Despite business models having been discussed thoroughly by academics there are still some epistemological and ontological issues that have yet to be resolved. Business models seem to have stalled at the technological era and have not fully engaged with the era of sustainability. The purpose of our paper is to add a new lens and richness to sustainable business model research by building on the need for more interdisciplinary approaches. This paper applies an eco-critical approach to analyse the 20 most often cited business model frameworks. We explore the conventional understanding of the business models based on the language applied and reflect on gaps in the current perspectives of sustainability. The analysis shows that existing business model frameworks exclude natural and social aspects of organisational environment from the discussion and tend to neglect the interrelationships between economic and not-economic actors as well as the intertemporal trade-offs. Based on the results of the analysis we propose a new sustainable business model framework named "Value Triangle", which explicitly includes as core elements society incorporating the natural environment and future generations and three types of co-created and co-delivered value: public, partner and customer. The Value Triangle together with the corresponding canvas is presented through a business case for sustainability represented by Italian company Loccioni. The results show that the proposed business model framework and canvas allow managers to understand, analyse and evaluate their business models along all three dimensions of sustainabilityeconomic, social, and environmental simultaneously.Such an understanding helps drive the field towards making a meaningful contribution to solving the UN global challenges and sustainability agenda.
Social media offer many opportunities for organizations but present, at the same time, many challenges, too. Particular attention must be paid to the new patterns of behavior emerging in organizations. We argue that these patterns derive both from the technical characteristics of the virtual environment and also from specific social structural conditions currently emerging. By referring to two case studies, we want to highlight and discuss the implications of these current developments and their opportunities, threats and consequences for Human Resource Management. Our analysis will be supported by theories and research on the reproduction of rules and norms, on the one hand, and on social structural studies about digital natives and Generation Y, on the other. In order to sharpen our argument and to highlight the challenges of social media for human resource management, we propose the concept and notion of a 'parallel world.' "A brave new (digital) world"? Konsequenzen von in-house Social Media für das Personalmanagement Die Nutzung von Social Media bietet viele Möglichkeiten für Organisationen, aber auch zahlreiche Herausforderungen. Vor allem die Emergenz neuer Verhaltensmuster seitens der Organisationsmitglieder gilt es zu berücksichtigen. Diese, so unsere Argumentation, lassen sich sowohl aus den technischen Besonderheiten virtueller Umgebungen als auch aus besonderen, gegenwärtig emergierenden sozialstrukturellen Konstellationen herleiten. Dies hat auch Konsequenzen für das Personalmanagement, was in dem vorliegenden Beitrag anhand zweier Fallstudien exemplifiziert und diskutiert werden soll. Argumentativ gestützt wird die Analyse von Theorien und Studien zur Reproduktion von Regeln und Normen einerseits, und sozialstrukturellen Studien zu Digital Natives bzw. zur Generation Y andererseits. Zur scharfen Konturierung gegenüber der Offline-Welt mit Blick auf das Personalmanagement schlagen wir vor, Social Media mit Attributen einer ‚Parallelwelt' zu versehen.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is first, to review current literature on corporate identity, image and reputation; second, to analyse the "green reputation" on a sample of Slovene companies based on their web sites and third, to present implications for companies and further research. Design/methodology/approach -Content analysis and discourse analysis were used to examine sections of web sites related to sustainable development of 20 Slovene companies representing the pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, food production, retailing, automotive, construction, logistics, sales of oil products and domestic appliance industries. Findings -The web sites of 20 Slovene companies studied show that all companies present their values about environment protection and social responsibility, which they relate to sustainable development. However, "green" identity is not fully exploited in terms of being used as a distinctive feature of a company and as such it does not sufficiently contribute to gaining competitive advantage for a company. Research limitations/implications -Although constituted by all relevant Slovene companies, the sample is limited in size. Further research could be done with a larger sample to test the findings. Different tools and media of marketing communication and a stakeholder survey could confirm the importance of the findings and significance for green reputation development. Practical implications -Senior company management can use the findings from the research presented here as a starting-point for the development of corporate reputation as a "green" company through appropriate use of corporate communication. Originality/value -The research paper contributes to the scarce literature on green reputation development, which is almost non-existent with regard to non-multinational companies from post-transition and transition economies. The paper also reveals new findings about the problem of standardisation within "green" marketing communication.
PurposeThis study aims to identify the legitimacy issues raised during a sustainable business model innovation, deployed by an Italian company, which was analyzed through the lens of the legitimation theory and the business model innovation theory.Design/methodology/approachA single case study methodology is employed for empirical research. Semistructured interviews, with top and middle management, were conducted together with the analysis of several internal and external documents, to corroborate the case analysis.FindingsResults show how the potentiality of digital technologies allows the development of new sustainable business models, which, though, still need to gain legitimation to be accepted. The study findings allow drawing both on the business model innovation theory and on the legitimation theory, as they show how legitimation is a dynamic concept that involves internal as well as external stakeholders to support business model innovation.Originality/valueThe paper is novel, since it addresses the topic of sustainable business models development, showing how companies can get legitimation. The paper builds on existing theories and provides a practical example.
Purpose - The paper presents the concept of duality, which presupposes the synthesis of two apparently opposing organisation's properties. The purpose of the paper is to empirically verify whether management of dualities correlates with effectiveness and efficiency of organisations. Design/methodology/approach - The research examines 21 dualities at the normative and strategic level of organisational policy. The research was undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, effectiveness and efficiency indicators were defined by applying the analytic hierarchy process method within an expert group. In the second phase, a questionnaire was sent to 49 CEOs of mid-size and large companies operating in the food, beverage and foodstuff production industry in Slovenia. The questionnaire applied the semantic differential scale. Findings - The fundamental research hypothesis argues that organisations that are able to transcend the so-called duality paradox thus enhance their effectiveness or/and efficiency. The results partly confirm this fundamental hypothesis within the limitations of the research sample. In terms of future research, the findings offer a valuable starting point for studies involving a larger sample of industries and organisations. Practical implications - The research findings present enough evidence that although management of dualities does not assure effectiveness and efficiency of organisation, it is a core driver that should enhance a firm's performance relative to its competitors. This means that managers need to develop an ability to constructively face the tensions of opposing dualities, and instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, generating a creative solution of the tensions in the form of a new dynamic model that recognizes dualities as complements and not as forces facing each other. Originality/value - From a theoretical point of view, it has been observed that management and organisational research have been mainly focused on the definition of organisational dualities or paradoxes and how organisations can sustain competing demands simultaneously. The paper contributes to developing a debate on the potential of managing organisational dualities for greater organisational effectiveness and efficiency
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