Digital transformation and the circular economy: Creating a competitive advantage from the transition towards Net Zero Manufacturing
Digital transformation and the circular economy: Creating a competitive advantage from the transition towards Net Zero Manufacturing
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DOI：
10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106756
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发表时间：
2023-02
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
O. Okorie;Jennifer D. Russell;Ruth Cherrington;Oliver J. Fisher;Fiona Charnley
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文献类型：
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作者：
O. Okorie;Jennifer D. Russell;Ruth Cherrington;Oliver J. Fisher;Fiona Charnley
制造商正在探索数字技术应用在多大程度上支持其可持续发展努力，帮助将净零排放和循环经济 (CE) 等抽象可持续发展目标转化为可行和实际的行动、成就，并最终形成可持续的竞争优势。这项工作采用基于资源的观点（RBV）来探讨数字技术在培养制造企业竞争优势以及部署现有内部资源和核心能力以实现制造净零排放和CE方面发挥的潜在作用。解决了两个问题：(1) 数字技术的集成可以带来哪些竞争优势，以实现净零制造排放；(2) 采用 RBV 是否有助于发展有意义的（且新颖的）竞争优势？参与式奖学金用于分析理论并将其应用于记录 13 家制造公司的观点和经验的现实世界数据集。应用 VRIO 框架，21 种确定的基于数字技术的核心能力被归类为追求净零排放的制造企业可能实现的竞争优势形式。提出了数字技术采用路径的四种情景，根据公司可用的激进程度与增量兴趣和选择的程度进行区分。这项研究强调了企业将无形资产管理和开发（包括劳动力和供应链关系）纳入其数字化转型战略的迫切需要。此外，我们还展示了 RBV 作为评估企业可持续发展计划的竞争优势潜力并促进相关战略制定的镜头的潜力。
Manufacturers are exploring the extent to which digital technology applications can support their sustainability efforts by helping to convert abstract sustainability goals, such as those of net-zero emissions and circular economy (CE), into feasible and practical actions, achievements, and ultimately, a sustainable competitive edge. This work adopts a resource-based view (RBV) to explore the potential role that digital technologies play in the cultivation of a manufacturing firm's competitive advantage, and the deployment of existing internal resources and core competencies to achieve net-zero manufacturing emissions and CE. Two questions are addressed: (1) What competitive advantage(s) may be derived from the integration of digital technologies to achieve net-zero manufacturing emissions, and (2) does adopting an RBV facilitate the development of meaningful (and novel) competitive advantage? Engaged scholarship is used to analyse and apply theory to an empirical, real-world dataset documenting the perspectives and experiences of 13 manufacturing firms. Applying the VRIO framework, 21 identified digital technology-based core competencies are categorised as forms of competitive advantage that may be possible for manufacturing firms pursuing net-zero emissions. Four scenarios of digital technology adoption pathways are proposed, differentiated by the degree of radical vs. incremental interests and options available to the firm. This study highlights the critical need for firms to incorporate intangible asset management and development, including the labour and supply chain relationships, as part of their digital transformation strategies. Further, we demonstrate the potential of RBV as a lens for evaluating the competitive advantage potential of corporate sustainability initiatives, and facilitating the development of related strategies.