A Business Sustainability Model for Government Corporations. A Belgian Case Study

A government's decision to tackle societal non‐sustainability problems by setting up a government corporation also necessitates the choice of a business model. This article seeks to contribute to this debate through an analysis of the (linkages between the key elements of the) business model of the Kringloopfonds (TKF), a Belgian government corporation set up in order to provide finance to sustainable companies. Based on documentary information and semi‐structured interviews with stakeholders TKF's business model is reconstructed which next is evaluated by means of program theory. It was found that TKF's portfolio allocation rule did not foresee in sufficient flexibility in order to cope with the shortage in financeable companies TKF was confronted with. This case thereby advocates for more business model flexibility in terms of portfolio allocation rules, time and asset requirements as well as for thorough sensitivity analyses testing business model's resistance to an initial and temporary shortage of sustainable companies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Business Model Innovation for Sustainability: Towards a Unified Perspective for Creation of Sustainable Business Models

Business model innovation has seen a recent surge in academic research and business practice. Changes to business models are recognized as a fundamental approach to realize innovations for sustainability. However, little is known about the successful adoption of sustainable business models (SBMs). The purpose of this paper is to develop a unified theoretical perspective for understanding business model innovations that lead to better organizational economic, environmental and social performance. The paper examines bodies of literature on business model innovation, sustainability innovation, networks theory, stakeholder theory and product–service systems. We develop five propositions that support the creation of SBMs in a unified perspective, which lays a foundation to support organizations in investigating and experimenting with alternative new business models. This article contributes to the emerging field of SBMs, which embed economic, environmental and social flows of value that are created, delivered and captured in a value network. It highlights gaps for addressing the challenges of business model innovation for sustainability and suggests avenues for future research. © 2017 The Authors. Business Strategy and the Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

从PPG到VANCL网络服装销售的商业模式演进

作为国内网络服装销售行业的先行者,PPG凭借快速反应的供应链、更轻的渠道、重金打造的品牌,开创了一种与传统服装销售大不相同的新商业模式。但在取得巨大成功的同时,这种新模式中供应链的质量管理、缺失的客户体验,巨资投入的品牌推广,都为后来的失败埋下了隐患。作为一名跟随者,VANCL既借鉴了PPG的成功经验,又针对PPG的教训,通过供应商优选、自建物流、按销售付费的互联网推广等手段,对PPG的模式做出了改进,最终超越了先行者,成为了行业的新标杆。     

对安徽建筑业发展战略的思考

通过对华东和中部省份建筑业主要经济指标比较,对安徽建筑业的现状进行分析,认为安徽建筑业总量偏小,效益偏差,基础偏弱。在实现“奋力崛起”的战略目标中,应加快建筑业发展速度,首先在劳务大省的基础上,打造安徽建筑劳务品牌,其次提高建筑业专业水平,形成安徽建筑业特色,再打造一批优势企业群体,提高产业集中度,把建筑业做大做强。     

基于核心利益相关者理论的企业主人探究

谁是企业主人,在理论界还没有一个定论。到目前为止,存在两种观点：有人认为企业主人是股东;还有人认为企业主人是员工。本文从核心利益相关者理论的角度探究了企业主人的问题,认为作为核心利益相关者的股东、管理者和员工都应该成为企业的主人。但在现阶段,这三者在企业主人的地位上还存在着不平等。     

Commitment Strategies for Sustainability: How Business Firms Can Transform Trade‐Offs Into Win–Win Outcomes

