Digital Business Model, Digital Transformation, Digital Entrepreneurship: Is There A Sustainable “Digital”?

Removing blurring for better understanding the main challenges facing digital entrepreneurs in the digital era: An empirical investigation study from emerging country

The purpose of this study is to examine the main challenges that these entrepreneurs in developing nations confront. This study utilizes a digital startup database maintained by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE) in Jordan and conducts semi-structured interviews with a random selection of 85 early-stage digital entrepreneurs. In order to understand the cognitive and psychological characteristics of digital entrepreneurs and their motives for entering the field, this study draws on the theory of planned behavior. Using NVivo 20, a theme analysis is carried out. Based on the interviews conducted, the top industries among the startups that were looked at were big data and business analytics, internet-of-things (IoT), cybersecurity (CT) technology, food service and agri-tech, warehouse automation (WA) and elastic logistics (ELs), conversional artificial intelligence (CAI), financial technology (FinTech), and block chain technology (BCT). 42.5 % of the target population is represented by the large sample size that was used. These obstacles could include long-term funding, a dearth of one-on-one coaching and guidance, unforeseen risks or setbacks, and financial constraints. The study's conclusions may provide policymakers with a tactical manual for removing the main barriers that emerging digital entrepreneurs and their firms must overcome.

Organisational learning and sustainable tourism: the enabling role of digital transformation

Purpose

Organisational learning drives tourism organisations towards more sustainable tourism. Digital transformation also provides opportunities for sustainable tourism development. This study aims to combine these perspectives and explore how digital transformation enables organisational learning to contribute to sustainable tourism, following organisational learning theory (OLT).

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a critical realist paradigm, this study focuses on developing an in-depth understanding of organisational learning in tourism organisations. Thirty qualitative interviews with tourism organisations participating in an executive development programme (EDP) show how tourism organisations create, retain and transfer knowledge.

Findings

This study demonstrates that the EDP initiates knowledge creation through content transmission and exchange, triggers knowledge retention through utilisation of digital technologies and reinforces digitalisation through data value creation. Furthermore, this study enables knowledge transformation as implementation, which contributes to the three pillars of sustainable tourism and facilitates the development of networks encouraging sustainable tourism.

Originality/value

This study identifies approaches that enable economic, social and environmentally sustainable tourism development by facilitating collaborations via digital transformation, digital technologies that guide guest streams, online mobility offers and online environmental awareness campaigns that reduce environmental impacts. Thus, this study strengthens OLT and has implications for organisational learning and tourism policymakers.

Emergent Strategy in Higher Education: Postmodern Digital and the Future?

Mintzberg’s version of emergent strategy is based on the idea that strategies are contingent on circumstances that change from time to time often very rapidly and therefore papers focused on strategy and detailed planning are limited in their practical application. The word strategy as far as Mintzberg is concerned is anathema, therefore, introducing a concept that has a misconception embedded in it. This paper claims that education for sustainable development and higher education institutions’ survival depends on adopting postmodern thinking, in other words, digital transformation. This conceptual paper proposes a blueprint of a process for developing a series of agile potentially short-term conceptual solutions thereby embracing the expectation that the rate of change in societies is accelerating. This paper scrutinizes (a) the applicability of emergent strategy/strategic approach to higher education institutions, (b) how postmodernism influences higher education institutions to become digital hubs of commoditization of knowledge and (c) how the integrated capabilities of digital transformation build sustainability in education delivery. Structural Equation Methodology is proposed to examine the impact of postmodernism on the sustainable delivery of education in higher education institutions, and the need to foster relevant emergent strategies is also justified. The paper also develops new research propositions and managerial implications for driving optimistic digital education. Ultimately, it offers a framework for spear-leading effective and leading post-modernistic digital transformation. Emerging education technology, sustainable digital transformation and advanced use of robotic-human cognitive collaboration are experiencing a significant transformation. Universities play a vital role in enhancing engagement within higher education. One of the managerial implications of the results and discussion is the need for higher education institutions to provide taught leadership and planning in emergent strategy formulation and implementation. The findings confirm the significant importance of linking the Structural Equation Method and the postmodern strategic context in which we argue that higher education institutions require emerging rethinking.

