receivers can trigger it by their procurement practices.

Practical Impact: Practical impact can be the knowledge on the influence of goods consolidation activities via changes in organization procurement practices.

This paper explores the ways in which Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) can promote initiatives that lead to more sustainable urban goods movements in urban areas. The qualitative research was conducted by studying eight BIDs in three cities and in three countries - all the BIDs studied had considered or taken actions related to urban freight and sustainability. The results show that BIDs in different countries have similarities and differences in their organisational structure and functions, the main services provided and readiness to promote initiatives related to urban freight improvements. We identified that differences in their accomplishments relate to their motivation, awareness of the scope to influence urban freight and the extent of their collaboration with local and city authorities concerning urban freight initiatives. In general, we suggest that BIDs have the potential to act as important influencers in urban freight as they (i) unite the receivers and encourage them to address joint operations that bring economic and environmental benefits (ii) give the receivers the possibility to implement changes through the power of collective action (iii) facilitate the dialogue and collaboration with local and city authorities. As a result, we suggest that the measures directed to BIDs on improving urban freight can have much more significant return on time and funds invested than if invested in a single businesses and organisations. Our recommendation to BIDs that would like to reach higher level of accomplishments is to ensure stakeholder engagement including engaging and collaboration with local authorities and to demonstrate their willingness to take a lead.

Most urban freight research has focused on the need to change the behaviour of transport operators (carriers) either through incentives or more commonly through regulation. In the past few years researchers have started to address the scope to involve receivers (mainly retailers) in the reduction of urban freight trips. Typical initiatives include joint procurement or the possible use of consolidation centres. However, this focus on carriers and receivers potentially ignores the role of intermediary organisations that can strongly influence the patterns of urban freight movements and the way in which deliveries are made in urban centres. These intermediary organizations cover a wide variety of types including: Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), public sector purchasing coordinators that establish framework contracts and in the private sector - facilities managers. The paper explores the activities of 10 intermediary organisations in Sweden, UK and USA. An exploratory case study approach has been adopted and the activities of the organisations are summarised in order to enable acomparative assessment to be made. Findings support the contention that intermediary organisations have a powerful role to play in influencing urban freight demand and that their ability to bring together individual receivers is a significant opportunity for achieving more rapid and profound changes in urban freight flows and vehicle movements. The scope for changing procurement in both the public and private sector is also highlighted as one outcome of the research.

Purpose: During the last decade, the establishment of distribution systems in cities has attracted an increased interest in the society as well as in academia. City-logistic implies distribution of goods critical to the everyday life in a flexible urban environment with regard to public- and industrial stakeholder interests. Based on different stakeholder interests, there is a standing need to evaluate the use of public space (PS) an urban environment. Yet, there is still an uncertainty about stakeholder interests as well as stakeholders rights to influence the use of PS in the urban environment. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework to evaluate the use of PS with regard to stakeholder interests.

Research Approach: A literature review of published research on city-logistics was conducted to create a framework for evaluation interests in PS. The conceptual framework includes the use of PS in urban environment. Based on the presented conceptual framework, stakeholder interests and rights to influence the usage of PS in an urban environment have been evaluated based on empirical data from a single in-depth case study of a Swedish city. Empirical data from participant observations and a survey questionnaire were used as empirical evidence in the evaluation.

Findings and Originality: The findings illustrate evaluation of stakeholder interests and rights to influence the use of PS in an urban environment. Main findings include enhanced understanding of different stakeholder interests. The paper contributes to the understanding of an issue is been important in implementing city-logistics, but still not much addressed in published logistics literature: the use of PS. The combination of published research on city-logistics, and analysis of different stakeholder's interests and rights to influence the use of PS provides interesting insight from which further research can be developed to enrich theory and management of city-logistics.

Research Impact: The paper contributes to existing research on city-logistics. In particular, it presents a conceptual framework to evaluate stakeholder interests’ and rights to influence the use of PS for implementation of city-logistics.

Practical Impact: Managers are recommended to sue the framework to evaluate stakeholder rights to influence to use of use of PS for city-logistic purposes.

