Alternative Business Models Research Articles

Exploring Cargo Potential of an Airport: Pre-Feasibility Study and Policy Recommendations for Hasan Polatkan Airport

Although air passenger transportation has grown steadily since liberalization movements, it has experienced a sharp decline with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, air cargo transportation has been relatively less affected by this crisis due to the increasing volume of e-commerce and the critical importance of supply chains. Air cargo positively affects the regional economy through the logistics and trade channels it provides. This study aims to investigate Eskişehir Hasan Polatkan Airport's cargo transportation potential and make its pre-feasibility as an air cargo hub. In this context, as a case study, interviews were conducted with stakeholders regarding the cargo potential of Hasan Polatkan Airport, and qualitative data were obtained. The authors qualitatively analyzed the data, and the findings were compiled under two headings: findings on demand and findings on technical/operational requirements. Considering these findings, alternative business models are discussed, and different policy recommendations are provided.

Prioritizing Performance Indicators for the Circular Economy Transition in Healthcare Supply Chains

AbstractThe emergence of the circular economy (CE) paradigm is a key driver in steering industrial sectors towards sustainability. The formulation of a robust circularity strategy depends on a comprehensive assessment, which is closely related to the overarching goal of managing the transition to circularity. The initial phase of transition within the healthcare sector reinforces the need to seamlessly integrate CE principles. It is therefore imperative to define and carefully monitor indicators that will help assess and improve sustainability, operational efficiency, supply chain resilience and stakeholder satisfaction, including both consumers and patients. The primary objective of this research is to prioritize relevant performance indicators that will be critical in measuring the effectiveness of the transition to a circular economy within the healthcare supply chain. To achieve this objective, the study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a well-established methodology known for its effectiveness in solving complex multi-criteria challenges. The AHP is used to prioritize performance indicators that facilitate the management of the circular economy transition in the healthcare supply chain. The focus is on improving the quality of care, optimizing delivery efficiency, and emphasizing environmental sustainability within the healthcare paradigm. The methodological framework includes the identification of key main criteria covering environmental, social, economic, and logistical dimensions. These criteria are further refined with the inclusion of 14 sub-criteria, resulting in a list of 16 key performance indicators (KPIs). Additionally, the study proposes an alternative business model advocating for the implementation of the Circular Supply Chain Operation Reference Model (circular SCOR). This model offers a perspective for rapid change in supply chain processes towards circular transition within the healthcare system. The final stage of the research involves verifying the results through sensitivity analysis and correlation mapping of the indicator results with the Circular SCOR model. This process helps organizations refine their performance measurement protocols, enhancing their capacity for effective evaluation and strategic decision-making within the circular economy framework. This comprehensive approach enables healthcare organizations to proactively contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future while maintaining a focus on quality care for patient well-being.

Corporate farming model for sustainable supply chain crude palm oil of independent smallholder farmers

Independent oil palm smallholders in Indonesia contributed significantly to the sustainable of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) supply chain. On the other hand, sustainability in the process of implementing the supply chain system for independent smallholders is an issue that is extremely important for the success of the supply chain system for the CPO company. This study’s objective is to develop an alternative business model with the goal of strengthening the interaction that already exists between independent farmers and cooperatives in ensuring the existence of a supply chain for raw materials and having access to financial resources, knowledge, and technology. The selection of the research location considered several factors, including the size of the area’s oil palm plantations, the number of oil palm farmers who are self-sufficient, and the possibility of locating CPO plant. Study findings that, the new model by business canvas analysis as the upgraded model of existing model business recommended that it should be built based on the cooperative palm oil family which provides farmers with access to financial, replanting, intensification, and extensification and infrastructure by APKASINDO, BPDPKS, Bank, and other stakeholders to sustain the FFB supply chain in cooperation through a partnership program in a long-term scheme. This whole system was developed by corporate farming system based on the cooperative as the off taker of FFB farmers and develop mini plant CPO to produce cooking oil and biofuels and by product as the waste management system as the value added for farmers.