Digital transformation challenges in sustainable financial service systems using novel interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy double normalization-based multiple aggregation approach

Recently, financial service systems have had essential impacts on public policies, the economic performance of firms, and all forms of industry and commerce. These systems play an important role in determining whether a society (which includes a wide range of members, from governmental institutions to individual consumers) has been successfully considered an environmentally sustainable path. The literature shows that the people who work in the financial sector are mostly unaware of the pressure and rationale behind sustainable development and its bearing on their work; however, those who work in the relevant research and policy areas generally ignore the vitality of the role of the financial sector in such a development. The study of interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy sets (IVPFSs) indicates an urge for a decision approach to implementing the available information for rational decisions properly. Inspired by the advantage of IVPFSs, an extended decision methodology called the IVPF rank-sum weighting method (RSWM)-double normalization-based multi-aggregation (DNMA) is discussed. In this line, the IVPF-RSWM is applied to find the subjective weights of digital transformation challenges of sustainable financial service systems (SFSS), and the DNMA framework is developed to obtain the preferences of SFSSs in the banking sector. A case study to assess the main digital transformation challenges in SFSSs of the banking sector is undertaken. Further, comparison and sensitivity investigations are taken to illustrate the advantage of the presented approach.

Optimization of Work Environment and Community Labor Health Based on Digital Model-Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries

As far as we know, for large manufacturing enterprises, there is often a community of labor gathered around such enterprises, which is especially used as a place for the enterprise to place the labor force. This paper aimed to update the industry model of Chinese Manufacturing Enterprises (CMEs) to improve workers' health management. This work first discusses the value, mode, and process of Enterprise Digital Transformation (EDT) and Worker Health and Safety Management (WHSM). Then, it proposes the CMEs-oriented EDT model and WHSM system based on Big Data Technology (BDT) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The proposed model and system are verified through a case study on the Shanghai BYD manufacturing enterprise (short for BYD) using the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method (CFEM). The EDT model verification considers the adaptation and performance of enterprises after EDT. The WHSM system considers workers' oxygen inhalation status to evaluate their heart and cardiovascular health. The results show that EDT improves the enterprise's revenue and reshuffles the revenue structure. The EDT model has absolute adaptability to BYD. It has greatly improved BYD's indexes, especially financial performance, market capability, and technical capability.

Analysis of the Conditions Influencing the Assimilation of the Robotic Process Automation by Enterprises

More and more companies are implementing the RPA (Robotic Process Automation) tools that belong to the newly emerging category of IT solutions used to automate business processes and enable the development of the so-called software robots. The term robot has a metaphorical meaning here – it is a special kind of software, not a device. Due to the fact that this is a new product category and many companies do not have extensive experience in this area yet, the use of the RPA tools is associated with many risks. At the same time, due to the increasingly competitive environment, it seems that there is no turning back from the implementation thereof. For this reason, two goals have been set in the article. The first is to build and verify a research model based on the TOE model (Technology-Organization-Environment), allowing for the identification of the determinants (drivers) influencing the assimilation of the robotic process automation by enterprises. The second goal is to develop recommendations for the managers responsible for implementing the RPA tools that will allow for increasing the assimilation of the robotic process automation. The following methods were used to accomplish these goals: literature research, a survey (conducted on 267 Polish enterprises) and statistical analysis (with the use of the structural equation models).

Digital Transformation on Enterprise Green Innovation: Effect and Transmission Mechanism

With the development of blockchain, big data, cloud computing and other new technologies, how to achieve innovative development and green sustainable development in digital transformation has become one of the key issues for enterprises to obtain and maintain core competitiveness. However, little of the literature has paid attention to the impact of digital transformation on enterprise green innovation. Using the data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2020, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of enterprise digital transformation on green innovation and its transmission mechanism, by constructing double fixed-effect models. The results show that digital transformation has remarkably promoted the green innovation of enterprises. R&D investment, government subsidies, and income tax burden have played a conductive role between digital transformation and enterprise green innovation. Furthermore, digital transformation can significantly promote the high-quality green innovation of enterprises and also plays a more significant role in promoting the green innovation of high-tech enterprises and state-owned enterprises. A robustness test is carried out by using the lag data and changing the measurement methods of the dependent variable and independent variables, and the research conclusions are still valid. Based on resource-based theory and dynamic capability theory, this paper reveals the impact path of digital transformation on enterprise green innovation, further expanding the research field of digital transformation and enriching the research on the influencing factors of enterprise green innovation. This paper provides policy suggestions for the government to improve the enterprise green innovation level by increasing government subsidies and providing tax incentives and also provides reference for digital transformation enterprises to accelerate green innovation by increasing R&D investment, obtaining government subsidies, and acquiring tax policy support.