Commercial activity and the underlying freight movements supporting them are essential to urban life. Unfortunately, urban freight has negative effects on sustainability and requires innovative approaches to enhance the positive aspects and minimize the negative ones. There is a common understanding among practitioners, with support from the literature, that the negative impacts of urban freight can be alleviated with better knowledge about the system and by identifying and engaging influential stakeholders. This paper focuses on property owners and their role in encouraging initiatives that lead to more sustainable urban freight delivery practices. Property owners engage in sustainability issues in real estate because they are interested in developing their properties to increase their attractiveness, competitiveness, and future market value. A shopping mall is an example of a property that generates a lot of freight traffic due to intense commercial activity. This paper studies the delivery patterns to a centrally located shopping mall in the city of Gothenburg and identifies how property owners could influence the delivery patterns of their tenants. A range of initiatives is proposed based on the literature and considering the delivery patterns observed. The results show that property owners can include freight deliveries in their sustainability strategy, focusing on fostering collaboration and communication between the tenants and promoting supply chain strategies that consider the type of activities that take place and the scope to reduce the number of truck movements and increase the efficient and sustainable goods deliveries.

This study explores how norm-setting third-party urban freight stakeholders, referred to as ´influencers’, may indirectly put pressure on carriers in the urban freight setting. The paper indicates that influencers have a potential to initiate considerable change in how carriers shape their business models. The results thus bring to light the often-overlooked power that influencers have in relation to the development of actor behavior along the urban freight supply chain.

The importance of stakeholders in the development of a sustainable urban freight sector has been highlighted in recent research. Not all stakeholders have a direct link to the supply chain, but they may still play a role in creating sustainable urban freight initiatives. This study explores the initiatives that norm-setting indirect stakeholders in urban freight, referred to as ‘influencers’, establish to support a more sustainable urban freight sector, and how those initiatives may impact the business models of carriers. The study uses data gathered for ongoing research into the roles of indirect stakeholders in the development of sustainable urban freight initiatives. The results indicate that influencers can put pressure on receivers regarding logistical issues and shape the physical environment in which deliveries are conducted. Influencers use three primary strategies to support sustainable urban freight: vehicle-focused measures, consolidation linked to physical infrastructure, and consolidation through behavioural changes. These initiatives impact the relationship between receivers and carriers and may push carriers to adopt more sustainable practices as well as take decisions that impact their business models. The results highlight the often-overlooked power of influencers in relation to the development of actor behaviour in the urban freight supply chain and show the potential for both conflict and change arising from the use of this power.

Trends visible today suggest that a transformation of industrial firms’ use of electricity, and a change in their role in the electricity system, could take place as a part of a long-term transition towards a low-carbon Swedish economy. The shape of these changes remains highly uncertain, but electrification, flexible electricity use, and emerging roles in the electricity system for industrial consumers are interdependent developments and should be investigated from a holistic perspective where possible.

Swedish industry is relatively energy intensive, and has stood for roughly 37% of the country’s electricity use for a decade. The Swedish Energy Agency’s Vivace scenario suggests that this share could expand, despite improved efficiency, to 49% by 2050. The increased use of electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take advantage of market conditions would play out differently in different sectors, and depending on the development of different technologies. However large-scale opportunities may exist in the long-term, such as using electrolysis to produce hydrogen for replacing coke in the iron and steel industry and as a feedstock in the petrochemical industry.

Smaller-scale but still important options for electrification include electric/hybrid boilers in the pulp and paper industry and a variety of electro-thermal technologies for heating and drying.

Increased use of electricity in industry is likely to go hand-in-hand with increasingly flexible use of electricity. In some cases, such as the production of hydrogen or process media, this flexibility will be in-built since the storable energy carriers create new production planning options. In other cases, new approaches to planning, process design, and the use of automation may allow firms to match electricity use to favourable market conditions.

The expected high penetration of intermittent renewable electricity in the power system may create incentives for this flexibility. These incentives should appear on the wholesale market, in the form of high- and low-price periods. They may also appear via new capacity markets, or through markets for new system services needed to support stability in both transmission and distribution networks. The frameworks and regulations needed to create these markets are not yet in place, and firms will also need to develop technical and management capabilities to take advantage of them.

