Innovation and Business Sustainability

This report prepares an innovation model for Qantas Airways that it can use for the purpose of business sustainability. The model proposes the use of recycled paper bags for customers who travel from air sickness, as this is one of the ways by which Qantas Airways can look into the requirements of its customers, cut costs and do well for the surrounding natural environment at the same given time.

Running head: INNOVATION AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY
Innovation and Business Sustainability
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INNOVATION AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
1. The Problem.............................................................................................................................3
1.1. Analysis of the Problem to be solved................................................................................3
1.2. Problem Insights...............................................................................................................4
2. Portfolio of Generated Solution Ideas......................................................................................5
2.2. Solution Selection Analysis..................................................................................................5
2.3. Target Audience....................................................................................................................5
2.3. Value Proposition Benefits...................................................................................................5
3. Value Proposition Development and Delivery.........................................................................6
4. Financial Value Capture and Strategic Fit...............................................................................7
4.1. Strategic Fit - 1st Phase – Procurement of Recycled Paper Bags for Air Sickness...........8
4.2. Strategic Fit - 2nd Phase – Training Cabin Crew in the Art of using and Disposing the
Recycled Air Sickness Bags........................................................................................................8
4.3. Strategic Fit - 3rd Phase – Introducing Air Sickness Bags made of Recycled Paper to
Customers....................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10
Appendix – 1..................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Qantas Airlines is the national carrier of the country of Australia and offers both domestic
and international flight services all around the year. Qantas is renowned for the quality of its in-
flight services, all of which are made available for customers at cost effective rates.
Environmental and business sustainability practices is something that Qantas Airways is striving
to engage in, in order to demonstrate before Australia and the world, that Qantas is committed to
a cleaner, greener and an economically more sustainable world (Raynes & Tsui, 2019). The
company has already adopted a number of fuel friendly measures to prevent air pollution, and is
looker for newer and better ways to engage in environmental and business sustainability at the
same given time. This report prepares an innovation model for Qantas Airways that it can use for
the purpose of business sustainability (Raynes & Tsui, 2019). The model proposes the use of
recycled paper bags for customers who travel from air sickness, as this is one of the ways by
which Qantas Airways can look into the requirements of its customers, cut costs and do well for
the surrounding natural environment at the same given time. The report concludes that
innovation is the need of the hour, where business sustainability is concerned.
1. The Problem
1.1. Analysis of the Problem to be solved
Air sickness is a common problem that is experienced by customers of air travel services
in every part of the world. There are many frequent and infrequent air travel customers who
suffer from severe bouts of airsickness when they get on board a flight and when the flight takes
off, with one major manifestation of such air sickness being incessant vomiting. In such a

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situation, the cabin crew of the airline hands the person who is sick with an air sickness bag,
which is nothing but a paper bag that has been designed to give comfort to customers of air
sickness, allowing them to vomit into it instead of in and all around their seat. The use of air
sickness bags is characteristic in every airline, Qantas Airways included. The only problem with
the use of the air sickness paper bags is that these get soaked to the brim with vomit and become
very unhygienic to hold in the hand and dispose of, even if wearing gloves. Vomit contains
plenty of toxic substances that the human skin ought not to come into contact with (Bocken et
al., 2019). It is extremely uncomfortable for people involved in cleaning of aircrafts to dispose
the air sickness bags once these have been used and lodged in a certain part of the plane by the
airsick passengers, once they board off the aircraft.
1.2. Problem Insights
An air sickness bag which is filled with vomit is also quite uncomfortable for passengers to
sit next to in a flight, especially since the paper bags can soak and tear easily, resulting in a lot of
mess being generated all around, in the event that a passenger suffers from an immense bout of
air sickness. In this particular situation, having more than one air sickness bag at one’s disposal
can prove to be of benefit, as the second bag can be used to contain the first soaking air sickness
bag that is filled with vomit, thus making the process of collecting and disposing the vomit,
cleaner, tidier and more hygienic than usual. This implies that the airline company will have to
generate a greater number of air sickness bags than usual, which in turn could prove to be a drain
on the financial resources of the company, given that so many people use air travel these days,
and so many out of these passengers suffer from air sickness (Bocken et al., 2019).

