1. What is a circular economy champion? Defining a home-grown concept in an emerging fieldDolores Modic, Sahana Swaroop Chetan, Shajara Ul-Durar, Noman Arshed, Marco De Sisto, Nadja Damij, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Circular economy, which aims to keep resources in production cycles and minimize waste, has emerged as a viable alternative to the traditional linear model. However, it is often criticized for being under-theorized and lacking indigenous, home-grown concepts, particularly regarding fundamental elements such as actors and actor types. This paper focuses on a specific actor: the circular economy champion. Circular economy champions can drive the transition toward a more circular economy, yet the concept remains under-conceptualized despite a growing body of literature. The aims of this study are twofold: first, to highlight the importance of home-grown concepts in emerging fields; and second, to address the ambiguity surrounding the terminology of “circular economy champion” by providing a novel conceptualization. The paper develops this concept using a family resemblance approach, employing differentiation criteria through a piecemeal method and underpinned by a theoretical review of the literature. By extending both the scope of actor types and, based on their traits, the range of their attributes, activities, and contributions to the circular economy, the concept of the circular economy champion is further delineated from related constructs and firmly defined. This contributes to circular economy discourse by proposing a novel definition of a key actor within the circular economy system, thus strengthening its theoretical foundations. Moreover, the proposed definition reduces ambiguity in understanding actors’ roles within the circular economy, further clarifying its microfoundations.
Keywords: circular economy, actor, circular economy champion, concept development
Published in DiRROS: 13.11.2025; Views: 456; Downloads: 231
 Full text (4,18 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
2. Exploring the development of Slovenian sociological science : ontology analysis of scientific bibliographical dataTamara Besednjak Valič, Erika Džajić Uršič, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: One way to demonstrate the research focus and progress in a scientific field is through scientific publishing. Scientific articles are a starting point for analyzing the main topics, concerns, and author networks within a specific domain. This way, we can track the development of the discipline. Through publications, researchers create narratives that reveal the direction and development of specific disciplines. These narratives help form scientific paradigms. The main goal of this article is to detect and discuss the development of predominant scientific topics in particular period of Slovenian sociological science. The analysis starts with the emergence of the transition process from non-democratic Yugoslavia towards the independent Republic of Slovenia and onwards to contemporary times. We analyzed 774 scientific articles published between 1984 and 2022 in the journal Social Science Forum, which had an impact factor of 0.175 in 2022. The findings indicate that Slovenian sociologists’ research interests reflect historical transformations – from the transition to independence to EU accession. We use ontology-based analysis with OntoGen to track these thematic shifts systematically. This positions our work as a localized application of established text-mining approaches. The method applied allows us to uncover patterns of knowledge production tied to key sociopolitical moments in Slovenian history.
Keywords: Slovenian sociology, bibliographical data, OntoGen, concept, ontology creation
Published in DiRROS: 13.06.2025; Views: 723; Downloads: 415
Full text (1,62 MB)
This document has many files! More... |
3. Strategic decisions : how good does it fit the decision-making process into the strategic management process?Edvard Kolar, Matej Tušak, Petra Robnik, Roberto Biloslavo, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The complicated dance between the decision-making (hereinafter: DM) process, which is shaped by the individual psychological constructs and internal cognitive processes, and the methodological process of strategic management (hereinafter: SMP), which can be understood as a framework that defines decision context, raises pertinent questions about their coherence. The purpose of this study is to propose an integrative model of the strategic decision-making process (hereinafter: SDM), which links the cognitive processes of decision-makers with the rigour of strategic management and identifies and mitigates potential risks at each stage of the holistic process. To design the research, we used the "model paper" approach which seeks to build a theoretical framework that predicts relationships between research concepts. The developed comprehensive model connects four independent concepts, creating a holistic framework for SDM in organizations. The comprehensive model reveals a high degree of consistency between the SMP, knowable decision-making cycle and cognitive processes. Throughout the entire process, decision-makers need to be mindful of the interplay between System 1 and System 2 thinking. While System 1 thinking may provide quick insights and initiate creative thinking, it is important to complement it with the deliberate and analytical reasoning of System 2 thinking, which can be supported by a proper application of different strategic management tools and methods.
Keywords: strategic management process, decision making process, integrative concept, strategic decision making, system 1 and 2 thinking
Published in DiRROS: 23.12.2024; Views: 948; Downloads: 528
Full text (441,92 KB)
This document has many files! More... |