Taking ideas to market can be a long, iterative, and complex process. When dealing with new bio-based materials, under-standing factors that help bridge the lab-to-market gap and how materials are selected for new product development have the potential to speed up the transition to a circular bioeconomy. This article defines abstract and conceptual material demonstrators and explores how they support the innovation process in different ways. Nine roles are iden-tified, including how material demonstrators contribute to generating and expressing new ideas, enable a shared understanding of technology, support the discovery of market value and the visualization of potential applications as well as helping to articulate internal and external strategies and communications. Abstract and conceptual material dem-onstrators are exemplified with both technology-driven and market-driven bio-based materials used in packaging.

Increasing interest in the use of design thinking (DT) in innovation has called into question its integration in organizational settings. We draw upon literature on management innovation and new practice implementation that highlights potential cultural conflicts between the values and assumptions underpinning the new practice and the culture of the organization that adopts it. We investigate the cultural fit between DT and the adopting firm through qualitative studies of 13 cases of DT implementation in large established firms complemented with data collected during eight workshops with DT practitioners and scholars. We abductively propose a cultural archetype of DT comprising eight dimensions: subjective and aesthetic ways of knowing, long-term and nonlinear views about time, intrinsic motivation and sense of purpose, flexibility and change, relationships, empathy, and emotions at work, collaboration and inclusion, team autonomy and informality, and external orientation. We identify challenges and consequences associated with cultural misfits encountered in the implementation of DT: lack of legitimacy, lack of depth, disengagement, incrementalism, poor teamwork and alienation, collaboration lip service, micromanaged processes, and lack of external orientation. We thus (i) develop a characterization of DT by providing a detailed cultural archetype that we discuss relative to previous literature on DT and (ii) enrich the research on the recursive relationship between organizational culture and DT implementation, contributing to research on emotions in management and innovation culture. We also (iii) contribute to research on the challenges encountered by firms when adopting DT, extending the research on difficulties linked to cultural misfits when implementing new practices. Finally, we (iv) contribute to research on practice implementation and management innovation by highlighting the interplay between cultural fit, legitimacy, and the implementation climate.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent a significant number of industries in need of moving towards more sustainable development. A sustainability perspective on business activities is today crucial for SMEs to achieve a new level of competitiveness. Identifying which is a suitable set of sustainability indicators for an individual SME is a big challenge. The availability of so many methods and systems can leave SMEs reluctant to implement them in their small business. Therefore, this research aims to create a sustainability maturity model for SMEs to visualize goals and assess progress on their transformation journey. Progress is assessed by indicators, exemplified by indicators of the Global Reporting Initiative and the maturity is verified as stepwise growth along international management system standards. Using the developed model, it is possible to determine the SMEs’ sustainability performance. The research has resulted in a stepwise classification of the organization’s maturity is compiled into training and auditing material in different regions and sectors. © 2024 The Author(s). Business Strategy and the Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A key lifestyle change people could make to reduce their environmental impact is to reduce their meat consumption. However, meat is still a staple in many people's diet, and some consumers are reluctant to cut down. Meat substitutes, if accepted as adequate replacements for meat, may offer a suitable alternative without leaving consumers feeling dissatisfied. The aim of the present study was to identify psychological barriers to reducing meat consumption and increasing use of meat substitutes among Swedish consumers. Participants engaged in focus group discussions around purchasing, preparing, and consuming meat and meat substitutes. Four main themes were identified through thematic analysis: uncertainty, scepticism, health, and identity. These are discussed in relation to previous work on the barriers to reducing meat consumption. Strategies to communicate the environmental impact of meat to consumers and effect change through behavioural interventions are considered. © 2021 The Authors

This paper discusses the enablers and barriers to design-driven innovation at a Swedish wood furniture wholesaler. Design-driven innovation focuses on innovating the purpose a product has to a customer. This is a relatively new concept which is not yet thoroughly explored. A case study is conducted to identify the enablers and barriers to this type of innovation. In line with literature, the enablers were identified prior, throughout and after product development, whereas the barriers were only found in later phases. To conclude, this paper will present implications and suggestions for further research on the enablers and barriers to design-driven innovation.

