Suchergebnisse

Large purchasers, or "focal organisations", exert considerable control over their value chains, particularly in the food sector. This paper draws on original qualitative research about the UK beef sector to explore how large purchasers are organising supply-chain eco-innovation. Livestock farming affects environmental sustainability in a number of ways and various initiatives aim to address these challenges. Through a 'fine-grained' analysis, focused on the organisational diversity of supply-chains within a single product group, we analyse how supply-chain structure conditions eco-innovative activity initiated by large purchasers. The paper extends the theory on buyer-driven commodity chains by considering how eco-innovation is influenced by the commercial importance of a product, as well as factors beyond the immediate supply-chain, such as government policy and consumer expectations. The paper concludes that although major retailers use their purchasing power to exert control over provision, they do not necessarily play a role in the governance of supply-chain eco-innovation.

The transformation of socio-technical systems to more sustainable states is more policy induced than market driven. Reflecting this, the potential for governments to direct system transformation has been widely debated. However, this debate concentrates on supply side policies and under analyses the potential for public buyers to steer system innovation. This paper draws from ideas on system innovation, transition management and public procurement to explore how a major public buyer was able to do just this. The paper describes the transformation of the Greater Manchester (UK) waste system from a relatively simple landfill model to a highly complex, multi-technology solution of intensive recycling, composting and energy production. The paper draws three main conclusions: (1) it is possible to orchestrate system innovation through public procurement in certain circumstances; (2) this involves developing the required interdependencies between technologies, institutions and practices; (3) system transformation can be orchestrated from within the incumbent regime. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

This paper discusses the re-emergence of biofuel innovation systems in the USA and Brazil. We develop a view of eco-innovation systems as emerging and evolving to solve ecological problems. We then consider the role of the State as a core actor in the mobilization of innovation systems and discuss how specific institutional arrangements, political contexts and technological competencies influence how problems are framed. We argue that the way ecological problems are framed and articulated has a significant impact on the direction and momentum of system evolution. Finally, we draw attention to the dynamic and evolving characteristics of eco-innovation systems that result from recurrent re-specifications of the problem in focus, as partial solutions emerge and as the political and economic dimensions are reframed. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.

This paper discusses the re-emergence of biofuel innovation systems in the United States and Brazil. We argue that innovation systems emerge and evolve to solve a problem, and that the way the problem is framed and articulated has a significant impact on the direction and momentum of this evolution. Additionally, innovation sequences occur with a recurrent pattern of changing problems and innovative solutions. We consider the role of the State as a core actor in the mobilisation of innovation systems and discuss how specific institutional arrangements, political contexts and technological competencies influence how problems are framed. We find that role of the State varies across time as well as across different geographical regions. Finally, we suggest that as ecological problems intensify we might expect to see an increase in State intervention in innovation systems.

Sustainability has been at the forefront of procurement policy in the UK in recent years, and innovation can be a key constituent to deliver the sustainability agenda. This paper uses a single case study to illustrate the procurement of recycled paper by a UK government department. It charts the transformation in procurement from that of a product to an integrated service, and highlights the procurement of a sustainable innovation to achieve multiple objectives. The study indicates the importance of certain factors for enabling the procurement of a more innovative and sustainable solution. In particular it illustrates the role of project champions driving change, senior management support, a good working relationship between buyer and supplier and the creation of a space in which trust and ideas generation can be enabled. Data is drawn from secondary sources, observations and in-depth interviews with public and private stakeholders participating in the process.

Benchmarking through the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) has been an important part of the UK government's market-oriented reforms to improve efficiency across the public sector and in other areas such as construction where government is a major client. However, government attempts to implement construction KPIs have not followed the expected course. We argue that insights from game theory show that the initial plan for construction benchmarking failed to take account of the strategic value of the information collected and was not implementable because the sharing of information by construction suppliers with their clients was a dominated strategy. © 2014 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

In the UK over the last decade, benchmarking has been consistently promoted as a solution to the problems of industry and the construction industry in particular. Government support of benchmarking in construction through the development of a key performance indicators programme found justification in the public goods aspects of the innovation process and because of the presence of market failures of information facing construction clients. However, attempts to merge benchmarking approaches into a single framework did not lead to a combined programme as intended. A game theoretic analysis of the implementation of government policy is presented to account for difficulties encountered by policy actors and to explain why a suitable mechanism to facilitate mutual benchmarking could not be devised. A key performance indicator (KPI) system that supports clients and suppliers in any sector - here we consider construction - is highly problematic, not only because the types of information and types of processes that generate the information used by clients and suppliers are generally different, but because the exchange of information between suppliers and clients and vice versa potentially leads to loss of commercially valuable information.