11.12.2024
Doctoral thesis on the possibility to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions profitably in shipping
M.Sc. (Tech.), M.Sc. (Econ. & Bus. Adm.) Henry Schwartz’ doctoral thesis in Industrial Management will be put forth for public defence at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University.
The thesis is entitled Reducing emissions profitably – A study concerning preconditions of business ecosystem change in shipping.
The public defence of the doctoral thesis takes place on Friday 20 December 2024 at 1PM in auditorium Armfelt, Arken, Tehtaankatu 2, Turku. Professor James Conley, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, USA, will serve as opponent and Docent Magnus Gustafsson, Åbo Akademi University, as custos.
Summary
This dissertation studies how it is possible to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions profitably in shipping. Maritime shipping causes almost one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually, and reducing this volume is a challenge given the ever-growing transportation volumes globally. There are various reasons why companies and organizations do not utilize energy efficiency seeking solutions in shipping. However, the most significant reasons for not doing so are based on economics. This dissertation shows that emissions can be reduced profitably by investing in certain technologies that, as an example, reduce fuel consumption and by doing so cut the total fuel costs by an amount greater than the actual investment costs. Simultaneously, a company may run an environmentally sustainable business model and collect price premiums of the transportation services that are conducted in an environmentally friendly way.
This dissertation introduces the flow theory of business ecosystems to the public. The concept is based on the factors of production. Based on the flow theory of business ecosystems, the business ecosystems are networks whose actors are connected to one another with cash flows, capital flows, information flows, energy flows and/or physical flows as a means of creating profit by utilizing and combining resources (cash, capital, energy, material, and data) and/or work (actions). The term ‘profit’ can be replaced with the word ‘value’ when considering also non-for-profit organizations. The tool called Business Ecosystem Mapping, which is based on the flow theory of business ecosystems and is presented in this dissertation, helps companies and organizations in understanding the business ecosystem they are in with a novel angle and perspective considering the different kinds of flows.
To conclude, environmentally sustainable shipping may turn out to be profitable business, in which greenhouse-gas emissions are reduced profitably.
Henry Schwartz can be reached by phone +358 40 717 0310 or email henry.schwartz@abo.fi.
The doctoral thesis can be read online through the Doria publication archive.