During the autumn of 2015, Europe experienced a sharp increase in refugee influx, and many refugees arrived in the European Øresund Region. Refugees travelled through Denmark and over the Øresund Bridge, arriving in the third largest city in Sweden, Malmö. Private, public and voluntary organizations in Malmö had to change the way they worked to meet the new entry demands. Flexible adaptations to changing circumstances can be described as resilient performance and are supported or hindered by societal and organizational drivers and barriers. Qualitative interview data from Swedish organizations managing the refugee reception in Malmö were analyzed through the theoretical lens of Resilience Engineering (RE). The analysis results showed that necessary adaptations were not supported by the managerial design of the responsible public organizations. The analysis also showed that preconditions created from societal steering hinders value responsiveness at the public management level, i.e., the public management level has barriers towards becoming familiar with the organization’s value structures. Familiarity with the system value and goal structure is essential for an efficient prioritizing of conflicting goals, which is why it is suggested that this aspect be explicitly included in RE principles.

The circular economy megatrend demands that manufacturing firms change their business model, implying that great changes must happen in business ecosystems. This short paper is based on observations from research in three ecosystems and identifies avenues firms can take in business ecosystems when orchestrating implementation of circular economy goals.

The purpose of this work was to study the packaging supplier and the integration of integrating packaging suppliers into the supply and demand chain (SDC). The packaging industry has been analyzed using a structured market analysis, and the companies studied have been positioned in an integration model for packaging suppliers. In addition, case studies were conducted to study the development of the packaging industry and its integration within the SDC in the Scandinavian region. The analysis shows that there are gaps in the business relations between the packaging companies studied and the SDC. Most of the packaging suppliers were not integrated into the SDC. Valuable information, available in the network, seldom reaches the packaging supplier who holds the knowledge necessary to create and offer innovative packaging solutions. The article provides an empirical exploration into the field of packaging, logistics and SDC integration and an original conceptual framework that could serve as a theoretical framework for future research work applied in the packaging industry and an interesting business model to the increase understanding of packaging supply chain integration.

This exploratory thesis aims to describe and analyze how boundaries emerge, affect planning practices, and how boundaries are managed over time in order to achieve integrated planning processes. This thesis is particularly interested in how the interplay between boundary-spanning and boundary-crossing activities in relation to the organization of strategic spatial planning can be understood from an institutional perspective. The overall research question was sub-divided into three further research questions: How do boundaries emerge, and how are they managed, when planning is organized? What boundary arrangements emerge over time for the managing of boundaries? How can the choice of boundary arrangement be understood in relation to institutional orders? The thesis involves a case study of two urban planning projects and an organizational planning reform. Using a qualitative research approach, empirical data were collected through participant observations when planners collaborated, shadowing planners in their work environment, conducting semi-structured interviews with planners, hosting focus group discussions, and analyzing relevant documents. The findings of the present study demonstrate that planners face multiple challenges related to boundaries, which in turn encourages continuous transformation processes. Negotiations are revealed to play a crucial role in managing and modifying boundaries. More specifically, different and conflicting views on how boundaries should be drawn and desired characteristics of the boundaries converge in negotiation processes. Drawing on the institutional theoretical framework of the study, the organizing principles of egalitarianism and hierarchy are positioned in opposition to one another. Negotiations ultimately result in an egalitarian approach to boundary management, which involves preserving formal boundaries and organizing planning work across boundaries. An informal planning organization emerges alongside the formal planning organization, and specific boundary arrangements and approaches to organize collective action in a polycentric planning environment become institutionalized. This development, however, gives rise to new problematic boundaries between the formal and informal planning organization, which in turn leads to further negotiation and incremental changes to boundary arrangements and planning practices.

The circular economy promotes a transition away from linear modes of production and consumption to systems with circular material flows that can significantly improve resource productivity. However, transforming linear business models to circular business models posits a number of financial consequences for product companies as they need to secure more capital in a stock of products that will be rented out over time and therefore will encounter a slower, more volatile cash flow in the short term compared to linear direct sales of products. This paper discusses the role of financial actors in circular business ecosystems and alternative financing solutions when moving from product-dominant business models to Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) or function-based business models. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates a solution where state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) modeling can be incorporated for financial risk assessment. We provide an open implementation and a thorough empirical evaluation of an AI-model, which learns to predict residual value of stocks of used items. Furthermore, the paper highlights solutions, managerial implications, and potentials for financing circular business models, argues the importance of different forms of data in future business ecosystems, and offers recommendations for how AI can help mitigate some of the challenges businesses face as they transition to circular business models. © 2022 The Authors. 

