CERS Research Seminar - Sina Mortazavi & Carlos Diaz Ruiz

The second CERS Research Seminar of this academic year will feature our Associate Professor, Carlos Diaz Ruiz, together with our guest postdoc, Sina Mortazavi.

Sina Mortazavi served as a post-doctoral researcher and academic director at LUT University, LUT Business School in Lappeenranta, Finland. His research area evolves around sustainability, social innovation, inclusive innovation and emerging markets.  For this seminar Sina will present a paper titled “Emerging Business Models for Recycling Electric Vehicle Batteries”. 

Abstract 

Global demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries is projected to rise significantly. Future recycling of EV batteries may fundamentally transform established methods of sourcing key battery materials, thereby advancing the circular economy. This article presents a timely analysis of emerging business models for battery recycling and introduces a framework of 12 business model archetypes employed by start-ups and incumbent firms worldwide to disrupt linear battery value chains. We identify value chain roles (waste processor and pre-treater, secondary material producer, end-to-end recycling provider, and recycling integrator), revenue models (material selling, recycling-as-a-service, and technology licensing), and levels of ecosystem openness, and discuss strategies for scaling business models that support EV battery recycling within a circular economy. 

Carlos will present his paper, "How Do Social Media Echo Chambers Amplify Disinformation." For more details, please see the abstract below. 

Abstract

Journalists and politicians often use the term ‘echo chamber’ to explain how extremist narratives from the fringes of the Internet become part of mainstream political discourse. However, the concept of the echo chamber is contested in the academic literature, and current research lacks conclusive evidence on whether online echo chambers even exist. This seminar explores the echo chamber effect on social media, which occurs when social media polarization causes people to adopt increasingly extreme positions. It reviews the academic literature to clarify four distinct yet overlapping interpretations that researchers commonly refer to as echo chambers: (1) selective exposure to news media, (2) epistemic isolation in online communities, (3) structures of strategic discrediting, and (4) coordinated inauthentic behavior. To illustrate these diverging interpretations, empirical evidence is provided through an example of an echo chamber. Understanding the echo chamber effect online has implications for countering hybrid threats and the amplification of malign influence campaigns on social media.