Social enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): a means to an end

AbstractGhana is regarded as one of the main nations driving social enterprise development in all of Africa, despite the lack of a policy for the social enterprise sub-sector. Regardless of these trailblazing initiatives, the sub-sector is still young and vulnerable. As a result, the time is right for the government to implement policy reforms to expedite the growth of the sub-sector, which offers an alternative business model for the achievement of the social and environmental goals embodied in the global goals. All nations are urged to take immediate action in response to the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which offer a global framework for achieving global development while balancing social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The methodology adopted is qualitative in nature, whereby focus group discussions were held, bringing together key stakeholders from the social enterprise sector, industry, academia, and civil society organisations (CSOs) to provide insights into how social enterprises will contribute to SDG achievement. This paper aims to generate new insights into how social enterprises can provide a solution to the UN’s SDGs from the Ghanaian perspective. Our findings reveal a strong link between solving social problems through social businesses and achieving the SDGs, and that social enterprises represent an ideal business model for achieving the SDGs. Their mission-driven approach, innovative solutions, focus on empowerment and inclusion, utilisation of market mechanisms, collaboration and partnership, and understanding and knowledge of local contexts collectively position social enterprises as powerful catalysts for sustainable development.

Prioritas Lingkungan dalam Model Bisnis Alternatif: Pendekatan Hukum dan Doughnut Economy

The Donut Economy visualization emphasizes how important it is to balance social and ecological boundaries to ensure a safe and equitable space for everyone. This research aims to determine the benefits of the Donut Economy concept in prioritizing environmental health in alternative business models by reforming laws in Indonesia. This normative legal research uses a comparative approach. Comparisons were made between Indonesia and the Netherlands. The results of this research found that the Netherlands has succeeded in applying the Donut Economy concept to reorganize cities after the Covid-2019 pandemic, such as the City of Amsterdam. Although Indonesia has legislation on environmental priorities such as the Government Regulations Replacing the Law (Perpu) No. 2 of 2022 on the Creation of Work Section 22, the existing regulations are still not strong enough to emphasize the priorities of the environment for business operators in Indonesia. From that, it is expected that Indonesia will follow the strategy taken by the Netherlands in implementing the concept of the doughnut economy, which should focus on the creation of a circular economy and participate in initiatives such as sharing platforms, used goods stores, online markets, and repair services.

Putting people at the centre of the circle: an agenda for behavioural research on the circular economy

In a discourse characterised by technical innovation, alternative business models and material flows, the seemingly mundane, everyday forms of individual action toward circularity that can and are being taken by members of the public can sometimes feel overlooked. Whilst the importance of behaviour change is often acknowledged, in-depth conceptual engagement around circular behaviours remains uncommon in the field of circular economy research. In this perspective article we advocate for a person-centred perspective on circular behaviours, viewing people as not just consumers or users of circular products, but as individuals, nested within social groups, whose everyday, yet complex, relationships with material goods must undergo a shift if a circular economy is to be achieved. Drawing on insights from the wider field of pro-environmental behaviour research, we explore how we conceptualise circular behaviours themselves and how the behavioural theories we apply may constrain the ambition of the policy action our research supports. In doing so, we set out a person-centred agenda for research on circular behaviours, recommending: (1) greater application of systems-oriented approaches; (2) conceptual development on categorising circular behaviours, and (3) interdisciplinary efforts to integrate theory from across social science disciplines to underpin behavioural analyses and public engagement and action on the circular economy.

Examining the growth in willingness to pay for digital wellbeing services on social media: A comparative analysis

In recent years, there has been a growing need for social media platforms to offer services that preserve and promote users' digital wellbeing, including better protection of personal data and balanced technology usage. However, the current business model of social media is often seen as in conflict with users' digital wellbeing. In 2020, a study investigated users' willingness to pay monetary fees for social media digital wellbeing services. In the present work, we replicated this study in Q4 of 2022, aiming to explore any changes in interest and willingness to pay for these services. In addition, we extended the replication by conducting qualitative analysis on participants' comments to gain deeper insight and identify reasons for payment and reasons for rejecting to pay. Data were collected from 262 participants through an online questionnaire. The survey focused on four services: better data protection, less use of data for marketing, aiding users in controlling their prolonged usage, and reducing fake news and radicalisation on social media. The results showed that the willingness to pay for these services was significantly higher in 2022 compared to the results published in 2020. Participants expressed concerns about the feasibility and fairness of the alternative business model, which requires users to pay for safety and support. Our findings suggest a growing interest in digital wellbeing services, emphasizing the need for social media platforms to assess the feasibility of alternative business models, identify user segments, and take measures to enhance consumers’ trust, accordingly.