Global climate changes will intensify the competition for fresh water. Technologies for reducing household tap water consumption may be an effective measure for sustainable water consumption. However, such technologies may come with a potential perceived reduction in comfort. This field study thus examines whether and how tenants, who live in apartments in water abundant areas and have a standard cost for water included in their rent, accept reduction in tap-water comfort over a six-month period of technology familiarisation, A repeated questionnaire study (n = 38) was conducted to mesasure changes in acceptance and perceived functionality of water efficient faucets over time. We also tested to what extent motivational factors posited by the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory accounted for acceptance of hands-on experiences in the early-stage of familiarisation. Unlike the familiarisation hypothesis, our results show decreased acceptance for bathroom and kitchen faucets mediated by impaired perceived functionalities (in flow and temperature). No such changes were observed for shower faucets. Moreover, while the casual chain hypothesised by the VBN theory (i.e., moving from values to awareness of consequences to a personal norm of water conservation) is shown to account for acceptance, no ascription of responsibility is disclosed. Overreliance and boundary conditions for familiarisation effects are discussed.

This chapter explores some of the financial processes where maritime informatics could make a difference and improve existing practices. The chapter takes the principle logic of how maritime transport serves the cargo owner, the passenger, or the transport buyer. The chapter acknowledges different types of costs and risks associated with maritime transport, such as capital, operational, voyage costs and environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-related costs to meet business needs and comply with regulatory requirements. Building upon the role of maritime informatics to achieve transparency, control, mitigate risks, and reduce the costs within each of these categories, different opportunities are acknowledged and associated with different shipping segments. Consideration is also given to economic advantage, resilience, compliance, and sustainability emerging from transparency in financial processes that comes with digital data sharing. The chapter provides a practical framework to identifying the role of maritime informatics in supporting financial management and decision-making by classifying cost/risk categories and digital data streams of relevance by looking at three dimensions: resiliency, compliance, and sustainability.

Klimatutmaningen ställer mycket stora krav på samhället. I takt med att klimatförändringarnas effekter blir allt tydligare genom bland annat omfattande skogsbränder, smältande havsisar, och extremoväder, så får klimatfrågan också allt större uppmärksamhet i det offentliga samtalet, hos beslutsfattare, och inom näringsliv och civilsamhälle. Teknikutvecklingen har alltid varit viktig i diskussionen om klimatfrågans orsaker och lösningar, liksom för forskning om hållbar utveckling i stort. I takt med att artificiell intelligens (AI) sett en språngvis utveckling och dess tillämpningar tycks öka på flera samhällsområden, så ökar också intresset för hur AI kan bidra till att tackla klimatutmaningen i alla dess dimensioner - från grundläggande klimatforskning, till klimatanpassning och klimatinnovation. Följande rapport, AI i klimatets tjänst, ger en överblick av potentialen hos AI för klimatutmaningen. Rapporten presenterar också en kartläggning av potentialen för Sverige att bli internationellt ledande inom detta område. Analysen bygger på en litteraturöversikt, intervjuer, en enkätundersökning och en systematisk genomgång av klimatrelaterad AI-forskning i Sverige och utomlands. Resultaten är på intet sätt slutgiltiga, utan ger en överblicksbild av ett snabbt växande område. Vi hoppas att rapporten ska kunna fungera som ett första diskussionsunderlag för de myndigheter, företag, forskare och andra som är intresserade av att vidareutveckla potentialen hos AI-tekniker och deras användning för klimatutmaningen.

If digitalization projects aim to effectively create value for a company, one precondition is having a shared view among company staff and project members of what the "desirable" value is. However, it has been shown that few companies fully understand the value that digitalization projects can create for them, while many companies still launch digitalization projects without this understanding. This contributes to the current "alarmingly" low success rate for digitalization projects. Development of effective methods to specify the desired values of digitalization projects is thus important. One step in developing improved specification methods is to ask what the possible barriers are to improving current value specification practices. The purpose of the current study is to address this. We analyzed several digitalization projects regarding how specifications of desired project value were carried out, finding that very limited resources are spent on specifying desired values in digitalization projects, and that this limits project success. Likewise, there are several barriers to increasing resources for specifying desired values. Our findings contribute to understanding the development of value specification methods that aim to overcome these barriers and thus could help improve the success rate of digitalization projects. 