A Research Framework for Sustainable Digital Innovation: Case Studies of Japanese Firms

Today’s competitive and highly volatile environment calls for a new kind of flexibility and adaptability. Limited studies are available that examine how firms achieve both speed and creativity requirements in this digital era. In view of the rare empirical studies on real-world cases that apply rigorous research methods for sustainable digital innovation (SDI), this research investigates the key strategic requirements of organizational agility and flexibility for SDI. The research framework defines four types of innovators. This study used the benchmark tool to assess the status of their innovation effectiveness. This research framework is useful for firms to classify, assess, and evaluate their innovation type. The study’s findings also suggest the road map for future strategic goals. This theoretical framework illustrates the causal relationship between Japanese-style digital innovation and the firms’ sustainable competitive advantage. This model might be extended to other firms in different contexts (e.g., Korea, India, USA, Brazil, and a host of other countries). The theoretical and practical implications are discussed for future research.

Factors That Affect Digital Innovation Sustainability among SMEs in the Middle East Region

Digital innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been studied extensively over the past quarter-century. The products, processes, and/or model innovation in businesses that are viewed as novel necessitate significant alterations from consumers and are represented in or facilitated by IT; this is what it means when digital innovation is mentioned. Nonetheless, despite the unique application of digital innovation in different organizations, the factors that lead to its success are still uncertain. Therefore, this study aims at evaluating the various factors that affect the digital innovation of SMEs in the Middle East region. This research used a descriptive research design in which primary data from the SME owners and employees were used to evaluate the research objectives. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies and structural equation models conducted through SPSS, were used to evaluate the research objectives in showing how various factors such as the Internet of Things (IoT; physical objects and things with sensors, software, and other technological techniques integrated into them for the purpose of exchanging data and connecting with other systems and devices), digital platforms, and digital orientation have influenced digital innovation sustainability in SMEs. Results showed a positive and substantial impact on digital innovation sustainability as a result of the IoT, digital platforms, and digital orientation. In conclusion, the research shows that SMEs should use digital platforms, the IoT, and digital orientation to be digitally stable.

Building an Integrated Digital Transformation System Framework: A Design Science Research, the Case of FedUni

The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated digital transformation system framework (IDTSF) to help support business leaders and teams in making their products, services, and operations more streamlined and competitive. The framework will help organizations to best meet user/customer needs with minimum waste and time and enables businesses to achieve efficiency compared with island and traditional sequential approaches. The proposed framework can also provide insights to help organizations to avoid common failures when deploying digital transformation initiatives. The paper follows the design science research (DSR) and the information systems design science research (ISDSR) methodologies to develop the IDTSF model and a practical design artifact. The main problems were the initiation, execution, and governance challenges associated with digital transformation. After identifying the problems and the objectives, a relevant IDTSF model was synthesized and tested as a design artifact. The results of the test of the proposed artifact showed its effectiveness and efficiency in facilitating the components of the model in creating a cohesive framework.

The Interplay between Digital Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development in the Context of the EU Digital Economy: A Multivariate Analysis

A real challenge for the EU economy and society is to achieve both green and digital transitions in order to tackle the major economic, social and environmental issues faced by EU member states. In this context, digital entrepreneurship, which lies at the intersection of digital technologies and entrepreneurship, has recently benefited from increasing attention both in theoretical and empirical research and in strategic policies. Given these aspects, the aim of this article was to investigate the interrelationship between digital entrepreneurship and productive and innovative entrepreneurship and its impact on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in EU countries. The results of correlation and regression analysis revealed that digital entrepreneurship, which implies productive and innovative entrepreneurial activities, is positively influenced by the degree of a country’s digitalization and, in turn, has a positive impact on the achievement of the SDGs (Total SDGs, SDG 8 and SDG 9). Furthermore, the findings of the principal component analysis and cluster analysis emphasize that there are differences and common features between EU countries in terms of the interrelationship between digital entrepreneurship, digitalization, economic development, national competitiveness and achievement of the SDGs. Therefore, specific measures should be implemented to boost digital entrepreneurship (especially in some central and eastern EU countries) so that this will be the key driver for sustainable development.

Future research avenues at the nexus of circular economy and digitalization

Purpose

The authors posit that one of the key enablers of the circular economy will be the digital transformation – in other words, “digitalization.” In this study, the authors examine and visualize the interaction of the circular economy and digitalization by using scientific publications. They explore possible synergies and future research avenues at this junction.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first apply bibliometrics to explore and visualize the relationships between the circular economy and digitalization in the academic literature. Following the clustering of topics, they define key emerging factors for each cluster. Based on this analysis, they suggest future research avenues.

