An overview of innovations in a particular area, for example retail developments in the fashion sector (Van Vliet, 2014), and a subsequent discussion about the probability as to whether these innovations will realise a ‘breakthrough’, has to be supplemented with the question of what the added value is for the customer of such a new service or product. The added value for the customer must not only be clear as to its direct (instrumental or hedonic) incentives but it must also be tested on its merits from a business point of view. This requires a methodology. Working with business models is a method for describing the added value of products/services for customers in a systematic and structured manner. The fact that this is not always simple is evident from the discussions about retail developments, which do not excel in well-grounded business models. If there is talk about business models at all, it is more likely to concern strategic positioning in the market or value chain, or the discussion is about specifics like earning- and distribution-models (see Molenaar, 2011; Shopping 2020, 2014). Here we shall deal with two aspects of business models. First of all we shall look at the different perspectives in the use of business models, ultimately arriving at four distinctive perspectives or methods of use. Secondly, we shall outline the context within which business models operate. As a conclusion we shall distil a research framework from these discussions by presenting an integrated model as the basis for further research into new services and product.
Amidst escalating environmental and social challenges, this study explores regenerative business models’ definition and characteristics. While sustainable models have made considerable strides in research, policy, and practice, the advent of regenerative business models offers a progressive leap forward. Regenerative business models aspire to contribute to ecological restoration and societal well-being. The regenerative business model concept is, however, still in its infancy and lacks a comprehensive definition. Our study aims to expand this knowledge, using a Delphi-inspired approach that builds on the knowledge of academic and business experts. Our approach includes three rounds of surveys: an open-ended survey, a survey for rating and ranking the earlier responses of all participants, and a final survey to select key characteristics. We investigate patterns and distinctions among regenerative, regenerative business, and regenerative business models, and analyze their positioning vis-a-vis circular and net-positive models. Findings underscore that organizations adopting regenerative business models focus on planetary health and societal well-being. They generate value across multiple stakeholder levels, including nature, societies, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and employees. Despite overlapping with circular and net-positive models, regenerative business models also emphasize interdependencies between humans and nature, and provide a more holistic approach, centered on restoration rather than mere mitigation.
In many fields within management and organizational literature there is considerable debate and controversy about key theoretical concepts and their definitions and meanings. Systematic metaphor analysis can be a useful approach to study the underlying conceptualizations that give rise to these controversies and putting them in perspective. It can help identify the different ways a theoretical concept is structured and given meaning, provide insight into the way these different conceptualizations relate to each other, and show how these conceptualizations impact further theorization about the concept. This article describes the procedure for a systematic analysis of the metaphors used to conceptualize key theoretical concepts. To examine its usefulness, the authors apply the approach to the field of social capital, and in particular to the concept of ‘relationships’ in organizations. In the metaphor analysis of three seminal articles on social capital, the authors identify seven metaphoric concepts for relationships. The metaphors are illuminated as important for providing imagery that adds specific meaning in the process of authors theorizing about social capital like ‘tie’, ‘path’ and ‘bridge’. They add dynamics and controllability to the concepts by attributing an array of verbs like ‘to move between’ or ‘to use’ relationships. In addition, the metaphors allow for the attribution of specific characteristics to the concept of relationships that can be used as variables in theory construction, such as the strength of a relationship or the ‘distance’ between people. These insights are useful in exploring and reconciling differences in social capital definitions.
The transition towards an economy of wellbeing is complex, systemic, dynamic and uncertain. Individuals and organizations struggle to connect with and embrace their changing context. They need to create a mindset for the emergence of a culture of economic well-being. This requires a paradigm shift in the way reality is constructed. This emergence begins with the mindset of each individual, starting bottom-up. A mindset of economic well-being is built using agency, freedom, and responsibility to understand personal values, the multi-identity self, the mental models, and the individual context. A culture is created by waving individual mindsets together and allowing shared values, and new stories for their joint context to emerge. It is from this place of connection with the self and the other, that individuals' intrinsic motivation to act is found to engage in the transitions towards an economy of well-being. This project explores this theoretical framework further. Businesses play a key role in the transition toward an economy of well-being; they are instrumental in generating multiple types of value and redefining growth. They are key in the creation of the resilient world needed to respond to the complex and uncertain of our era. Varta-Valorisatielab, De-Kleine-Aarde, and Het Groene Brein are frontrunner organizations that understand their impact and influence. They are making bold strategic choices to lead their organizations towards an economy of well-being. Unfortunately, they often experience resistance from stakeholders. To address this resistance, the consortium in the proposal seeks to answer the research question: How can individuals who connect with their multi-identity-self, (via personal values, mental models, and personal context) develop a mindset of well-being that enables them to better connect with their stakeholders (the other) and together address the transitional needs of their collective context for the emergence of a culture of the economy of wellbeing?
One of the major challenges for microsystem-based (MEMS -based) devices producing companies in general, and Bronkhorst High-Tech in particular, is to determine as early as possible in the production process which devices perform within specifications and if so by how much. Being able to separate the devices that do not comply as early as possible in the assembly flow would prevent spending time, money and materials on unsellable products. Being able to further separate good devices in multiple “performance bins” would bring even more cost and waste reduction by enabling Bronkhorst to pre-select finished products for different customer requirements. In this project we specifically focus on a micromachined flow sensor which is considered for a scale-up in production volumes in the near future. The ability to separate out badly performing devices translates to the challenge of finding a suitable test method, yielding the following research question: what are the success factors that would allow our MEMS partners to correlate product performance with measurements (tests) performed early in the production cycle? An answer makes it possible to implement the planned production scale-up of this MEMS device but also to reduce costs and waste typically associated with production failures. The device selected in this project is taken as an example for a broad range of chip-based MEMS devices with similar challenges. Therefore, we plan to use an applied research approach, looking at theoretical models of both device and production process, performing correlation measurements and delivering our recommendations on how to best tackle these production issues. It is our intention to thus generate expertise (knowledge & data) as well as a network on which we build a consortium around a future PPS (public-private partnership) where these challenges form a common theme.
Measuring and designing user experience in retail and gaming virtual reality using a CAVE set-up In this project we designed and measured user experiences in a CAVE virtual reality set-up. Virtually all studies have taken the form of experiment studies and have been conducted among consumers (in total more than 1500 consumers) who had to visit the virtual world with assignments based on which behaviour has been observed and after which a survey was conducted afterwards. The studies were carried out within the three lines of inquiry: a. Branded games / in-game advertising, revealing (positive) effects of in-game advertising on attention and attitude based on logos and faces incorporated into the games. Various applications (prototypes) have been developed that stimulate the shopping experience and the interaction between shop and consumer. (b) FMCG: studies answered the question which factors influence search and choice behaviour in the supermarket. On the basis of the studies, the clients have designed new packaging and adapted existing designs, deployed new shelf layouts, developed and implemented new Retail strategies, optimized instore communication and (e) the knowledge about consumer behaviour in the supermarket within the organization has been increased. (c) Location Based Advertising: recommendations have been made for the partners concerned and the field of work on (a) development of non-intrusive pervasive/ubiquitous advertising concepts (2nd screen, LBA, gaze-based advertising etc.), (b) development of virtual test environments and associated interaction methods and (c) exploration and review of theoretical models for persuasive communication and behavioural influence. Partners: Heinz, Nokia, DVJ-Insights, Radboud University, Brand Loyalty, IRI, Talpa, TU/e, Philips
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