Investments in production equipment are made to generate desired production benefit. This work examines how benefit generally is defined and to what extent the benefit is well defined when equipment investments are made. The study revealed that benefit from investments often is unclearly or inconsistently defined, with a narrow system view and often has a weak correlation with benefit for a production system with broader boundaries. This could hamper the possibility to capitalize on industrial trends that indicate a shift in focus, from products, to the benefit utilization of the products can deliver.

By a broad empirical study it is indicated that automation development show potential of improvement. In the paper, 13 lean product development principles are contrasted to the automation development process and it is suggested why and how these principles can facilitate, support and improve the automation development process. The paper summarises a description of what characterises a lean automation development process and what consequences it entails. Main differences compared to current practice are also identified. The incentives for, and expected effects of, applying the identified lean principles to the automation development process are discussed. Lean automation development: applying lean principles to the automation development process. 

Simulering som verktyg för utveckling, tillverkning och provning av produkter i avancerade material är en stor och betydande del av Swereas ordinarie verksamhet. Swerea Virtual Lab är ett fokusområde inom Swerea AB. Swerea Virtual Lab är en kraftsamling för att hjälpa industrin att utöka sin virtuella produktutveckling. Swerea Virtual Lab är en unik samarbetspartner genom sin storlek, kompetens, materialbredd och förmåga att generera indata till beräkningsmodell, genomföra simuleringar och verifiera resultat i laboratorieskala. Swerea Virtual Lab är ett välkänt begrepp, en prioriterad samarbetspartner och den självklara forskningspartnern i EU projekt och i industriella utvecklingsprojekt i Europa och Sverige. Swerea Virtual Lab kännetecknas av tydlig kontaktstruktur, transparent process, hög kvalité och hög leveranssäkerhet. Swerea Virtual Lab vänder sig till alla branscher som har ett intresse av virtuell produktutveckling.

A unique greenfield project within a new industrial domain in Europe started 2017, with a mission to build the world’s greenest batteries, to enable and accelerate the European transition to renewable energy. The new firm, together with Sweden’s Innovation Agency Vinnova, initiated collaboration in the project “Research – new state-of-the-art factory”, (VDr. 2017-03397). This report includes an executive summary and an extract of results. The research project specifically contributed to the initiation and knowledge related to the union collaboration process, aiming to support the establishment of a new state-of-the-art factory in a Swedish context. Relevant results identified during the start-up journey will serve as a contextual base and be used in agreement with the start-up firm in planned publications, i.e. they are not included in detail in this report. Furthermore, areas of development regarding concepts for work organization in the initial production organization have been identified, and initiated actions during the study contributing to operational work processes, and organizational learning.

Determinants of consumer demand for subscription to a sharing platform for underused tools and hobby items were investigated in a series of choice experiments. The stated-preference study with a census-representative sample of 702 Swedish adults, tested four types of offers (sharing boxes) containing: gardening and power tools, photo and video equipment, kitchen and household tools and outdoor/sport equipment. Respondents faced hypothetical buying scenarios: they were asked to choose a subscription to a maintained and insured sharing box located in a public space and containing premium-segment items from one of the above categories. Results show that a possible location for a sharing box depends on its content - for instance, the sharing box with garden tools was preferred by small garden owners. It was also tested, in a demand simulation scenario, how measures aimed at managing utilisation of shared items, such as booking in advance, booking limits or location of the sharing box would affect the preference for the offer. Findings suggest that respondents would be willing to accept these inconveniences of sharing, provided the subscription price was set accordingly (25% lower than the average used across all experiments). Moreover, respondents seem to be using familiar digital subscriptions as a benchmark to determine a fair price for the offers used in the study. © 2022 The Author(s)

Delay contribution, critical disturbances and minor delays are new metrics created to clarify the connection between disturbances during a train's journey and its punctuality. A demonstrator for large-scale analyzes based on these metrics has been created. Train traffic throughout 2019 and parts of 2020 is analyzed. The results generally show that the metrics in a meaningful way complement the traditionally used analysis methods and specifically that small delays and disturbances late in travel have a large effect on the punctuality. The metrics can also be applied for station punctuality e.g. in a commuter train system.