Findings

The authors find that there are four main clusters at the junction of circular economy and digitalization, including (1) sharing economy, (2) additive manufacturing, (3) business models and (4) industrial ecology and remanufacturing. They then dig deeper into these topics to better understand what factors would shape the future of the clusters. They conclude that sharing economy perspective and additive manufacturing may be enhanced by regulation-based and behavioral change-based approaches. Circular business models should be developed to maintain circularity in industry. Finally, digital manufacturing should be implemented within the framework of industrial ecology and remanufacturing principles to increase efficiency, productivity and traceability in the circular economy.

Originality/value

Digitalization offers significant potentials toward breakthrough sustainability by creating a circular economy. Hence, understanding the relationship between circular economy and digitalization is important to achieve sustainable development goals.

A sustainable University: Digital Transformation and Beyond

Universities focus on digital transformation strategy to stay competitive in global education, staying competitive is taking on quite a different meaning in the 21st century - it includes the long-term implications of Covid-19 - the interaction of politics and economics, the emergence of China as a superpower, the end of neoliberalism, the emergence of distributed autonomous organisations particularly in the area of research and education. The impact of sustainable digital transformation in universities could be perceived as system and systematic. When the intangible but impactful influence is identified/recognized as a system, an applicable conceptual model could become designable and implementable. Conceptual models of digital transformation are vital to universities and business schools to gain sustainability amid rapid technological changes. However, there is paucity of practical, implementable and simple digital transformational models combining technologies, system and educational phenomena. This theoretical gap is sizeable, impactful and non-ignorable. To fulfil this gap, this paper critically examines the need and the association between sustainable digital transformation and its impact in the universities, using an innovative qualitative grounded theory approach which uses three distinct coding procedures namely open, axial and selective followed by transcribing qualitative data. The researchers have proposed a conceptual model for sustainable digital transformation, new propositions by critically reviewing the latest but multiple cases on (a) sustainability (b) digital transformation (c) green technologies and (d) implementable approaches in the education industry/universities. How fast universities could develop dependable business models to cater for the rapid changes amid globalization of education has become an important issue. If the universities can explore a scientific approach to the design-developing conceptual model, then it becomes straightforward for the academic leaders to implement digital transformation process effectively without resource burnouts. The adoption sustainability in digital transformation/information technology is remaining an underdeveloped area. There is a need to develop an innovative architectural design (blueprint) to stimulate sustainable practice, reporting mechanism and its leadership implication. Once universities recognize the digital transformational capabilities, then they could transform into operational effectiveness, which is vital to their business sustainability. This research study points to the effectiveness of using a sustainable blueprint while designing, developing and implementing digital transformation projects in universities. Also, this paper developed numerous value propositions for green implementation of digital transformation as new research studies/potential studies.

Business trends & challenges in Islamic FinTech: A systematic literature review

Background: This systematic literature review (SLR) study is on Islamic financial technology (FinTech) business trends and challenges. It follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. This research identifies the gaps in Islamic FinTech, which require further studies. Moreover, it highlights the issues raised during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This study is based on the FinTech business model (BM) classifications by Lee & Shin and Imerman & Fabozzi. Furthermore, the set of challenges used in this study are adopted from research by Lee & Shin and Li & Xu. The Scopus database was used to collect data using nine keywords. Articles and review papers published between 2016 and 2022 were included. Studies that were not published in English, and those with no ranking journals were excluded. The results were presented using bibliometric analysis. Results: The results showed 36 articles discussing Islamic FinTech business trends and challenges, and most of these studies are conducted on FinTech crowdfunding vertical BM. By contrast, the most dominant horizontal BMs are FinTech regulation and FinTech funding BMs. The top challenge found in this study is the regulation management challenges. Moreover, there are remarkable dominating articles and reviews published in 2020 and 2021 discussing COVID-19. Conclusions: This study concluded that many horizontal BMs were not covered in Islamic FinTech, especially horizontal technology BMs. Investment, property and insurance BMs are examples of unavailable articles. Islamic FinTech is considered a promising field due to the size of the opportunities it presents, the available capital, and the great demand for banking and financial products that comply with the Sharia. This study will help the Islamic FinTech industry grow and predict the demand, and provide an alternative to conventional banking FinTech and further boost the technology progress in the financial industry.

