Dr Breno Nunes
Reader (Associate Professor) in Sustainable Operations Management | Aston University
Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM
Dr Nunes investigates sustainability strategies, environmental decision making processes, and green technology management.
Biography
He is currently Reader (Associate Professor) in Sustainable Operations Management. Breno is also the President of IAMOT - The International Association for Management of Technology (www.iamot.net).
Dr Nunes has a background (BSc and MSc) in Industrial Engineering and holds a PhD degree in Management from Aston University. His expertise is in sustainability strategy and green technology management.
Breno helps companies and governments to respond to sustainability challenges and opportunities. At firm level, his work focuses mostly on strategic decisions for operations function.
He has acted as a consultant for the European Automotive Strategy Network (UK), SMEs clusters development (Brazil),and advised a water management agency (Brazil).
Breno is the leading author of "Sustainable Operations Management: Key practices and cases" published by Routledge. He is also the creator of sustainability fitness concept used to formulate sustainability strategies and measure sustainability performance,
His recent research publications deal with a variety of sustainability issues, including: sustainable operations strategy, sustainable livestock, green innovation management, electric cars and sustainable mobility, sustainable supply chains, sustainability performance and systems dynamics.
Areas of Expertise (6)
Sustainable Development Policies
Green Technology Management
Green Operations
Sustainability Strategies
Sustainable Production Systems and Supply Chains
Environmental Decision Making
Accomplishments (4)
IAMOT Fellow Award
2019
Research Project Award, IAMOT
2012
Vice-President for Education, Research and Publications
2014
Best Research Project of The Year
2012
Education (3)
Aston University: PhD, Management 2011
Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte: MS, Industrial Engineering Graduate Program 2005
Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte: BS, Industrial Engineering 2003
Links (4)
Media Appearances (1)
Brumadinho dam collapse: mining industry needs radical change to avoid future disasters
The Conversation online
2018-03-08
This is apparently not the case with Vale, however – the fifth largest mining company in the world. Vale is the world’s biggest producer of iron ore and nickel and is also responsible for what may be the largest environmental disaster in Brazil’s history, after one of its tailings dams – an embankment which is supposed to hold back a vast reservoir of toxic mining byproducts – collapsed on January 25, 2019 at the Corrego do Feijao mine in south-eastern Brazil.
Articles (3)
Sustainability and the digital supply chain
The Digital Supply Chain2022 The digital transformation of supply chains is happening at the same time as environmental and social impacts are leading to a radical rethink of the very nature of supply chains, how they are designed, and how they are managed. We examine the intersection of digital transformation and sustainability in the supply chain and consider whether they are complementary or in tension. We analyze sustainability in the digital supply chain by combining the supply chain SCOR model with the triple bottom line sustainability perspective that incorporates economic, environmental, and social dimensions. The complexities and trade-offs among these factors can lead to unintended consequences for sustainability initiatives. We consider two illustrative case studies: the emerging supply chains for electric passenger vehicles and the beef supply chain. Automotive and agricultural supply chains have to deal with substantial and complex sustainability issues. We identify how digital technologies may support sustainability initiatives or create unintended negative consequences. We draw insights from the two cases to discuss important issues and questions for both research and practice. Given the importance of sustainability, we highlight the need to consider carefully all the consequences of applying digital technologies in order to achieve intended benefits and reduce unintended harm.
Institutional logic for sustainable purchasing and supply management: Concepts, illustrations, and implications for business strategy
Business Strategy and the Environment2021 Amidst the number of studies on sustainable purchasing and supply management (PSM), we have yet to learn how sustainability becomes a logic for organisations and their stakeholders. Thus, this paper offers an extended approach on the emergence of an institutional logic of sustainability (ILS). Our contribution includes the macro mechanisms supporting the robust and continuous adoption of an ILS for procurement. Three distinct trajectories of an ILS emerged from the literature, and their application to sustainable PSM is illustrated using real-world examples. The trajectories rely upon the evolution of (1) institutional entrepreneurs or (2) PSM structures but also can happen through (3) the co-evolution of both. By offering a conceptual model and a set of research propositions for future theory and empirical testing, this paper helps scholars and practitioners to advance their knowledge on managing purchasing departments according to sustainability values and making it a competitiveness factor. Lastly, this paper adds value to both implementation and formulation of sustainable business strategies as the application of our conceptual framework can lead to better strategic alignment of PSM practices.
Preparing for smart product-service system (PSS) implementation: an investigation into the Daimler group
Production Planning & Control2020 This paper aims at investigating the main factors behind advancing the integration of products and services in the Brazilian subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz (MBB), and how Smart PSS has been perceived by other business units of the Daimler Group. We conducted an in-depth qualitative single-case study research to investigate the critical steps preceding the implementation of a smart PSS. The study was based on the main tactical areas of a PSS business model which was applied to MBB’s possible integration of their equipment (called Fleetboard) in a smart PSS solution. The findings demonstrate that the internal culture of a product-centric automotive manufacturing firm can prohibit the sales of services, even when service technologies are available. On the other hand, financial pressures can create the sense of urgency required for the firm to appreciate the necessity of change. The process of change is too complex, since it requires capabilities in key areas such as the law, marketing, networking/partnerships, design, sustainability, and organisation and human resources management. Our study shows how the company considers alternative options in order to reduce organisational barriers, develop partnerships and legal competence to offer PSS contracts, as well as seeking alignment between design, marketing and sustainability requirements.
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