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The purpose of this paper is to overcome the confusion generated by a loose definition of the term knowledge artifact (KA) and its impacts on the design of technologies supporting their use.

The paper looks at the conceptual foundations underpinning the concept of KA that are related to the way in which knowledge is conceived, and revisits the outcomes of empirical investigations to shed light on different aspects of the use of KA in various settings.

The paper identifies a class of KAs and its role in relation to other classes of KAs, as it emerges from the empirical investigations.

The focus is on documental artifacts that are, however, widely used in different domains and organizations. New empirical work is needed to consider other kinds of artifacts and their role in knowledge-intense activities.

The paper aims to drive the attention of the designer on phenomena that hinder the acceptance, appropriation and effectiveness of the technologies they design to support a crucial aspect of collaboration.

The paper is original in the following ways: first, documenting the interplay between a kind of KA that is poorly considered in the literature with other classes of KAs; second, highlighting a set of principles that should guide the construction of computational KAs of a different nature.

The demand for resources for development also increased corporate pressures for sustainability. Consequently, it is necessary for organizations to adopt measures addressing the need to implement a new business model, which allows a management team concerned about the economy and the optimization of resources to make sustainable business models a strategic interest of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to analyze sustainable business models and the applied practices to operationalize them.

This study was conducted through a systematic review of the literature to identify the sustainable business models addressed in the literature, and what practices are applied to operationalize these models.

The data show that sustainable business models have an approach centered on the direct participation of stakeholders, especially the user, in the process of creating sustainable value. Overall, they offer a high level of technology-based business models that prioritize the use of clean energy, material maximization and energy efficiency, with an emphasis on repair and maintenance rather than on disposal and scheduled obsolescence, as well as an emphasis on natural and renewable processes, the reuse of waste, environmental stewardship, product transformation into technological artefacts for users, and products for services and results.

The study’s contributions provide a more detailed understanding of sustainable business models and what practices can be adopted by companies to make the business truly sustainable. This paper contributed to the discussion of the research on sustainable business models and their operational practices.

The analysis promotes insights into new opportunities for companies to integrate their traditional business models with sustainability, contributing to the application of sustainable practices within the managerial scope. Companies that operate sustainable business models need to be aware that collaborative, sharing and networking models can deliver positive results for sustainable business models.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze circular business models of Brazilian companies.

The authors analyzed 105 business models of adopting companies from the perspective of the circularity of resources. These were classified as analytical sector category, business model design aligned with sustainability, sustainable practices adopted, level of maturity of business models and determinants of the circularity of resources.

The results show that companies belonging to the service sector predominate, which, above all, offer the virtualization of processes, sharing, ecological products, socially responsible and emphasis on recycling. Of these, 92.38 percent were already aligned with the sustainability assumptions, which contribute decisively to the operationalization in a circular perspective. Therefore, the materialization of the circular economy (CE) in Brazil is occurring, although there is potential for a stronger engagement with the determinants of the CE, especially in the perspective of the biological cycle and in the short cycles of technical levels.

In addition, the authors promote advances in the maturity levels of business models to optimize the optimal level, where processes are predictable, critically analyzed and continuously improved.

This paper aims to investigate overlaps, complementarities and divergences between the literature on circular economy (CE) models and related literature in non-linear production models and frameworks, including CE, reverse logistics, closed-loop, industrial symbiosis and industrial ecology.

A systematic literature review was conducted focussing on the benefits of non-linear modes adoption.

The results show a high degree of convergence in findings, gaps and weaknesses of these literatures. Negative environmental, economic and operational impacts are understudied. There is a scarcity of studies identifying practices resulting in empirically tested benefits. The business and society case for non-linear production is still largely built upon conceptual studies, modelling and a few case studies. Despite a normative focus, there is very little use of theory, in particular, management theories.

First, the authors use only one, albeit highly recognized database, Scopus. This database may have omitted some relevant research, journals such as the Journal of Cleaner Production and Resources Conservation & Recycling that are more likely to publish such research and also have a more interdisciplinary approach. This is an important gap and interesting result to claim for more interdisciplinary research. Second, the filtering process used and the focus on Association of Business Schools top journals may have also omitted some relevant research, such as a large stream of literature in specialist journals such as Resources Conservation and Recycling and the Journal of Cleaner Production.