Business models of multisided platforms for in-destination tours and activities: a morphological analysis approach

ABSTRACT In-destination tours and activities multisided platforms (T&A MSP) are growing ventures at the forefront of digitalizing tour and activity sector. While these platforms are transforming this sector, understanding of their business models and how they create, deliver and capture value is limited. To address this gap, we developed a morphological matrix to facilitate alternative business model exploration and discovery. Derived from three iterations, this matrix visually represents and describes the characteristics of T&A MSP business models. Utilizing this tool, T&A MSP can evaluate and make transformative adjustments to their business models, thereby enhancing performance, adapting to evolving tourists’ preferences and generating greater value.

EVs Adoption in Alternative Business Models (ABMs): Psychological Perspective and Empirical Analysis of Indian Customers

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are prominent for achieving sustainable mobility in the future. By drawing on extant literature, we propose a conceptual framework and develop hypotheses based on Novelty seeking (NS), Perceived Behavior Control (PBC), Openness to new Experience (ONE), Risk appetite (RA), and Adoption Intention (AI) of consumers in ABMs. The analysis of data reveals that both NS and PBC are positively related to the ONE which, in turn, impacts the AI of EVs in ABMs in a significantly positive manner. The study also proves that RA moderates the relationship between ONE and AI in such a manner that a higher level of RA makes the relationship between ONE and AI stronger. We contribute to the literature on sustainable mobility by exploring the role of psychological factors in determining AI of Indian customers towards EVs in ABMs and the study has important implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Platform cooperativism as an alternative to post-Covid-19 economic development: evidence from Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the world’s population by accelerating social, economic, market, and technological changes. In this context, the sharing economy has promoted alternative business models that transcend traditional capitalism in a digital movement disseminated by individuals, communities, and platforms that bring organizations, consumers, and providers together. Our study aims to identify and map how digital platforms based on cooperative principles can develop the sharing economy. We developed exploratory qualitative research while using netnography as a methodological procedure. First, we discuss the sharing economy based on digital platforms that foster cooperation. Second, we describe how platform cooperativism can be an alternative to the individualistic ethos of the sharing economy. Finally, we discuss alternatives with social and economic impacts to solve employment and income problems after the Covid-19 pandemic. The research contributes to the various initiatives and cooperative applications emerging in a developing country.

Navigating the Intersection of Post-Truth and Sustainability in Journalism: Challenges Facing Sustainable Journalism in Northern Cyprus Media

This study explores the challenges facing sustainable journalism practices in the post-truth era through interviews conducted with journalists in Northern Cyprus. Based on the perspectives of professionals in the field, the aim is to understand current issues related to the feasibility of ethical and sustainable journalism. The study indicates that challenges specific to the media field, compounded by the post-truth effect, relegate sustainable journalism practices to the sidelines. In this context, essential measures for the enduring success of media organizations include strategies like diversifying revenue sources, embracing digital subscription models, investigating alternative business models, enforcing transparent editorial policies, and actively involving readers. The study also reveals the effects of financial difficulties such as low salaries, limited budgets, and financial constraints on the professional practices of journalists through interviews. Furthermore, through interviews, it elucidates how technological changes, the rise of digital media, and the rapid dissemination of news affect journalists’ information control processes and knowledge management strategies. Finally, while contributing to our understanding of how journalists in Northern Cyprus confront challenges in the post-truth era, this study presents the factors that may have a negative impact on sustainable journalism practices through an example and offers insights into common problems that may be encountered in this regard.

ReNew Power: Building Scale in the Indian RE Sector

This case describes the growth of ReNew Power during its first decade of operation. Sumant Sinha, a first-generation entrepreneur and former banker, founded the company, which grew from a modest generator-cum-developer of wind energy-based electricity to one of India's largest companies in the renewable energy sector. With the entry of large, well-funded players such as Tata Power and Adani Green into the Indian renewable sector by the end of 2020, Sinha had to make a strategic decision: should ReNew continue to organically scale up its presence in an increasingly competitive yet expanding Indian renewable energy sector, should it diversify geographically, or should it pursue emerging opportunities for vertical or horizontal integration within the sector? The case provides an opportunity to discuss how alternative business models and competitive scenarios may facilitate or inhibit the growth of a player in the renewable energy sector.

Delivering sustainable, resilient and liveable cities via transformed governance

In the context of steadily declining Natural Capital and universal recognition of the imperative to reverse this trend before we get to the point that nature is not able to restore itself, cities have a crucial role to play. The UK Government commissioned a comprehensive study into the value of biodiversity, and by extension nature, reinforcing “why we should change our ways”—yet what is missing is the “how?”. This paper uniquely describes both the “how?” and a conclusive demonstration of the remarkable benefits of implementing it in a city. Critical to this process, it took a UK Parliamentary Inquiry to reveal that nature has become invisible within the economy, yet the ecological ecosystem services nature provides have enormous benefits to both people and the economy. Therefore integration—or seamless weaving—of urban greenspace and nature into people's lives and the places where they live, work, and spend their leisure time is vital. Moreover, what nature does not provide must be provided by engineered systems, and these have an economic cost; put another way, there are enormous cost savings to be made by taking advantage of what nature provides. In addressing these issues, this paper is the definitive paper from a 20-year portfolio of research on how to bring about transformative change in the complex system-of-systems that make up our cities, providing as it does the crucial in-depth research into the many diverse strands of governance—the last link in a chain of the creation, testing and proof of efficacy of methodologies underpinning a theory and practice of change for infrastructure and cities. The impact of this portfolio of research on Birmingham is two-fold: the Star Framework that placed natural environment considerations at the heart of all decision-making in the city, and the successful bid for the largest of the UK Future Parks Accelerator awards. While both are transformative in their different ways, yet mutually supportive, the latter enabled the design of a suite of system interventions from which the value of Birmingham's greenspaces is estimated to rise from £11.0 billion to £14.4 billion—a remarkable return on investment from the research's conceptualization of Birmingham's urban greenspace as a “business” (with its associated business models). In achieving this, the necessary enablers of thinking and practicing systemically, seamlessly working across disciplinary boundaries, an unusually strong focus on both the aspirations of all stakeholders and the context in question to define “the problem,” and the testing of proposed system intervention(s) both now and in the future have been iteratively combined. However, it is the critical enabling steps of identifying the complete range of value-generating opportunities that the interventions offer, formulating them into alternative business models to underpin the case for change and ensuring that they are synergistic with all the dimensions of governance that yielded the profound outcomes sought.

Alternative Business Model of CCS Projects Unlocks High-CO2 Fields

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 214359, “Business Model of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Projects for High-CO2 Fields,” by Hasnor Lot, SPE, Andrew Yeow, SPE, and Anuar Buang Mahmood, SPE, Petronas, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ High-CO2 gas fields present a problem to host governments wanting to both ensure security of supply and achieve net-zero aspirations. While carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology holds the promise of technical feasibility to unlock these fields, its commercial success ultimately hinges on the choice of an appropriate business model. This study compares the economics of the traditional business model [i.e., CCS as part of the upstream petroleum operation dedicated to a production sharing contract (PSC)] vs. the alternative business model [i.e., a regional CCS hub separately managed by a special-purpose vehicle (SPV)]. For simplicity, this paper uses the term CCS throughout, although the discussions apply equally well to carbon capture, usage, and storage projects. Background Gas Value Chain and the Cost of Gas (COG). With its higher development, transportation, and processing costs; longer and flatter production profile; and needs for network infrastructure, the economics of gas development is often less robust than that of oil. Therefore, gas development requires not only the establishment of long-term contracts and a complex value chain but also active government support in the form of friendly fiscal and tax regimes and a fair gas-pricing policy. In addition to its role as the upstream regulator, a national oil company (NOC) may also participate in the gas market as an aggregator. Effectively, the NOC signs an upstream gas-sales agreement (UGSA) with upstream contractors committing to buy gas at a volume and price palatable to them. The aggregator then sells the gas it now owns to downstream users. The margin between the buying and selling prices makes up the aggregator’s profit. In return, the aggregator takes on the intermediary roles of matching supply to demand, coordinating fair nomination and curtailment mechanisms, and ensuring that the gas chain as a whole is flexibly robust against operational disruptions. An NOC enjoys the dual roles of operating as a national corporation and acting as the upstream regulator. In its regulatory role, the NOC is cognizant of the need to allocate the risks and rewards of a CCS investment in a fair and efficient manner between participating parties. The business model must improve the overall economic return for both the upstream contractor and the SPV while enhancing the NOC’s integrated value. The business model so designed must also achieve the NOC’s longer-term goal of unlocking resource opportunities and monetizing stranded gas fields.

How ready is the wind energy industry for the circular economy?

Despite the strong contribution of wind energy for decarbonisation, the readiness of the wind industry for the transition to a sustainable circular economy (CE) is still unclear. To support CE innovation in the wind industry, this paper assesses the circularity readiness of six business units from three global manufacturers of wind turbine components (Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy - gearboxes and blades, INGETEAM - generators and power converters, and HINE - hydraulic units and cooling systems). The readiness assessment was carried out in a workshop setting following the ready2LOOP methodology, covering eight business dimensions: i) Organisation; ii) Strategy and Business Model Innovation; iii) Product and Service Innovation; iv) Manufacturing and Value Chain; v) Technology and Data; vi) Use, Support and Maintenance; vii) Takeback and End-of-Life Management; and viii) Policy and Market. Subsequently, the circularity readiness profile of each business unit was analysed in relation to internal and external benchmarking (between business units and across machinery manufacturing companies, respectively). On the basis of the readiness assessment, six areas were prioritised for CE innovation within the wind industry, namely: (1) implementing circular criteria and indicators in product design and public tender processes; (2) ensuring components´ tracking and monitoring over their life cycle; (3) implementing efficient reverse logistics; (4) exploring alternative business model concepts; (5) improving recycling technologies for higher material quality outcomes; and (6) develop circular wind hubs for information and data sharing. The findings provide guidance for renewable energy policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders in pursuing the sustainable energy transition, through enhanced circularity performance.

Potential business model for a European vaccine R&D infrastructure and its estimated socio-economic impact.

Research infrastructures are facilities or resources that have proven fundamental for supporting scientific research and innovation. However, they are also known to be very expensive in their establishment, operation and maintenance. As by far the biggest share of these costs is always borne by public funders, there is a strong interest and indeed a necessity to develop alternative business models for such infrastructures that allow them to function in a more sustainable manner that is less dependent on public financing. In this article, we describe a feasibility study we have undertaken to develop a potentially sustainable business model for a vaccine research and development (R&D) infrastructure. The model we have developed integrates two different types of business models that would provide the infrastructure with two different types of revenue streams which would facilitate its establishment and would be a measure of risk reduction. For the business model we are proposing, we have undertaken an ex ante impact assessment that estimates the expected impact for a vaccine R&D infrastructure based on the proposed models along three different dimensions: health, society and economy. Our impact assessment demonstrates that such a vaccine R&D infrastructure could achieve a very significant socio-economic impact, and so its establishment is therefore considered worthwhile pursuing. The business model we have developed, the impact assessment and the overall process we have followed might also be of interest to other research infrastructure initiatives in the biomedical field.