This paper addresses a fundamental problem in corporate sustainability: How can corporations transform trade‐offs through win–win‐oriented governance strategies aimed at creating value? Drawing on new strands of research in business ethics, we employ an ‘ordonomic’ perspective and proceed in four steps. First, we sketch how sustainability semantics has evolved historically from a societal searchlight to a heuristics for business practice. Second, we discuss how business firms can make strategic use of moral commitments as governance contributions by deploying individual or collective self‐commitments as well as commitment services in their stakeholder relations. Third, we combine these four governance strategies with the three ESG (‘ecological, social and governance’) criteria of sustainability. We derive and illustrate with real‐life examples a 12‐box matrix as a tool for the strategic management of corporate sustainability. Fourth, we discuss the specific contribution of our ordonomic approach to the literature. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Measuring the Choice of Environmental Sustainability Strategies in Creating a Competitive Advantage

Environmental sustainability has often been claimed as a means to providing a competitive advantage by encouraging efficiencies, attracting customers and obtaining business. This work critically considers this idea in the context of the hotel industry by comparing the strategic intent and implementation of sustainability initiatives in hotels across North America. Environmental sustainability strategies can employ a low cost, a differentiated or a hybrid (a combination of the two) approach to creating a competitive advantage. Controlling for the type and age of hotel we find that the hotels sampled in this study used a combination of all three approaches but tended to rely on their need to create environmental sustainability legitimacy by placing an emphasis on differentiation through environmental sustainability branding. A lack of recognition by management of the contribution to their future economic success that low cost strategies can provide has implications for hotel owners. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

经营战略形态的组成项目研究

经营战略强调的是多元化企业中的各SBU或单一业务的企业在特定产业领域中的生存、竞争与发展之道,因此在战略层级中处于承上启下的关键位置。但当前对经营战略分析过于偏重于工具如SWOT分析或偏重于针对某个特定公司和产业来进行,缺乏整体性。分析经营战略应立足于其本质即描述特定业务当前的经营战略形态和未来某一时间点该经营战略形态的变化情况,战略形态则通过一些项目来共同描述,这样的分析不但思路简明清晰,而且考虑全面,能有助于提升企业经营战略管理的有效性。     

Business model based on strong sustainability: Insights from an empirical study

The extant literature on traditional and sustainable business models lacks insights into how strong sustainability—that is, constraining economic and social activities within the limitations of natural resources—can shape business models. Thus, the purpose of this article is to propose a business model framework based on the principles of strong sustainability (SSBM). The proposed framework is developed combining available literature and empirical insights from a qualitative abductive study of 12 permaculture business ventures in Sweden. The results identify nature as the primary stakeholder and recommend strong local anchorage, the creation of diversified income sources, deliberate limitations on economic growth, the infusion of the business model with a systemic and ecosystem perspective, and the design of value flows beyond financial aspects. The discussion reflects on the most important results, provides practical implications and managerial guidelines, and suggests future research in the SSBM.     

Identifying Worldviews on Corporate Sustainability: A Content Analysis of Corporate Sustainability Reports

Companies commonly issue sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. This study seeks to understand worldviews of corporate sustainability, or the corporate message conveyed regarding what sustainability or CSR is and how to enact it. Content analysis of corporate sustainability reports is used to position each company report within stages of corporate sustainability. Results reveal that there are multiple coexisting worldviews of corporate sustainability, but the most dominant worldview is focused on the business case for sustainability, a position anchored in the weak sustainability paradigm. We contend that the business case and weak sustainability advanced in corporate sustainability reports and by the Global Reporting Initiative are poor representations of sustainability. Ecological embeddedness, or a locally responsive strategy that is sensitive to local ecosystems, may hold the key to improved ecological sensemaking, which in turn could lead to more mature levels of corporate sustainability worldviews that support strong sustainability and are rooted in environmental science. This must be supported by government regulation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

A Cognitive Perspective on the Business Case for Corporate Sustainability

This paper proposes that a cognitive perspective on corporate sustainability and competitiveness might allow new insights into the question of the business case. The paper explores how respondents from 12 firms make sense of their firm's investments in corporate sustainability activities by analyzing the mental models evoked. The interviews showed that a business case perspective emerged as the dominant logic. A subsequent analysis of the content of the knowledge schemas that were elicited surfaced four dimensions of corporate sustainability induced competitive advantages: risk reduction, efficiency gains, brand building and new market creation. An analysis of the structure of these knowledge schemas revealed that respondents from firms with lower perceived sustainability performance drew on less differentiated and less integrated cognitive frameworks (focusing on risk and efficiency). Respondents from firms with higher perceived performance drew on more complex mental models to represent the links between corporate sustainability and competitiveness. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

