Purpose This exploratory paper investigates gamification as a medium for knowledge workers to interact with each other. The purpose of this paper is to open the discussion around the sustaining impact that gamification might have on knowledge management (KM). Design/methodology/approach The paper employs an exploratory literature review investigating the current state of the art in relation to KM and gamification; this literature review serves as the starting point of subsequent theorizing. Findings Based on the literature review the authors theorize that the use of gamification in KM can go far beyond the motivational aspects. To name just a few uses of gamification, it can help in: supporting flexibility, facilitating transparency and therefore improving trust, visualizing skills and competences as well as generating requirements for new competences and promoting a collaborative environment among the knowledge workers. Research limitations/implications This paper opens the discussion around KM and gamification and suggests a wide range of areas for further research. Practical implications In this paper the authors argue that by looking at gamification as more than just a set of tools for improving motivation and engagement a company can address some pitfalls of a particular type of knowledge workers. Originality/value Gamification is a new, but increasingly popular approach, which has been shown to be powerful in many areas. This paper is novel in that it initiates a dialogue around the impact that gamification might have on KM.

Agricultural plastics are currently characterised by a predominantly linear take-make-dispose value chain, thus being a major stream of waste that contributes to significant environmental and economic issues. Therefore, policy makers have recently indicated the adoption of circular economy approaches as the way forward for plastics. This study addresses the problem of agricultural plastic waste as a major stream of landfilled waste by assessing the potential for recycling the plastic into higher value products through pyrolysis and by optimally designing the respective supply network to support this process. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is developed to optimise the end-to-end supply network design, from the waste generation stage up to the end consumer of the produced material. The model is supported by experimental results on the pyrolysis performance for contaminated plastic samples. The model is applied in a case study of the Scottish agricultural sector to showcase its potential in assessing the feasibility and financial viability in addition to the positive environmental impact on agricultural plastic waste supply networks. The results demonstrate the potential of using the pyrolysis technology for agricultural plastic waste recycling as an example of a circular economy approach and the benefits of using the developed model for decision making purposes, as well as the potential for waste reduction and the implications for farmers' operations.

This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Routledge Rights and Permissions.

No abstract