Ecology-oriented value management

Ecology- oriented value management is based on DIN EN 12973 value management ( value analysis ).

When determining the product value for the customer, it describes the transition from pure product thinking to function-related thinking, including an ecological focus. The term ecological orientation is derived from DIN ISO 14001 .

Concept of value

Due to the emerging climate change and increasing environmental awareness of customers ( stakeholders ), ecological orientation has become a central issue for corporate management. The creation and maintenance of long-term competitive advantages through an ecological alignment of the corporate strategy is becoming a key competence for companies.

Customers develop a growing need for ecological products, the individual benefits of which are expressed for them in the value of the product.

How the customer thinks about the value of a product or service is defined in DIN EN 12973 as the "relationship between the satisfaction of needs and the resources that are used for this satisfaction" (DIN EN 12973, p. 12), Are defined.

Value = needs satisfaction ÷ resources

The satisfaction of needs does not have to lie explicitly in the possession of the products, but rather in the fulfillment of functional requirements.

Function analysis

The focus of corporate management is shifting from the pure product or service consideration to a consideration of the functions that products fulfill.

The concept of function is standardized and can also be looked up by the company management in DIN EN12973 (p. 14). This defines the function as the "effect of a product or one of its components".

In order to determine this function, the company can use the function analysis tool. In the first step, the requirements for the company's product and service portfolio are broken down into main and secondary functions. When examining these functions, consideration should be given to the possibility that an ancillary function can develop into a primary function for the customer during the product life cycle . The importance of the main and secondary functions for the customer must be determined in the second step. In the subsequent final step, means must be found to achieve the goal.

The function analysis thus consists of recognizing (or identifying) functions, their validation with the help of clear logical elements and their characterization (cf. DIN EN 12973, p. 26).

Ecology-oriented implementation

When implementing the functional orientation in the course of the operational provision of services, there are three alternatives for implementation for the company, especially with a view to ecologically-oriented management:

1. Limitation or waiver of one or more functions by the customer
2. Ecology-oriented production by the company
3. Ecology-oriented product / service combination

The focus is on service

As a result of the function-related thinking, there is a reorientation towards product benefits, which lie in an optimal product / service combination. The inclusion of the service creates added value for the customers, which they reward accordingly. This added value can be a financial saving, but it can also correspond to the customer's ecological awareness. So-called eco-services can represent leasing , product sharing and the system offering .

In summary, the function analysis is an essential instrument for quantifying the value for the customer and thus represents the heart of the value management approach on all strategic or technical levels.

literature

• Edeltraud Günther: Ecology-oriented management. Environmental (world-oriented) thinking in business administration . Lucius & Lucius, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8252-8383-4
• DIN EN 12973 (2000): European Standard Value Management
• DIN EN ISO 14001 (2005-2006): environmental management