Dr Carlos F.A. Arranz PhD, MSc, BSc, FHEA

• Deputy Programme Leader for the MA in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
• Co-lead of the SIG on Artificial Intelligence in Business and Management
• Teaching in a variety of modules in the area of Business Operations and Sustainability, including:
  • Business Creation Project
  • Global Business and Sustainability
  • Sustainability in Business
  • International Business Environment
  • Introduction to Business Operations
  • Future Paths
• Module Leader
• Dissertation Supervision
• Personal Tutor
• Member of the BOS ECR Network Committee
• Member of the Connected Cities Research Group (CCRG) and Networks Urban Systems Centre (NUSC)

Journal Responsibilities:

• Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Business Analytics
• Editorial Board Member of Social Sciences & Humanities Open
• Guest editor for the Special Issue “Unpacking Circular Economy Capabilities for a Pathway to Net Zero” in the British Journal of Management.
• Peer reviewer for Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Business Strategy and the Environment, Journal of Industrial Ecology, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

Memberships and Panels:

• Expert for the European Union (ID: EX2023D737683)
• Member of the Group for Research on Organizations and the Natural Environment (GRONEN)
• Member of the Centre for Social and Economic Network Analysis (SENA) – University of Essex
• Member of the British Academy of Management (BAM)
• Permanent member of the scientific committee of the International Conference on University, Enterprise, and Society (UES).
• Member of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network
• Member of the Impact Scholar Community

Teaching:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Using machine learning techniques, Carlos' research aims to support sustainability and improve business performance. He has published on the application of machine learning to the analysis of circular economy business models, and has explored the role of institutional pressures in driving the adoption of circular economy practices in firms. In addition, he has examined the impact of eco-innovation on firm performance and the role of digitalisation in enabling sustainable business practices.

His work is focused on helping companies become more productive, sustainable, and competitive through innovation, digitalisation, and the implementation of circular economy models. Carlos has a particular interest in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the challenges and opportunities they face in adopting sustainable practices.

Keywords: Machine Learning, Business Analytics, Circular Economy, Eco-innovation, Sustainability, Digitalisation, SMEs.

Key funded projects

• ESRC InterAct (2024): Funded workshop bringing together academics and industry experts to address challenges faced by SMEs in adopting Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies. Aimed to bridge gap between social sciences and technology, generating actionable research questions through interdisciplinary collaboration.
• NUSC Small Grant (2024): Funded project to develop a framework for Regenerative Circular Economy Business Models (RCEBMs). Through semi-structured interviews with sustainability experts and business leaders, this project identifies key value dimensions, stakeholders, and activities involved in RCE models, which have not been explored yet.
• SAMS Grant (2023): Funded project to organise a paper development workshop to support ECRs in creating impactful publications related to sustainability, circular economy, and net zero emissions. The workshop aims for multidisciplinary discussions and to provide guidance on developing strong research portfolios, by means of a panel of distinguished scholars.
• Impact Development Fund (2023): I have received funding from the University of Greenwich Impact Development Fund for the project “The effect of Digitalization and Circular Economy integration on SMEs: A Strategic Orientation Approach”, which helped disseminate the results of the underlying study among business managers and SMEs through (1) a website, (2) a workshop and (3) a good practice guide. The workshop and networking event aimed to support SME adoption of digitalisation and circular economy practices for sustainable growth. The full-day interactive event explained the synergies between digitalisation and circular economy strategies, highlighted original research on integration approaches, and outlined actionable recommendations for jointly implementing these dimensions for sustainability. By clarifying the role of digital technologies as CE enablers and advising on priority applications, best practices, and success factors, we equipped the participants to enhance resource efficiency, unlock circular models, access partnerships, and meet rising eco-demands.
• CCRG Small Grant (2023): Funded project that created three legal indices quantifying and detailing Circular Economy regulatory efforts in the UK and EU. Developed multidimensional indices across product lifecycles, 9Rs frameworks, and product/process features. The project created a database of the CE laws in UK and EU, as well as three multidimensional indices scoring of each country on its CE legal framework that will enable granular, impactful scholarship on the real-world effectiveness of CE regulations.

