A Model-Based Strategy for Developing Sustainable Cosmetics Small and Medium Industries with System Dynamics

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

1. Objective of the study is not very clear. Introduction must be rewritten fully.  2. Literature review must be enhanced.  3. Why SD model is chosen? The flow of analysis and problem statement are not aligned properly.  4. Explanation of the problem statement focusing on issues of SMEs are linked with stainability is required.   5. Why do a manager or policy maker is interested to read this paper? Explain. 6. Present figures with high quality to explain the flow of study. 7. Comparison with contemporary models must be properly presented. 8. The future scope statement is also not very convincing.
 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors, 

first of all, congratulations on the effort you put into your draft manuscript. Your paper addresses a subject o current interest as it is the integration of sustainability principles into business strategy. The qualitative methodology you employ fulfills the requirements of the study objectives. The results provide an adequate level of information and are sound to the research topic.

However, in my view, your paper could be strengthened by considering in your literature review the extant literature on the integration of corporate sustainability into strategy. Namely, I refer to seminal works such as the following:

• Engert, S., Rauter, R., & Baumgartner, R. J. (2016). Exploring the integration of corporate sustainability into strategic management: a literature review. Journal of cleaner production, 112, 2833-2850.
• Falle, S., Rauter, R., Engert, S., & Baumgartner, R. J. (2016). Sustainability management with the sustainability balanced scorecard in SMEs: Findings from an Austrian case study. Sustainability, 8(6), 545.
• Baumgartner, R. J., & Rauter, R. (2017). Strategic perspectives of corporate sustainability management to develop a sustainable organization. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 81-92.

From my point of view, your work could be almost perfect incorporating these references to the literature review and adding some comments to the discussion and conclusion sections taking into account them.

Best regards

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

By establishing a system dynamics model, this paper analyzes the sustainable development strategy of cosmetics in small and medium-sized enterprises, and provides insights on how stakeholders can effectively intervene to improve sustainability. This paper provides the stakeholders of small and medium-sized enterprises with suggestions on how to intervene to improve sustainability, which has strong theoretical value. However, there are still some shortcomings in this paper, which should be revised by the author.

• The quality of the picture in this paper is not clear, especially in figure 5. I hope the author can improve the resolution of the picture.
• The title of 3.2 is the same as 3.3, and it is recommended to modify it.
• In view of the lack of previous studies, and there are no relevant explanations on "dynamic complexity" and "alternative strategy", it is suggested that the author add.
• The introduction part does not reflect the content of the study (on alternative strategies and the characteristics of sustainable development), and the case part does not reflect the characteristics of sustainability (on sustainable output indicators). It is suggested that the author revise the introduction in conjunction with the conclusions to highlight the research content and sustainability.
• The penultimate paragraph of "1. Introduction" is about research ideas, that is, "First, the conceptual model of sustainable cosmetic …" It does not reflect sustainability, so it is suggested that the author add.
• considering the topic of this journal, The related works about open innovation should be further reviewed, such as: Selection of manufacturing enterprise innovation design project based on consumer’s green preferences; Knowledge transfer efficiency measurement with application for open innovation networks; A partner selection model for collaborative product innovation from the viewpoint of knowledge collaboration.
• The matching degree between the system dynamics and the model in this paper is not introduced in the "1. Introduction" section. It is suggested that the author add to the advantages of the system dynamics and the characteristics of the model in this paper.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

In my view, the authors have attempted to answer our questions to a reasonable extent.  

Author Response

We appreciate the reviewer for carefully and thoroughly reading our manuscript and providing thoughtful comments and constructive suggestions, which have helped us improve the quality of this manuscript.

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors have carefully revised the paper according to my comments. I suggest to accept it.

Author Response

We appreciate the reviewer for carefully and thoroughly reading our manuscript and providing thoughtful comments and constructive suggestions, which have helped us improve the quality of this manuscript.