Abstract:
Increasingly, services are utilised by manufacturing companies to satisfy demand.
This trend is
thought by a number of authors to provide opportunities to develop
products that satisfy demand at increased resource efficiencies. This thesis
considers a
special category of services which have been conceptualised by
academics and
policy makers to realise this - Eco-services
Eco-services have been the focus of a number of research projects lead by those
practicing and associated with cleaner product design. This work has mainly
focused on
product policy and whilst a considerable body of knowledge has been
accumulated, the array of factors that would lead to the successful transfer (from
academia and to UK manufacturing companies) of this exogenous concept were
unknown. This thesis
sought to identify and understand these.
Two inter linked
phases of research were initiated and completed. The first was
inductive in nature and was comprised of a Pilot Study. In this data was elicited
from a
variety of sources so as to provide a robust foundation of knowledge upon
which
subsequent enquiry could be initiated. It concluded with the construction
of an initial
conceptual framework which described the attributes of receptivity
that were found in UK manufacturing firms to be specific to the Eco-service
concept. Also, a number of research propositions were generated so as to guide
research in
phase two.
The second deductive
phase of research was undertaken so as to test the initial
conceptual framework. A Main Study was carried out in order to elicit primary
qualitative data from two UK manufacturing companies. This work was guided
by the research propositions and a more in-depth understanding of the attributes of
receptivity was gained. This body of knowledge was utilised to refine the initial
conceptual framework.
This research identified and understood the range of factors that give rise to the
successful inward transfer of the Eco-service concept in U manufacturing
companies. Eight attributes of receptivity were identified and described in the
final
conceptual framework. The intention of this work was not to refute current
trajectories of research within the Eco-service domain, but rather to provide an
additional
body of knowledge that can be thought to enable those authors in the
Eco-service domain to realise the opportunity that the emergent trajectory of
services
provides to significantly improve resource efficiencies.