Role of Digital Economy in Rebuilding and Sustaining the Space Governance Mechanisms

The need for sustainable corporate governance has gained the interests of researchers for a while now and it has been found as a very significant component of successful organizational operations. The current paper has examined the role of sustainable corporate governance in achieving sustainable economic space along with measuring the indirect impact of technological innovation and IT governance on the whole process. This paper has followed the quantitative-positivism approach to measure the hypotheses developed in the study. The population considered in this study are the managers currently employed in the corporate sector in China (N = 310). The data is analyzed using the Smart-PLS 3.3.3 software for checking the data for preliminary screening and the measurement of hypotheses. The findings of the study show that the three components of sustainable corporate governance, i.e., concern for employees, sustainable corporate governance awareness, and the environmental aspects have a significant as well as a positive effect on technological innovation and hence on the sustainable economic space. Similarly, the study has recorded a significant moderating effect of IT governance on the relationship of technological innovation and the sustainable economic space. Overall, it can be seen that corporate governance, innovative technology, and a sustainable digital economy share a reciprocal relationship. Where corporate governance helps as a supporting force to keep both innovation and sustainability in action. Whereas IT governance provides enhanced communication and delivery of public services, business, and advanced human capital. The study will be of high advantage for the corporate sector in China for devising and modifying their policies that consider the employee's concerns for the governance mechanisms prevailing at priority in the organizations. Further, it will be interesting for the organizations to incorporate the IT governance mechanism in their technological innovations for achieving a sustainable economic space.

Transition to Digital Entrepreneurship with a Quest of Sustainability: Development of a New Conceptual Framework

Recent results of the Digital Economy and Society Index (52, 45%) and the European Index of Digital Entrepreneurship Systems (EIDES) (48%) illustrate an improved level of the digital performance in European Union countries and a significant progress towards unlocking the productivity of digital value co-creation and collaborative networks. It is also agreed that the rapid digitalization of the economy and the digital entrepreneurship approach fosters a transition of traditional business models to networked and integrated digital platform business models. Despite the well-recognized benefits of the digital entrepreneurship and the digital business ecosystem, application of emerging technologies and modern business models also brings inevitable sustainable management challenges. The main negative outcomes are in the disruption or exposure of vulnerabilities within collaborative organizational and social networks, the additional socio-technical pressure for both network supervisors and incumbents, and the asymmetry of digital information and resources, etc. Therefore, the present research provides a critical review on the scientific literature, a reconceptualization within the multi-level side effects, and an overview of the influence of the digital entrepreneurship within the sustainability and digital business ecosystem domains. The present paper delineates the sustainable digital entrepreneurship term and the combined conceptual framework of the digital sustainable value cycle.

The Role of the Digital Economy in Rebuilding and Maintaining Social Governance Mechanisms

The digital transformation has impacted society at different levels, mainly on the economic and governance levels. This paper investigates the impact of the digital economy on social governance mechanisms. Additionally, it captures the indirect effects or mediating forces such as social reforms and a sustainable digital economy. The study followed a positivism philosophy, and it is survey research influencing cross-sectional study. The unit of analysis in the current paper was employees from four different professions as economists, financial analysts, managers, and teachers. The random sampling technique was used as a sampling type, and a questionnaire was used for data collection. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out as a data analysis technique. The research findings revealed that the digital economy has a favorable impact on the social governance mechanism. Likewise, the digital economy positively affects social reforms and a sustainable digital economy. Social reforms also proved to link with a sustainable digital economy positively. The output of the indirect effects and structural model confirmed that social reform played a partial mediation role between the digital economy and sustainable digital economy. Moreover, a sustainable digital economy confirmed a partial mediation between the digital economy and the social governance mechanism. Finally, analysis confirmed a serial mediation among digital economy, social reforms, sustainable digital economy, and social governance mechanism. Therefore, policymakers and government agents should improve the digital economy to have a strong social governance mechanism.

Digital business model innovation: toward construct clarity and future research directions

In times of unprecedented change related to the ongoing digital transformation of business and society at large, a pressing contemporary management challenge is recognizing and translating these changes into digital business model innovation (DBMI). Academia potentially has much to offer in aiding this managerial challenge, yet research in the field remains vague with regard to what DBMI is. We detect conceptual ambiguity among scholars as a bottleneck that prevents advancements in the field of DBMI research. In this article, we aim to trace the foundation of key attributes of the DBMI concept and propose a novel definition. Our insights are based on a targeted, state-of-the-art literature review of 57 publications. We conclude with an exploration of avenues for future research, which we closely link to the broader fields of strategic management, information systems, and organization studies, thereby exposing the issue of DBMI to a wider audience. Overall, we aim to make a significant step toward construct clarity in DBMI research.