The pulp and paper industry faces several challenges linked to climate and environmental impact, resource efficiency, rising energy prices, increased competition for biomass resources, and declining demand for traditional printed paper products. However, these challenges also offer strategic opportunities for the industry to develop into a competitive, resource-efficient, and low-carbon industry in line with a biobased economy. Against this background, this paper aims to analyse current energy strategies in the pulp and paper industry in Sweden. Specifically, the paper analyses how companies combine continuous process efficiency to reduce energy costs with activities that could be developed into new energy-related products to increase revenue. Most of the analysed companies work to various degrees with both these strategies, employing methods that include improving energy efficiency, energy security, and energy conversion, as well as developing a wide range of biobased energy products. However, our study indicates that there is an untapped potential associated with energy product development, and we conclude that energy efficiency measures can free up resources, enabling the development of new energy products. Finally, several potential managerial outcomes and implications are outlined. © 2021 The Authors

Denna rapport sammanställer erfarenheter och resultat från Borås stads arbete med projektet Frisk organisation och dess operativa enhet Organisationshälsa. Under 2019 - 2022 har projektet kartlagt och adresserat bakomliggande orsaker till hög korttidssjukfrånvaro på utvalda arbetsplatser inom kommunen. Arbetet har följts upp med två tidigare delrapporter inför vilka man samlat in och sammanställt underlag med fokus på olika delområden. Den första uppföljningen, 2020, analyserade implementeringen av Organisationshälsa och hur arbetsprocessen utvecklats i förhållande till den ursprungliga metodbeskrivningen, samt hur insatserna upplevdes fungera enligt projektgruppen, utvalda chefer och medarbetare. Uppföljningen 2021 redogjorde för de problemområden som kartläggningar på utvalda arbetsplatser identifierat som avgörande för att minska korttidssjukfrånvaron och förbättra arbetsmiljön. Vidare gjordes en uppföljning av handlingsplaner, liksom av lärdomar, utmaningar och utvecklingsbehov. Resultaten från 2021 är fortfarande högst aktuella, bland annat mot bakgrund av pandemin som lett till att delar av Organisationshälsas arbete saktats ned. Denna rapport bygger vidare på tidigare års slutsatser, kompletterar hur arbetet utvecklats under projekttiden och lyfter fram viktiga lärdomar. Organisationshälsa har under projekttiden stöttat 57 enheter på åtta av stadens sexton förvaltningar. Deras arbete har utgjort en värdefull insats för att hjälpa utsatta arbetsplatser att etablera ett systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete, ringa in och åtgärda sina arbetsmiljörelaterade utmaningar. I en föränderlig organisationsmiljö, där även hög personalomsättning är vanligt förekommande, är det en nyckelfaktor att kontinuerligt och gemensamt jobba med arbetsmiljöfrågor, gemensamma rutiner och samsyn på arbetsplatserna. Vikten av att jobba med dessa frågor genomgripande på alla verksamhetsnivåer, samt använda insikterna från detta arbete för att synliggöra de strukturella aspekterna av de utmaningar som verksamheterna möter, har framkommit tydligt under projekttiden. Att adressera problematiken på en högre organisatorisk nivå och skapa forum för att lyfta de återkommande mönster av arbetsplatsrelaterade utmaningar som screeningarna påvisar, är en viktig faktor som lyfts fram av fler av projektets parter, och essentiellt för att på ett systematiskt sätt kunna utveckla kommunens förutsättningar att skapa och upprätthålla en god arbetsmiljö och en frisk organisation.

Purpose: Taking the perspective of a start-up company, the purpose of this paper is to analyse resource renewal in heavy business networks. Design/methodology/approach: The theoretical framework is based on the Industrial Network Approach and, especially, the resource interaction framework, business network settings and studies of starting up in business networks. The basis for the paper is a case study of a start-up in the Swedish wind energy context. Findings: Resource renewal in this case means replacing one resource, having implications for the resource interfaces in the three business network settings. Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to the area of studies of starting up in business networks by identifying a distinct form of resource renewal in heavy business networks enabled by development of resource interfaces in three business network settings. Practical implications: Managers in start-ups as well as established firms need to interact to create and develop the resource interfaces that are needed to achieve resource renewal. Resource renewal not only is in the hands of start-ups but also requires interactive resource development with various collaboration partners. Originality/value: This study takes a start-up’s perspective to resource renewal of heavy business networks and analyses heaviness based on resource interfaces in three business network settings. 

