Unlike problems requiring new-to-the-world solutions that combine knowledge from multiple sources, operational problems can often be solved by repurposing existing knowledge from other contexts into new-to-the-firm solutions. Firms that seek new-to-the-firm solutions to operational problems face...

Many scholars have argued that systems for treating waste impede organizations from preventing waste in the first place. They theorize that “end-of-pipe” (EOP) treatment diminishes the incentive to avoid creating waste in the production process, and obscures the information necessary to...