DO OPEN INNOVATION AND DOMINANT DESIGN FOSTER DIGITAL INNOVATION?

The emergence of digital innovation in academia and practice has been established, and it is time to consider when and how it affects innovation performance. Before this background, we examine how innovation practices such as open innovation and dominant design impact innovation performance, particularly in the case of digital innovation. We develop a theoretical framework that is tested on a long panel of patent data for 788 technologies over 32 years. Open innovation has no impact on the innovative performance of technologies in general, but for digital innovation, we find a positive effect. In addition, dominant design has a stronger impact on the innovative performance for digital innovations than for other innovations. We conclude that the management of digital innovation is different from that of other innovations since both open innovation and dominant design are more important for innovative performance. Indeed, some of the benefits of openness may only apply to digital innovation.

Transformation and Design Thinking: perspectives on sustainable change, company resilience and democratic leadership in SMEs

This paper focuses on Design Thinking as a tool for initiating transformation processes both for the enhancement of company resilience, involving challenges connected to current trends such as digitalization and democratic leadership, as well as for the restructuring of a sustainable socio-ecological company organization. Primary findings of this explorative study show that Design Thinking is a suitable method to promote digital, democratic, and innovative business and leadership transformation, but that it is not primarily operationalized in the context of a further-reaching socio-ecological transformation towards more sustainability.

The Use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as an Element of Smart City Implementation: A Case Study of Electricity Billing Document Management at Bydgoszcz City Hall

Smart cities are an extremely important, multi-faceted subject, both in terms of their practical aspects and in terms of research. This is expressed, among other things, in the multitude of approaches to this concept. These approaches differ based on the emphasis placed on individual aspects: some focus more on technology, and others put more weight on social issues, while still others value sustainable development issues. Currently, an important topic of discussion about the development of the smart city—the importance of which has become even greater in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic—is the digital transformation of the city. The use of robotic process automation (RPA) tools can be a part of such a transformation, as such tools, using advanced software, enable the automation of those tasks carried out thus far by humans. Although such an approach has, to date, been widespread in the case of enterprises (in particular, those operating in the financial and BPO/SSC sectors, but less often in the utilities sector, the first applications of these solutions in the context of process automation for cities are also beginning to emerge in various parts of the world. This article is based on a case study approach. The implementation conditions (including the constraints) of such an approach, the benefits achieved, and the lessons learned (which can be important for other local government units) are outlined using the example of the Bydgoszcz city hall’s (Poland) electricity billing document management. The results of the case study presented here lead to the conclusion that the use of RPA tools enables, very quickly and at relatively low cost, measurable results to be achieved that are related to the processing of electricity billing documentation for the city of Bydgoszcz. This allows the assertion to be made that robotic process automation can be taken into consideration as one of the tools used to build smart cities.

Influential Factors of Network Changes: Dynamic Network Ties and Sustainable Startup Embeddedness

This research investigated influential factors on changes in networks of startups through a qualitative exploratory case study approach. Based on interviews with founders in Germany and selected stakeholders in entrepreneurial networks combined with a network mapping approach, we developed a framework of influential factors on network changes. In essence, this framework categorizes factors into sustainable resource acquisition, knowledge and skill acquisition, interpersonal factors, and interorganizational factors. Overall, our research contributes to a better understanding of factors that impact network changes by providing a construct with potential for theoretical standardization. In addition, this research offers important managerial implications.

Towards Sustainable Digital Innovation of SMEs from the Developing Countries in the Context of the Digital Economy and Frugal Environment

This study aims to explore the direct impact of the digital orientation, Internet of Things (IoT) and digital platforms on the sustainable digital innovation in the context of the digital economy and frugal environment. This study also investigated the mediating role of the digital platforms in these relations. The study was based on the quantitative research design and data were collected from the 397 CEOs and managing directors of Small and Medium Enterprises in Pakistan. Correlation and structural equation modeling approaches were applied for the analysis and testing of the hypotheses. Results revealed that the digital orientation, IoT and digital platform are major antecedents of the sustainable digital innovation. Results also show that the digital platforms mediate between both digital orientation-sustainable digital innovation link and IoT-sustainable digital innovation link. The rapid pace of change in the technology has forced the business organizations to think out of box and align their operational mechanism accordingly. The need for the sustainable digital innovation is a major need of the current decade for meeting the increasing demands of the society in a sustainable way. Organizations, especially SMEs, should be able to deal with these challenges and rapid technological transformations through cost effective frugal business models. The frugal innovation is an important element of sustainable digital innovation enables SMEs to reduce resources usage and waste and to enhance sustainable economic activities. In this way, they can develop and gain advantages in this highly competitive digital environment. This is the first study showing the bright harmony of the digital orientation, IoT and digital platforms for achieving the sustainable digital innovation in the rapid evolving digital economy.