There are contradictions, tensions and epistemological ambiguity that needs to be critically addressed. Such tensions may be associated with the knowledge field that gave rise to these different non-linear production approaches. Many of them appeared at the same time, but from different sciences and disciplines with their own perspectives. Then in doing so, they create confusion in the definitions of CE, assumptions underlying modelling and business choices arising from this complexity. This can be minimized through the critical interpretation of knowledge to elucidate epistemological quandaries to improve the understanding of the economic, social and environmental impacts of practices.

In some way, this result makes sense, as the authors have limited the search to management, business and accounts journals, especially talking about Operations Management journals. This is an important gap and interesting result to claim for more interdisciplinary research.

In addition to gaps previously described, the authors identified areas of tensions where the literature offers inconclusive – often contradictory – findings requiring further exploration. A better understanding of these tensions is required to understand the impacts of non-linear production and develop policy guidelines for industry and policymakers to scale-up CE.

The purchasing power of public sector organizations can be used to promote strategic policy objectives such as sustainability, innovation, and the concept of circular economy (CE). In Denmark, total greenhouse gas emissions from public procurement (PP) activities comprise approximately 12 million tons CO₂eq/year. Thus, if sustainability criteria and CE are considered in PP, there is a potential for environmental savings and for driving innovation toward circularity. Directive 2014/24/EU on PP makes it possible to include sustainability criteria or CE in public tenders. In order to aid this process, the case company Vraa Dampvaskeri has, together with researchers from Aalborg University, developed a guide for sustainable PP focusing on workwear and laundry services. In this chapter, we explore how this guide has been used in practice. This includes a consideration of the way in which such a guide can aid the process of setting sustainable and circular criteria in public tenders, thus supporting a transition to CE. Although the guide is now supported by national criteria for textiles in the Danish Partnership for Green PP, these tools cannot stand alone, as their use by PP officers is voluntary. Market engagement is imperative for inclusion of sustainability and CE in tenders, and the involvement of user groups is essentially important.

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.

Despite repeated attempts to implement gender education in schools, numerous forms of resistance still persist, maintaining the current gender order, especially in Italy. Thus, in this paper, the authors focus on the practices of resistance opposed to gender education in kindergarten.

This study takes a qualitative approach, and data collection was conducted using ethnographic observations, a focus group and an in-depth interview. The authors used critical discourse analysis (cf: Fairclough's three-dimensional model).

As per our findings, teachers' resistance is attributed to “hegemonic masculinity” and “essentialism”. In the case of “hegemonic masculinity”, the discourses emphasise that male feminisation is a threat and female masculinisation is harmless. On the “essentialist” side, teachers' discourses focus on the segregation of genders that justify naturalised gender differences.

This study emphasises the need for specific training for figures as important and authoritative as teachers. In addition to the training of teachers who currently work in kindergarten, it is also necessary to address the issue at the institutional level, adding to the university courses the teaching of specific subjects related to gender.

This paper offers causes for reflection on a profession that has profound implications in our society and about the power of resistance to implementing gender education. The implications are discussed.

Different data sources are used simultaneously to disclose discursive practices of resistance to gender education in Italy.

The aim of this paper is to present the use of virtual communities in work processes in Popular Education, a field strongly supported by presentiality because of historical social inequalities in Brazil. It presents the assessment of the Virtual Community Work (CVT) used in the Popular Healthcare Education Policy (PNEPS).

The exploratory research adopted two paths of analysis, one quantitative (using questionnaire) aimed to collect the participants’ perceptions regarding the navigation, tools and features of CVT, and the other qualitative through observation of the interventions in its different spaces, having discourse analysis as the technique for analysis.

The hands-on nature of Popular Education, revealed in the posts and in the speech of the participants, showed the potential and challenges of the territory and the need for change, both of the professional’s outlook on his or her own work process and working with health in the communities that are, still today, very centered around authoritarian models.

Because the participation was not mandatory, the reduced number of participants was the main limitation of this work.

The health problems specified in the interactions and much discussed in CVT may help the consolidation of the policy as the main practical implication.

Contribute to the creation of a network for the exchange of educational experiences in the field of Popular Education.

The innovating character of this work lies in the application of Virtual Community in the field of popular education within the health sector as a strategy for implementation of a national policy.