De närmaste 15 åren kommer svenskindustri att med förnyad kraft fortsätta sin digitala omställning, ta tillsig en rad nya material, utveckla nyaaffärsmodeller och öka sin transformationsförmåga. Allt för att stärkasin konkurrenskraft, i symbios medhållbarhet – ekonomisk, ekologisk ochsocial. Coronapandemin medför förvisso enorma utmaningar för industrin,men efter den akuta kris hanteringenkommer med all sannolikhetindustriomställningen att ta ny fart.

Denna broschyr är en förkortad sammanställning av RISE rapport 2020:46 som finns på länken:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-44978

Circular business models based on remanufacturing and reuse promise significant cost savings as well as radical reductions in environmental impact. Variants of such business models have been suggested for decades, and there are notable success stories such as the Xerox product–service offering based on photocopiers that are remanufactured. Still, we are not seeing widespread adoption in industry. This paper examines causes for reluctance. Drawing on a hypothesis‐testing framework of business model innovation, we show that circular business models imply significant challenges to proactive uncertainty reduction for the entrepreneur. Moreover, we show that many product–service system variants that facilitate return flow control in circular business models further aggravate the potential negative effects of failed uncertainty reduction because of increased capital commitments. Through a longitudinal action research study we also provide a counterexample to many of the challenges identified in previous studies, which could be overcome in the studied case.

Förstudien den första ingenjören har undersökt hur ett system bör utformas för att stödja mindre tillverkande företag som inte har en fungerande rekryteringsprocess av ingenjörskompetens, dels med att identifiera sitt specifika behov av ingenjörskompetens men också att identifiera rätt ingenjör. Sveriges Ingenjörer lät 2005-2006 ta fram en studie som påvisade ett starkt samband mellan ingenjörskompetens och mindre företags utveckling. Denna utveckling studerades över en 6-års period m.a.p. produktivitet, sysselsättningsgrad och omsättningsökning. Samtliga mätetal visade på markant skilnad i positiv riktning för de som anställt sin förste ingejör gentemot företag som redan hade ingenjörer eller inte hade några ingenjörer alls. Förstudien har syftat till att ta fram en ansökan som kan beskriva hur ett genomförande av ett pilotcase, ett testsystem, för att stödja matchmaking av företag och ingenjörer kan se ut. Förstudien har använt arbetsmöten, workshops med företag och ingenjörer, enkätutskick, samt systemmappning för att samla in och sammanställa data. Resultatet av förstudien är ett förslag på genomförande av test/pilotcase på regional nivå i Jönköpings län för att kunna utvärdera dess nytta och möjlighet att växla upp systemet även på nationell nivå.

The coming years are expected to bring rapid changes in the nanotechnology regulatory landscape, with the establishment of a new framework for nano-risk governance, in silico approaches for characterisation and risk assessment of nanomaterials, and novel procedures for the early identification and management of nanomaterial risks. In this context, Safe(r)-by-Design (SbD) emerges as a powerful preventive approach to support the development of safe and sustainable (SSbD) nanotechnology-based products and processes throughout the life cycle. This paper summarises the work undertaken to develop a blueprint for the deployment and operation of a permanent European Centre of collaborating laboratories and research organisations supporting safe innovation in nanotechnologies. The proposed entity, referred to as “the Centre”, will establish a ‘one-stop shop’ for nanosafety-related services and a central contact point for addressing stakeholder questions about nanosafety. Its operation will rely on significant business, legal and market knowledge, as well as other tools developed and acquired through the EU-funded EC4SafeNano project and subsequent ongoing activities. The proposed blueprint adopts a demand-driven service update scheme to allow the necessary vigilance and flexibility to identify opportunities and adjust its activities and services in the rapidly evolving regulatory and nano risk governance landscape. The proposed Centre will play a major role as a conduit to transfer scientific knowledge between the research and commercial laboratories or consultants able to provide high quality nanosafety services, and the end-users of such services (e.g., industry, SMEs, consultancy firms, and regulatory authorities). The Centre will harmonise service provision, and bring novel risk assessment and management approaches, e.g. in silico methodologies, closer to practice, notably through SbD/SSbD, and decisively support safe and sustainable innovation of industrial production in the nanotechnology industry according to the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.