Journal of Business Chemistry October 2019

The economic outlook for the upcoming quarters is rather shaky. As a supplier to almost any other industry, the chemical industry is negatively impacted by recessionary trends. A shrinking demand of the global manufacturing industry for instance,severely affects the chemical industry due to the intense supplier-customer relationship. As a result of the negative business climate […]

1 Introduction When examining the chemical industry, it is important to differentiate between commodity chemicals – which are often manufactured via large-scale, bulk volumes – and specialty and fine chemicals – manufactured for customized applications and characteristics at much smaller volumes. Specialty and fine chemical manufacturers supply into industries across pharmaceutical, performance and agrochemical sectors […]

Abstract Almost 20 years after the bursting of the dot-com bubble, we are again experiencing a boom in B2B electronic marketplaces. These marketplaces usually connect buyers and suppliers in the digital sphere; however, the implementation of a marketplace comes with numerous challenges in the B2B sector. Marketplace operators often reach their limits, especially at the […]

Abstract The chemical industry is one of the biggest and most impactful sectors in society. Apart from its economic importance in terms of revenue and employment (CEFIC, 2018), it also plays a crucial role in the way mankind uses renewable and non-renewable resources now and in the future. Climate change, biodiversity challenges and waste pollution […]

Abstract We study the long-term effect of a changing energy return on investment (EROI) of oil on non- fuel commodity prices. Compared to economic growth, interest rates and uncertainty, the EROI of oil is the main driver of commodity price variations since 1938. A change in the EROI of oil accounts for up to 30% […]