sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Industrial Digital Transformation: Sustainable Challenges for SMEs

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 December 2026 | Viewed by 3154

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics & Management, International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Interests: macroeconomics; international economics; energy economics; finance; SDGs

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to bring together innovative theories on the sustainable development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the era of digital economy, with a particular focus on how SMEs can leverage digital technologies to enhance energy efficiency and promote low-carbon sustainable development. This encourages wisdom from various disciplines of management, economics, environmental science, sociology, and more, with a focus on providing insights for SMEs to address sustainability challenges in the digital age. As a representative digital technology, artificial intelligence poses greater challenges to the sustainable development of SMEs, including employment challenges, market threats, organizational management difficulties, etc. These issues are also of interest to this Special Issue.

This encourages the submission of case studies that focus on specific companies, provided they are representative and yield general insights. It also welcomes empirical analyses of SMEs’ sustainable practices, using public data such as the World Bank's Enterprise Survey database, as well as author survey data. However, bibliometric articles are not encouraged in this Special Issue.

Dr. Huwei Wen
Dr. Xuan-Hoa Nghiem
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • enterprise innovation
  • digitalization
  • low-carbon innovation
  • ESG
  • green behavior
  • energy performance
  • SMEs
  • AI

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 597 KB  
Article
Dynamic Capabilities and Sustainable Competitive Advantage in SMEs: The Roles of Innovation and Organizational Learning
by Suad Dukhaykh and Nourah Alangri
Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1320; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031320 - 28 Jan 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2604
Abstract
This study examines how dynamic capabilities contribute to sustainable competitive advantage in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a particular emphasis on long-term organizational sustainability in dynamic and uncertain environments. Drawing on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the research investigates innovation as a mediating mechanism [...] Read more.
This study examines how dynamic capabilities contribute to sustainable competitive advantage in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a particular emphasis on long-term organizational sustainability in dynamic and uncertain environments. Drawing on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the research investigates innovation as a mediating mechanism and organizational learning capability (OLC) as a moderating factor that strengthens the relationship between dynamic capabilities, innovation, and sustainable competitive advantage. Using data collected from 250 SME managers and decision-makers in Saudi Arabia, the proposed model was empirically tested through a quantitative approach employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that innovation significantly mediates the relationship between dynamic capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage. Moreover, SMEs with higher organizational learning capability demonstrate stronger innovation outcomes, enhancing their ability to adapt, renew resources, and maintain competitiveness over time. By highlighting the role of internal capabilities in fostering innovation, adaptability, and learning, this study contributes to the sustainability literature by demonstrating how SMEs can achieve economically sustainable performance and long-term resilience. The study advances dynamic capabilities theory by empirically demonstrating how innovation operates as a key transmission mechanism and how organizational learning capability conditions this process in SME contexts. The results also provide practical insights for SME leaders and policymakers seeking to promote sustainable business development in emerging economies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Digital Transformation: Sustainable Challenges for SMEs)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop