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Most buildings are hardly ever technically equipped to adapt to ever changing user demands. Adaptability of building components is known as an essential technical aid to facilitate flexible use. However, for designers and developers it is very difficult to foresee how design decisions related to flexible use effect the efficiency of the technical system, especially when adaptations have to be realized in the future. Due to the large number of variables and interrelations, a structured approach is indispensable to translate (future) user demands into technical solutions for flexible use. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a novel method that can assist designers to systematically find suitable measures for flexible use. This method, named comparative selection method for adaptability measures (CSA method), is developed specifically to impartially select and compare adaptability measures.

The CSA method is principally based on a performance approach, where technical solutions are compared and matched to performance requirements. To accomplish that, specific tools and theories were transferred from industrial product development. The CSA method displays the benefits of lifespan-oriented design, since a distinction is made between initial, once occurring effects and the effects that come with each expected adaptation.

In contemporary building practice the initial phase is critical for decision making. By a number of case studies, the application of the CSA method reveals that tailor-made solutions with a high degree of adaptability are in fact the most efficient for the long term. Hereby the view is confirmed that a lifespan-oriented approach in design decisions is essential for a sustainable and future-proof building stock.

The CSA method is a newly developed and unique support tool that assists in optimizing flexible building design through the search for best fit adaptability solutions.

Sustainability is an accepted measure of business performance, with reductions in energy demand a commonly practised sustainability initiative by multinational corporations (MNCs). Traditional energy models have limited scope when applied to the entire MNC as the models exhibit high data and time intensity, high technical proficiency, specificity of application and omission of non-manufacturing activities. The purpose of this paper is to propose a process centric energy model (PCEM), which adopts a novel approach of applying business processes for business energy assessment and optimisation. Business processes are a fundamental requirement of MNCs across all sectors. The defining features of the proposed model are genericity, reproducibility, minimum user input data, reduced modelling time and energy evaluation of non-manufacturing activities. The approach forwards the adoption of Industry 4.0, a subset of which focuses on business process automation or part thereof.

A quantitative approach is applied in development of the PCEM. The methodology is demonstrated by application to the procure to pay and electroplating business processes.

The PCEM quantifies and optimises the business energy demand and associated carbon dioxide emissions of the procure to pay and electroplating business processes, validating the application of business processes. The application demonstrates minimum user inputs as only equipment operational parameters are required and minimum modelling time as business process models and optimisation options are pre-defined requiring only user modification. As MNCs have common business processes across multiple sites, once a business process energy demand is quantified, its inputs are applied as the default in the proceeding sites, only requiring updating. The model has no specialist skills requirement enabling business wide use and eliminating costs associated with training and expert’s services. The business processes applied in the evaluation are developed by the researchers and are not as comprehensive as those in actual MNCs, but is sufficiently detailed to accurately calculate an MNC energy demand. The model databases are not exhaustive of all resources found in MNCs.

This paper provides a new approach to MNC business energy assessment and optimisation. The model can be applied to MNEs across all sectors. The model allows the integration of manufacturing and non-manufacturing activities, as it occurs in practice, providing holistic business energy assessment and optimisation. The model analyses the impacts of the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies on business energy demand, CO₂ emission and personnel hours.

This paper aims to propose an alternate, efficient and scalable modeling framework to simulate large-scale bike-sharing systems using discrete-event simulation. This study uses this model to evaluate several initial bike inventory policies inspired by the operation of the bike-sharing system in Mexico City, which is one of the largest around the world. The model captures the heterogeneous demand (in time and space) and this paper analyzes the trade-offs between the performance to take and return bikes. This study also includes a simulation-optimization algorithm to determine the initial inventory and present a method to deal with the bias caused by dynamic rebalancing on observed demand.

This paper is based on the analysis of an alternate and efficient discrete-event simulation modeling framework. This framework captures the heterogeneity of demand and allows one to experiment with large-scale models. This study uses this model to test several initial bike inventory policies and also combined them with an optimization engine. The results, provide valuable insights not only for the particular system that motivated the study but also for the administrators of any bike-sharing system.

The findings of this paper include: most of the best policies use a ratio of bikes: docks near to 1:2; however, it is important the way they are initially allocated; a policy that contradicts the demand profile of the stations can lead to poor performance, regardless the quick and dynamic changes of bike locations during the morning period; the proposed simulation-optimization algorithm achieves the best results.

The findings are limited to the initial inventory of the system under study. The model assumes a homogeneous probability distribution function for the travel time. This assumption seems reasonable for the system under study. This paper limits the tested inventory policies to simple practical rules. There might be other sophisticated methods to obtain better solutions, but they might be system-specific.

The insights of this paper are valuable for operators of bike-sharing systems because this study focuses on the analysis of the impact of the initial inventory assuming that dynamic rebalancing may not be existing during the morning peak-time. This paper finds that initial inventory has a great impact on the performance, regardless of how quickly the bikes are dispersed across the system. This study also provides insights into the effect of dynamic rebalancing on observed demand.

Increasing knowledge about the operation of the bike-sharing system has a positive effect on society because more cities around the world could consider implementing these systems as a public transportation mode. Furthermore, delivering suggestions on how to increase the user service level could incentivize people to adopt bikes as a mobility option, which would contribute to improve their health and also reduce air pollution caused by motorized vehicles.

This paper considers that the contributions of this work to existing literature are the following: this study proposes a novel efficient and scalable simulation framework to evaluate initial bike inventory policies; the analysis presented in the paper includes an approach to deal with the bias in the observed demand caused by dynamic rebalancing and the analysis includes the value of demand information to determine an effective initial bike inventory policy.

Considers the need for industrial producers (intermediaries) to be flexible and adapt their channel, e.g. commercial and consumption, strategies to the changing demands of producers and end users. Summarizes that the differing outputs demanded by the above – e.g. steady flow of consumption and stock inventory for the former, product variety and waiting time for the latter – should not conflict even though end users dictate the intermediaries priorities. Concludes that intermediaries should position themselves effectively between producers and end users and differentiate in order to retain their niche and avoid being taken over, the above being capable of performing many of their functions themselves.

This paper extends the concept of market orientation from the firm to the value chain level and seeks to develop empirically founded propositions on determinants of different levels of market orientation of value chains.

Four case studies on value chains within the areas of agribusiness and fisheries are conducted. For each value chain, desk research is combined with interviews with decision‐makers of all types of value chain members. Interview guidelines were derived from a conceptual model of potential determinants of value chain market orientation.

Degree of market orientation of value chains is found to be related to degree of heterogeneity and dynamism of end‐users served, nature of chain relationships, regulations and prevailing mental models of decision‐makers. Short and balanced chains are believed to further upstream market orientation.

The results point at two areas, where additional research on market orientation is called for: a better conceptualization of market intelligence and theorizing on most cost effective ways of being market oriented, including implications for the distribution of market oriented activities among value chain members.

The paper underlines the importance of managing channel relationships, up to and including vertical integration, when serving markets with high degrees of end‐user volatility.

This paper is the first empirical contribution to the market orientation literature employing a perspective encompassing the whole value chain.

This research draws on goal framing theory and gamification affordance to understand how gamification design encourages users' continuous usage of information systems (IS) to perform proenvironmental behaviors.

Survey data (N = 307) were collected from users of a gamified IS designed for environmental protection. The research model was examined with structural equation modeling.

Satisfying users' demand on green effectiveness, enjoyment, and social gain directly/indirectly predicts users' intention to continue to utilize the gamified IS for proenvironmental behaviors. Moreover, gamification affordance of autonomy support, visibility of achievement, competition, and interactivity influences the satisfaction of the users' relevant demands.

This research contributes to the IS research for environmental sustainability at the individual level. Specifically, this research extends the understanding of users' decision-making on continuance and the role of gamification design in the context of gamified IS developed for environmental conservation.

This paper aims to investigate the service demand of existing users and potential users for mobile information services provided by university libraries in China. The primary objective is to explore the impact of user experience on user needs, which is conducted by a comparison between two user groups over their needs from three aspects – service function, service mode and information content.

Data were collected from 353 library users from ten Chinese universities via questionnaires. Based on the user needs model, three dimensions of user needs were established for mobile information services and 26 measurement items were generated through a review of the literature. Furthermore, based on frequency analysis, independent samples t-test and the calculation of need rate, the demand differences in mobile information services between existing and potential users were explored.

Significant differences existed in the needs for service functions and service modes of mobile information services between existing users and potential users. Existing users cared more about such characteristics as intelligence, personalization and the variety of mobile services. Potential users, in contrast, concerned themselves more with the usability of mobile services and similarity to traditional information services. These two user groups showed little difference in the needs for information content, as they both have strict requirements for specialty, richness in and quality of information resources in mobile network environments.

Previous research on user needs for mobile libraries services has been primarily conducted from the perspectives of existing users. This study, however, compared the needs of existing and potential users based on their previous experiences, which can help libraries to know better what their users need and improve the quality of mobile information services to meet those needs. This can also make existing users more willing to use the services and cultivate the usage habits of potential users at the same time.

The purpose of this paper is to report on users' information behaviour in China, a topic which has not been researched extensively. The aim is to help producers and providers collect and develop more electronic resources.

The study investigates users' information behaviour at seven “211 Project” universities in Wuhan, a city in central China. These universities all have access to the resources of the National Science and Technology Library (NSTL). The questionnaire includes questions about respondents' basic identifying information (educational level, job, etc.) and their information service requirements. Correlations among users' education level, users' jobs, users' retrieval methods, literature use, etc. were analysed.

The results show that most NSTL users are graduate students and young staff members. and the number of male users surpasses female ones slightly. The purpose of the utilisation of electronic resources for customers is scientific research, teaching and the need for self‐development. During a year, the demand of users is the highest in March and the lowest in August. The users' knowledge service types include learning the progress of science and technology, citation retrieval and analysis, statistical analysis, intelligent retrieval and knowledge aggregation.

The findings suggest that electronic resource producers should offer more foreign literature and providers should improve the quality of services.

The paper provides suggestions for the further improvement of NSTL to fulfill the information needs and requirements of users.