Digitizing Grocery Retailing: The Role of Emerging Technologies in the Value Chain

Multiple emerging technologies both threaten grocers and offer them attractive opportunities to enhance their value propositions, improve processes, reduce costs, and therefore generate competitive advantages. Among the variety of technological innovations and considering the scarcity of resources, it is unclear which technologies to focus on and where to implement them in the value chain. To develop the most probable technology forecast that addresses the application of emerging technologies in the grocery value chain within the current decade, we conduct a two-stage Delphi study. Our results suggest a high relevance of almost all technologies. The panel is only skeptical about three specific projections. As a consequence, grocers are advised to build up knowledge regarding the application of these technologies in the most promising areas of their value chain.

Implications of Entrepreneurial Intentions of Romanian Secondary Education Students, over the Romanian Business Market Development

The study investigates the Romanian entrepreneurial education training program emphasizing the secondary education student entrepreneurial intents included in technical and professional Vocational Education Training (VET) programs, in order to identify its role in increasing student intention in the process of choosing a career as an entrepreneur among graduates of the vocational and technical Romanian education system. The study research methodology was based on the interpretation of two questionnaires consisting of 23 questions, which were applied to a population of 253 and 159 respondents. The survey period was conducted between 2019 and 2020. The respondents were students from the vocational and technical education system in Romania, mostly from the Central Region of Romania, but the results of the study could be extended to the entire Romanian education system. The data were processed using SPSS software, and the results of the study revealed direct, positive, and significant links between psychological and behavioral traits and entrepreneurial intentions of the student surveyed, moderated by the entrepreneurial education acquired through the school curriculum. These results could also be the basis for developing future policies and programs to encourage entrepreneurial behavior, especially for secondary education students from the Romanian education system, specifically on pre-university education.

Digital Leadership in the Economies of the G20 Countries: A Secondary Research

Digitalization in leadership practice requires broader research. Today’s economic leaders must be in line with the global mindset in supporting a culture of innovation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the digital leadership capabilities of the G20 countries in terms of digital readiness, innovation, and competitiveness 4.0 and to determine the relationship between these variables. The global digital readiness index 2019 (Cisco 2020) was utilized to obtain data on digital readiness (X), the global innovation index (Cornell University et al. 2019) was applied for the data collection on innovation (Y1), and the global competitiveness 4.0 index (WEF 2019) was used to obtain data on competitiveness 4.0 (Y2). All data were cross-sectional for the year 2019. Digital readiness consists of basic needs, human resources, ease of doing business, business and government investment, start-up environment, technology infrastructure, and technology adoption. The components of innovation are institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, business sophistication, knowledge and technology outputs, and creative outputs. Competitiveness 4.0 is about institutions, infrastructure, ICT adoption, macroeconomic stability, health, skills, product market, labor market, financial system, market size, business dynamism, and innovation capability. We found that G20 countries had the digital leadership capability in digital readiness, innovation, and competitiveness 4.0. The G20 countries were leaders in global digitalization. Some of them were consistent in digital readiness and innovation. Some were consistent in digital readiness and competitiveness 4.0, and some others were consistent in their 4.0 innovation and competitiveness 4.0. Digital readiness, innovation, and competitiveness 4.0 positively related to each other.

Digital Transformation in Banking: A Managerial Perspective on Barriers to Change

The digitalisation of banks is seen as the omnipresent challenge which the banking industry is currently facing. In this digital change process, banks are facing disruptive innovation that requires adaptation of almost all cooperative processes. Digital transformation in the financial industry is associated with obstacles that seem to hinder smooth implementation of digital approaches. This issue has not been adequately addressed in the current academic literature. The main purpose of this qualitative exploratory study is to identify the main perceived obstacles to digital transformation in both the private and commercial banking sectors from a managerial point of view and to analyse them accordingly. The methodology is based on a methodological approach using a combination of contextual interviews with German board members of banks, inductive content analysis, and the exploration of best-practice approaches. The findings revealed that elements of strategy and management, technology and regulation, customers, and employees receive a high level of attention within the digital transformation. The other main barriers can be found in the areas of market knowledge and products, employee and customer participation, and public benefit. Each main barrier is characterised by several sub-barriers of varying importance for the digital transformation of banks and is described in detail.