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2. Portfolio of Generated Solution Ideas
The solution for Qantas Airways, when faced with the prospect of having to address the
requirements of so many passengers suffering from air sickness, is to opt for the use of air
sickness bags that are made of recycled paper. Recycled paper is an eco-friendly measure that the
company can take recourse to in order to deal with the problem of air sickness. Recycled paper is
manufactured from existing paper that is no longer being used, hence it is good for the
surrounding natural environment (Clinton & Whisnant, 2019).
2.2. Solution Selection Analysis
Since Qantas Airways has to come up with many air sickness bags if it has to ensure that
vomit is collected and disposed in a hygienic way, it might as well make use of the recycled
paper bags. Opting for the use of recycled paper bags will save Qantas Airways a lot of money, it
will enable the airline authorities to address the customer requirements by providing them with
sickness bags in their time of discomfort and will also help the company to look into the matter
of environmental sustainability since it is avoiding the use of paper and is opting for the use of
recycled paper instead.
2.3. Target Audience
The target audience for the new business innovation will of course be airline customers of
all ages, who are prone to suffering from air sickness and who need to be provided with
immediate aid and assistance when they do so.
2.3. Value Proposition Benefits
The biggest benefit associated with the use of recycled bags is that it is going to be good for
the environment (Demirel & Kesidou, 2019). Qantas Airways will be able to ensure the adequate

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preservation and conservation of the surrounding environment, if it decides to make use of
recycled paper bags in order to deal with the conditions of air sickness that customers so
frequently suffer from when they board an aircraft or when the flight is in progress. This is also
one of the most cost effective measures for Qantas Airways as getting hold of recycled paper
bags will not cost the company as much as it would had it had to procure fresh and new paper
bags for addressing air sickness in customers. The airline will therefore be in a position to make
sure that its customers are comfortable when they are on board the flight, and will be able to
provide them with more than one recycled paper bag at a time, ensuring in the process that the
air sickness wastes get disposed in a scientific and hygienic manner, in a way that is friendly for
the environment and not expensive for the company. (Demirel & Kesidou, 2019).
3. Value Proposition Development and Delivery
In order to implement the innovation sustainability model pertaining to the use of air sickness
paper bags by Qantas customers, the following steps will have to be undertaken –
 The Qantas Airways administration will have to draw up a committee of members that
will be responsible for approaching recycling authorities in major cities and towns of
Australia with the request for manufacturing air sickness bags that are made of recycled
paper. Qantas Airways for this purpose has to conduct carry out a survey on the best
known recycling companies in the country, before it decides to approach one of these
companies for the manufacture of a considerable number of recycled air sickness bags at
cost effective rates (Inigo, 2019).
 Once the recycled air sickness bags have been procured, the cabin crew of Qantas
Airways will have to be suitably trained in the use and disposal of the recycled paper

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bags. The cabin crew will first have to be familiarized with the recycled paper bags, how
these should be handled and maneuvered and how these are to be thrown away upon
having been used by customers. This training will ensure that cabin crew members of
Qantas Airways are able to put the recycled paper bags to use on board the flight in the
manner desired (Schneider et al., 2019).
 Once the cabin crew members of all the Qantas Airways aircrafts have been suitably
trained in the use and disposal of the recycled paper bags, a considerable number of these
bags will have to be stocked in each and every one of the aircrafts that are owned by
Qantas Airways, so that these can be put to use when the flight takes off. It is good to
have plenty of bags to fall back on in every aircraft, as certain flights run into turbulent
weather and there is no knowing of how many passengers are likely to suffer from air
sickness (Halldorson, 2019).
 Finally, some information has to be provided by the cabin crew members of Qantas
Airways before a flight takes off about the fact that the company is now opting for the
recycled paper bags to deal with the problem of air sickness. After this, a demonstration
has to be given in the briefest possible way of how the recycled air sickness bags are to
be used by passengers should they experience terrible bouts of vomiting and pain when
the flight is in progress (Sousa-Zomer, T. T., & Cauchick-Miguel, P. A., 2019).
4. Financial Value Capture and Strategic Fit
The financial value capture of the business innovation suggested lies in the fact that the
procurement of recycled paper bags will prove to be far more cost effective than order an
increased number of regular paper bags to cater to the requirements of increasing number of