Journal Articles:

• Arranz, C. F. A. (2024). A system dynamics approach to modelling eco‐innovation drivers in companies: understanding complex interactions using machine learning. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3704
• Arroyabe, M. F., Arranz, C. F.A., de Arroyabe, I. F., & de Arroyabe, J. C. F. (2024). The effect of IT security issues on the implementation of industry 4.0 in SMEs: Barriers and challenges. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 199, 123051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123051
• Arranz, C. F.A., Arroyabe, M. F., Arranz, N., & de Arroyabe, J. C. F. (2023). Digitalisation dynamics in SMEs: An approach from systems dynamics and artificial intelligence. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 196, 122880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122880
• Arranz, C.F.A., Sena, V., & Kwong, C. (2023). Dynamic capabilities and institutional complexity: exploring the impact of innovation and financial support policies on the circular economy. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2023.3286953
• Fernandez de Arroyabe, J. C., Arroyabe, M. F., Fernandez, I., & Arranz, C. F. A. (2023). Cybersecurity Resilience in SMEs. A Machine Learning Approach. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2023.2248925
• Arranz, C. F.A., & Arroyabe, M. F. (2023). Institutional theory and circular economy business models: The case of the European Union and the role of consumption policies. Journal of Environmental Management, 340, 117906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117906
• Arranz, C.F.A., Kwong, C., & Sena, V. (2023). The effect of consumption and production policies on circular economy business models: A machine learning approach. Journal of Industrial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13397
• Perez, C. A., Arroyabe, M. F., Ubierna, F., Arranz, C. F. A., & Fernandez de Arroyabe, J. C. (2023). The formation of self-management teams in higher education institutions. Satisfaction and effectiveness. Studies in Higher Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2172565
• De Arroyabe, I. F., Arranz, C. F. A., Arroyabe, M. F., & de Arroyabe, J. C. F. (2023). Cybersecurity capabilities and cyber-attacks as drivers of investment in cybersecurity systems: A UK survey for 2018 and 2019. Computers & Security, 124, 102954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2022.102954
• Arranz, N., Arroyabe, M. F., Li, J., Arranz, C. F. A., & Fernandez de Arroyabe, J. C. (2022). An integrated view of eco‐innovation in the service sector: dynamic capability, cooperation and corporate environmentalism. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3276
• Arranz, C. F. A., Sena, V., & Kwong, C. (2022). Institutional pressures as drivers of circular economy in firms: A machine learning approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 355, 131738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131738
• Arranz, N., Arroyabe, M. F., Sena, V., Arranz, C. F. A., & Fernandez de Arroyabe, J. C. (2022). University-enterprise cooperation for the employability of higher education graduates: a social capital approach. Studies in Higher Education, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2055323
• Arroyabe, M. F., Schumann, M., & Arranz, C. F. A. (2022). Mapping the entrepreneurial university literature: a text mining approach. Studies in Higher Education, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2055318
• Arranz, N., F. Arroyabe, C., & Fernandez de Arroyabe, J. C. (2019). The effect of regional factors in the development of eco‐innovations in the firm. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(7), 1406-1415. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2322

Book Chapters:

• Arranz, C. F. A., & Fernandez de Arroyabe, J. C. (2022). “The role of organizational capacities in the implementation of circular economy models in organizations”. In Ubierna, F. (ed.) New Studies in Education, Art, and Business for a Diverse Society. Madrid: Fragua, pp. 23-37. (In Spanish)

Conferences:

• Cambridge International Manufacturing Symposium - Møller Institute, University of Cambridge, UK (September 21-22, 2023), “Dynamics Capabilities and Machine Learning: Exploring the Impact of Digital and Innovation Capabilities on Digitalisation Dynamics in Manufacturing SMEs”.
• BAM23 – University of Sussex Business School, UK (September 5-6, 2023), “The effect of Digitalization and Environmental Sustainability Integration on SMEs: A Strategic Orientation Approach” and “The Effect of IT Security Issues on the Implementation of Industry 4.0 in SMEs: Barriers or Challenges?".
• DRUID23 - NOVA School of Business and Economics, Portugal (June 10-12, 2023), “The effect of Digitalization and Environmental Sustainability Integration on SMEs: A Strategic Orientation Approach”.
• DRUID22 - Copenhagen Business School, Denmark (June 13-15, 2022), “Exploring the effect of drivers in the development of an eco-innovation system. An approach from system dynamics and machine learning”.
• BAM22 - Alliance Manchester Business School, UK (31^st August - 2^nd September 2022), “The effect of consumption policies on circular economy business models: A European perspective”.
• UES2022 International Conference - CIS University Endicott International, Spain (18^th November 2022), “The role of organisational capabilities in the implementation of circular economy models in organisations”.

Seminars and Presentations:

• PhD Seminar - “Bibliometric Analysis Using the Bibliometrix Tool” at UNED, Spain (27^th of July 2023).
• Workshop & Networking Event on Digitalisation and Circular Economy in SMEs at University of Greenwich (14^th of July 2023).
• PhD Seminar - “Artificial Neural Network and Regression Analysis: complementary or substitutes” at Essex Business School, UK (3^rd of June 2020).