Modeling and Simulation of a Flexible Manufacturing System—A Basic Component of Industry 4.0

The field of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) has seen in recent years a dynamic development trend and can now be considered an integral part of intelligent manufacturing systems and a basis for digital manufacturing. Developing the factory of the future in an increasingly competitive industrial environment involves the study and analysis of some FMS key elements and managerial, technical, and innovative efforts. Using a new approach, thus paper presents a material flow design methodology for flexible manufacturing systems in order to establish the optimal architecture of the analyzed system. The research offers a solution for modeling and optimizing material flows in advanced manufacturing systems. By using a dedicated analysis and simulation software, the structure of the system can be established and specific technical and economic parameters can be determined for each processing and transport capacity. Different processing scenarios will be evaluated through virtual modeling and simulations in order to increase the performance and efficiency of the system. Thus, an interactive tool useful in the design and management of flexible manufacturing lines will be developed for companies operating in the industrial sector. The application of this paper is mainly in the field of development of intelligent manufacturing systems, where the control system will make and use simulations in order to analyze current parameters and to predict the future.

Digital Entrepreneurship in Finance: Fintechs and Funding Decision Criteria

After the 2007–08 global financial crisis, research flourished on entrepreneurship through digital innovation in the financial market as well as on investors’ influence on digital technology-based entrepreneurs’ funding decisions. This study combines these two research streams to analyze the decision-making criteria for funding financial technology companies (fintechs), hybrid companies that combine digital entrepreneurship, technology, and banking. The study first uses prior literature to derive important characteristics to define fintechs and then uses 12 expert interviews to elaborate on decision-making criteria in funding. Except for smaller peculiarities, fintech funding does not appear to differ from that of other digital entrepreneurship in different markets, and—as with most digital business models—scalability was identified as a key criterion. Additionally, by serving as a major provider of money for young companies, banks have changed their role and positioning in funding new financial technology entrepreneurs. Through developments in digital technology, banks have shifted from traditional money-lending activities (i.e., debt-financing) to becoming stakeholders in fintechs and, hence, equity investors. We also describe how these formerly distinct fields have converged due to regulatory requirements, digital newcomers, and a need for constant innovation, with their future sustainable development dependent on sharing and collaboration.

Research Analysis on Emerging Technologies in Corporate Accounting

The technological transformation has directly affected the functional areas of companies. This circumstance has been a challenge for corporate accounting, since the emerging technology allows handling a large volume of data, and providing valuable information for operational management, managerial control, and strategic planning. The aim of this study is to analyze current and future lines of research globally, during the period 1961–2019, on emerging technologies in corporate accounting. For this, bibliometric techniques were applied to 1126 articles on this subject to obtain findings on scientific production and the main subject areas. Scientific production has increased annually, so that in the last decade de 60.66% of all articles have been published. The main subject areas in which more articles were linked were business, management and accounting, social sciences, and economics, econometrics, and finance. Six lines of research have been identified that generate contributions on this topic. Furthermore, the analysis of the relevance of the keywords has detected the main future directions of research. The increasing worldwide trend of scientific production shows interest in developing aspects of this field of study. This study contributes to the academic, scientific, and professional discussion to improve decision-making based on the available information.

HOW CAN THE LEAN STARTUP APPROACH IMPROVE THE INNOVATION PROCESS OF ESTABLISHED COMPANIES? AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

The Lean Startup approach and its related Minimum Viable Product thinking is one of the key trends not only in entrepreneurship, but also in more and more established companies. Before this background, this paper experimentally investigates whether and how the Lean Startup approach improves innovation processes in established companies. For this, the overall experiment had 23 participants, the outcome was then matched against a control group and evaluated through a survey with 146 representatives of the target group of the product. The results show that the Lean Startup approach outperforms the traditional approach and that this method improves the success rate of innovation ideas and thus supports the learning philosophy within established companies. Moreover, the experiment revealed a superior performance, especially relating to financial output. Based on these results, implications for research and companies are discussed, as well as limitations and further research suggestions.