在线客户评论对消费者购买决策的影响研究

随着网购人群的不断增长,在线客户评论如何影响消费者做出购买决策这一问题越来越受到关注。通过构建在线客户评论对消费者购买决策的影响研究模型并假设推导,本研究将对后期研究或可带来新的启示和理论支持,并且有利于在线口碑理论的丰富和发展。     

企业文化对战略类型实施的影响

经营战略的有效实施是依赖于组织战略同企业内部管理流程及文化之间的匹配。过去几十年的时间里,大量的实证研究都集中于经营战略的匹配问题。本文在文献回顾的基础上,建立了企业文化类型与经营战略类型之间的对应关系,从而为企业通过选择和培育适当的企业文化来支持战略实施提供了理论方向。     

基于经营战略形态和产业价值链的经营战略矩阵设计探讨

相对于一般的经营战略分析方法,经营战略矩阵具有系统性、全面性与规范性,而且通过构建经营战略矩阵,企业的高管比较容易形成一个共同的平台来进行经营战略的思考分析,这样对在企业中形成战略共识有明显助益。     

The Role of Corporate Sustainability in a Low‐Cost Business Model – A Case Study in the Scandinavian Fashion Industry

This multi‐level case study illustrates how corporate sustainability contributes to the low‐cost business model of a Scandinavian fashion company. Contrary to parts of the extant literature, we do not find that corporate sustainability directly adds measurable value (e.g. a better brand image); neither does it exert coercive control over critical supplier relationships. However, corporate sustainability minimizes the downside risk of the business model. It does so by (1) creating implicit contracts that reach beyond traditional ‘shareholder value’, (2) transferring risk to suppliers and (3) improving leadership by motivating management and employees, and by directing their attention to critical issues. For companies, we offer the insight that corporate sustainability is a necessary complement to shareholder value, even if the relationship is not obvious at first sight. We also suggest that concerted actions of companies or a positive connotation of certification create effective control over suppliers. As to public policy, we conclude that regulators could introduce mandatory disclosure of suppliers to facilitate controls through stakeholders, or alternatively an industry‐wide comply‐or‐explain code of conduct. We also address how regulators can take direct actions against countries with unsustainable labor policies. Last, we suggest future research topics, e.g. expanding the notion of a business model by interpreting ‘adding value’ as prevention of losses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

企业伦理视角下的中粮屯河核心竞争力探析

核心竞争力是企业持续竞争优势的源泉,卓越伦理是提升企业核心竞争力的关键要素。中粮屯河在发展过程中,对待所有利益相关者都能以一个负责任的大企业的行为举止体现出高伦理标准的要求,使企业具备了卓越伦理的核心竞争力企业的特征。     

关于企业战略管理调整的思考

文章阐述了企业战略管理的定义、制定、特点,分析了其在我国的发展历史,提出和强调企业战略管理必须依据企业内外部环境的变化适时顺势进行调整的重要性,以及指出调整所需要的条件与方法。     

基于利益细分的网上消费者研究

同传统营销一样,网络营销需要市场细分。然而在众多市场细分变量中,只有利益细分最适合网上市场细分的特点。在利益细分的基础上,可将网上消费者分为六大类,便于企业有针对性地采取营销策略。     

网购快递业发展难题与对策

近年来随着电子商务业务的快速发展,快递企业作为物流的重要组成部分,它的发展面临新的机遇和挑战。首先分析了网购快递的现状,然后论述了快递企业发展难题,最后指出了网购快递业发展的对策。