The Drivers and Consequences of Ad Blocking: A Self-Filtering Mechanism That Increases Ad Effectiveness

A growing group of consumers uses ad-blocking software, preventing advertisers from reaching them and resulting in a loss of ad revenue for publishers. Ways to resolve this issue include blocking these users, disguising ads, or paying the developer of the ad blocker so that ads will not be blocked. The question is to what extent these solutions are effective and desired. This study uses an experimental setup followed by an extensive survey to answer this question. The findings show that, when banner ads are forced on ad blocker users, these users (vs. ad blocker nonusers) spend 10%–20% less time on the web page, evaluate the website as worse, and pay less attention to the banners, while the ads are 190% more effective for ad blocker nonusers. Thus, ad blocking serves as a self-filtering mechanism that filters out consumers who are less responsive to advertising. Ad blockers thus help advertisers target the right consumers and increase the value of the remaining ad slots for publishers. Moreover, ad blocker users are more likely to pay for ad-free content, offering publishers an alternative business model for these consumers.

Development of a sustainable corporate social responsibility index for performance evaluation of the energy industry: A hybrid decision-making methodology

The ever-increasing pressure from stakeholders and policymakers on energy companies to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mission requires them to reinvent their policies and practices. This study aims to examine the performance of alternative business models for the oil and gas industry by employing a hybrid business analytics methodology under a fuzzy environment resulting in a generalizable model named “Sustainable Development Goals-oriented CSR Index.” The proposed methodology employs a hybrid framework that utilizes bipolar Q-rung Orthopair Fuzzy (q-ROF), Multi Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (M-SWARA), and Elimination and Choice Translating Reality (ELECTRE) methods. The findings show that (i) the proposed model is reliable and consistent throughout the similar fuzzy set value ranges, (ii) clean energy is the most important SDG-oriented CSR Index factor for the sustainable energy industry in emerging economies, (iii) drilling is the best alternative energy sourcing for the oil and gas industry, and (iv) clean energy projects have the highest priority for energy investors. The results also highlight that global warming can be managed with effective energy practices for long-term sustainability. Finally, the findings suggest that energy companies should have the essential technological infrastructure and capable workforce to increase investment efficiency.

Getting the deal done—While managing process safety risk

AbstractHistorically, chemical complexes originated from a single company that developed a large site with significant infrastructure and diverse operating units. However, as corporate objectives change, companies frequently consider alternative business models such as mergers, acquisitions, leases, and licensing agreements. These deals (referred to as mergers and acquisitions [M&A] in this paper) often result in a shift from the single owner/operator structure toward other ownership, operating, and service provider models. These models can create substantial value; however, if not properly managed, they can also increase risk. Assessing these deals to manage process safety risk is challenging; deals are often confidential, the scope is sometimes fluid, and there is limited time to complete the process safety evaluations. If significant deal risks cannot be mitigated, concerns need to be elevated to upper management so they can be addressed before the deal is signed. Contract provisions may also be needed to clarify expectations and ensure continued safe operation. This paper discusses the challenges in assessing potential M&A deals from a process safety lens and describes a work process for engaging with the M&A team, conducting preliminary screening and more detailed assessments, communicating the results, and incorporating key agreements into the contract language.

Application of Business Model Canvas as a Business Strategy in Creative Economy Businesses in The Field of Photography in Makassar City

This research aims to find out how the application of the canvas business model has been carried out by creative economy business actors in the field of photography and provide alternative strategy options to develop their business. This research is descriptive research with a qualitative approach, data collection techniques are carried out using observation, interview, and documentation methods. The results of this study indicate that the business run by creative economic businesses in the field of photography is part of a business model canvas consisting of 9 blocks where the results of the SWOT analysis that has been carried out, there are four strategic options for creative economic businesses in the field of photography consisting of strengths opportunities (SO), weakness opportunities (WO), strength threats (ST), and weakness threats (WT). Of the four strategy options, the right strategy to be developed in the creative economy business in photography is weakness opportunities (WO). From the results of the mapping that has been carried out by researchers using the business model canvas and alternative strategies, researchers assess that businesses that have been running can apply the business model canvas as an alternative business model and the strategies that have been given by researchers can be implemented by creative economic businesses in the field of photography to increase business income.