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customers who suffer from air sickness. If implemented strategically, the plan will prove to be
highly successful for Qantas Airways.
The strategic implementation of the innovative business model strategy by Qantas Airways of
using air sickness bags that are made of recycled paper, will be carried out in the following
phases –
4.1. Strategic Fit - 1st Phase – Procurement of Recycled Paper Bags for Air
Sickness
In the 1st phase, Qantas Airways will devote itself to the task of setting up a committee that
will be responsible for the procurement of recycled paper bags for air sickness by approaching
some of the leading names in the country of Australia where recycling is concerned. Efforts will
be made by this committee to negotiate bulk quantity of recycled bags at a fixed rate to cut costs.
The first phase will run into six months or one year, depending on how quickly it is that the
committee newly formed is able to look into the procurement of recycled paper air sickness bags
(Halldorson, 2019).
4.2. Strategic Fit - 2nd Phase – Training Cabin Crew in the Art of using and
Disposing the Recycled Air Sickness Bags
The second phase will involve training the cabin crew of Qantas Airways aircrafts in the use
and handling of the recycled paper bags. This training will not take more than a month, given
that the task of distributing and disposing recycled paper bags for air sickness is a relatively easy
thing to do (Inigo, 2019).

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4.3. Strategic Fit - 3rd Phase – Introducing Air Sickness Bags made of Recycled
Paper to Customers
The third stage will involve introducing the air sickness bags that are made of recycled paper
to customers on board Qantas Airways. The company will devote at least six to eight months to
see how successful the use of the newly acquired recycled paper bags is, and whether it is a
move that ought to be continued or done away with (Inigo, 2019).
Conclusion
The innovation business sustainability model of using recycled paper bags for dealing
with the problem of air sickness by Qantas Airways is a model that is likely to succeed when it is
implemented, for two main reasons. Firstly, it is not going to drain the resources of the company
to implement this model and secondly, the company will be able to create a good impression in
the eyes of its target audience by adopting such an eco-friendly measure that is designed to look
into environmental wellbeing while addressing customer needs on board Qantas Airways at the
same given time.

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References
Bocken, N., Boons, F., & Baldassarre, B. (2019). Sustainable business model experimentation by
understanding ecologies of business models. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 1498-
1512.
Bocken, N., Ritala, P., Albareda, L., & Verburg, R. (2019). Introduction: Innovation for
Sustainability. In Innovation for Sustainability (pp. 1-16). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Clinton, L., & Whisnant, R. (2019). Business Model Innovations for Sustainability. In Managing
Sustainable Business (pp. 463-503). Springer, Dordrecht.
Demirel, P., & Kesidou, E. (2019). Sustainability‐oriented capabilities for eco‐innovation:
Meeting the regulatory, technology, and market demands. Business Strategy and the
Environment.
Halldórsson, Á. (2019). Actionable Sustainability in Supply Chains. In Operations, Logistics and
Supply Chain Management (pp. 191-203). Springer, Cham.
Inigo, E. A. (2019). Environmental Factors in Business Engagement in Innovation for
Sustainability. In Innovation for Sustainability (pp. 59-76). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Pieroni, M. P., McAloone, T., & Pigosso, D. A. (2019). Business model innovation for circular
economy and sustainability: A review of approaches. Journal of cleaner production
Raynes, C., & Tsui, K. W. H. (2019). Review of Airline-within-Airline strategy: Case studies of
the Singapore Airlines Group and Qantas Group. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 7(1),
150-165.

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Schneider, K., & Arnold, M. G. (2019). Responsible and Sustainable Business Model Innovation
in the Textile Industry: Exploring Approaches to Social Sustainability. In Responsible,
Sustainable, and Globally Aware Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (pp.
204-243). IGI Global
Sousa-Zomer, T. T., & Cauchick-Miguel, P. A. (2019). Exploring business model innovation for
sustainability: an investigation of two product-service systems. Total Quality
Management & Business Excellence, 30(5-6), 594-612

11INNOVATION AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY
Appendix – 1
Team Charter and Minutes
 The Qantas Airways administration will have to draw up a committee of members that
will be responsible for approaching recycling authorities in major cities and towns of
Australia with the request for manufacturing air sickness bags that are made of recycled
paper.
 Once the recycled air sickness bags have been procured, the cabin crew of Qantas
Airways will have to be suitably trained in the use and disposal of the recycled paper
bags.
 Once the cabin crew members of all the Qantas Airways aircrafts have been suitably
trained in the use and disposal of the recycled paper bags, a considerable number of these
bags will have to be stocked in each and every one of the aircrafts that are owned by
Qantas Airways, so that these can be put to use when the flight takes off.
 Some information has to be provided by the cabin crew members of Qantas Airways
before a flight takes off about the fact that the company is now opting for the recycled
paper bags to deal with the problem of air sickness followed by a demonstration.