Special Issue "Digital Strategy, Digital Transformation, and Sustainable Business Models"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Evangelos Katsamakas
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University, New York, NY 10023, USA
Interests: digital transformation; platforms and ecosystems; fintech; economics of technology; dynamics of complex systems; computational modeling; data science
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In a hypercompetitive and fast-changing world, companies face many challenges. As a response, they seek to reinvent themselves and create Sustainable Business Models (SBMs). However, it is not clear how digital technologies may help companies to achieve this transformation. This Special Issue aims to fill this research gap.
We call for research that sheds light on how digital transformation helps companies to create new Sustainable Business Models. Particular emphasis is given to technologies that enable innovative business models and strategies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and other emerging technologies.
For this Special Issue, SBMs are business models that withstand the tests of time (survive and thrive over time), while they may also strive to achieve other sustainability goals defined in the business model. (For instance, an SBM may seek to create value for multiple stakeholders, or to accomplish another social or environmental objective.)
We encourage an interdisciplinary mindset and plurality of methodological approaches. The articles should maintain high-quality research standards and help to provide answers to well-defined questions. Contributions that generate novel insights for leaders and policy-makers are most welcome. Research across startups and established organizations, and across a variety of business sectors and beyond (e.g., government, higher education, healthcare) is welcome. A perspective that takes into account whole systems is encouraged.
The list of keywords and themes provided below is not exhaustive. We welcome articles that address other thought-provoking topics relevant to the scope of the Special Issue.

  • AI and Sustainable Business Models
  • IoT and Sustainable Business Models
  • Robotics and Sustainable Business Models
  • Blockchain and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital innovation and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital disruption and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital strategies and Sustainable Business Models
  • Platforms and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital products or services and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital entrepreneurship (Startups) and Sustainable Business Models
  • Emerging technologies and Sustainable Business Models
  • Analysis, design, evaluation, launch, growth, and management of Sustainable Business Models enabled by digital technologies
  • Operations management and Sustainable Business Models
  • Business value of digital transformation for Sustainable Business Models

Prof. Evangelos Katsamakas
Guest Editor

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 papers will be 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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 1900 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

  • AI and Sustainable Business Models
  • IoT and Sustainable Business Models
  • Robotics and Sustainable Business Models
  • Blockchain and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital innovation and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital disruption and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital strategies and Sustainable Business Models
  • Platforms and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital products or services and Sustainable Business Models
  • Digital entrepreneurship (Startups) and Sustainable Business Models
  • Emerging technologies and Sustainable Business Models
  • Analysis, design, evaluation, launch, growth, and management of Sustainable Business Models enabled by digital technologies
  • Operations management and Sustainable Business Models
  • Business value of digital transformation for Sustainable Business Models

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Article
COVID-19 and Financial Sustainability of Academic Institutions
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3903; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073903 - 01 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1008
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on higher education. Steering academic institutions through the pandemic is a complex and multifaceted task that can be supported with model-based scenario analysis. This article studies the short-term and long-term effects of the pandemic on [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on higher education. Steering academic institutions through the pandemic is a complex and multifaceted task that can be supported with model-based scenario analysis. This article studies the short-term and long-term effects of the pandemic on the financial health of a college using scenario analysis and stress testing with a system dynamics model of a representative tuition-dependent college. We find that different combinations of the pandemic mitigation protocols have varying effects on the financial sustainability of an academic institution. By simulating six individual components of the COVID-19 shock, we learn that due to the causal complexity, nonlinear responses and delays in the system, the negative shocks can propagate widely through the college, sometimes with considerable delays and disproportionate effects. Scenario analysis shows that some pandemic mitigation choices may destabilize even financially healthy institutions. The article concludes that higher education needs new sustainable business models. Full article
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Article
Digitalizing the Closing-of-the-Loop for Supply Chains: A Transportation and Blockchain Perspective
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2895; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052895 - 08 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1133
Abstract
The circular economy is gaining in importance globally and locally. The COVID-19 crisis, as an exceptional event, showed the limits and the fragility of supply chains, with circular economy practices as a potential solution during and post-COVID. Reverse logistics (RL) is an important [...] Read more.
The circular economy is gaining in importance globally and locally. The COVID-19 crisis, as an exceptional event, showed the limits and the fragility of supply chains, with circular economy practices as a potential solution during and post-COVID. Reverse logistics (RL) is an important dimension of the circular economy which allows management of economic, social, and environmental challenges. Transportation is needed for RL to effectively operate, but research study on this topic has been relatively limited. New digitalization opportunities can enhance transportation and RL, and therefore further enhance the circular economy. This paper proposes to review practical research and concerns at the nexus of transportation, RL, and blockchain as a digitalizing technology. The potential benefits of blockchain technology through example use cases on various aspects of RL and transportation activities are presented. This integration and applications are evaluated using various capability facets of blockchain technology, particularly as an immutable and reliable ledger, a tracking service, a smart contract utility, as marketplace support, and as tokenization and incentivization. We also briefly introduce the physical internet concept within this context. The physical internet paradigm proposed last decade, promises to also disrupt the blockchain, transportation, and RL nexus. We include potential research directions and managerial implications across the blockchain, transportation, and RL nexus. Full article
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Article
Algorithmic Pricing and Price Gouging. Consequences of High-Impact, Low Probability Events
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2542; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052542 - 26 Feb 2021
Viewed by 501
Abstract
Algorithmic pricing may lead to more efficient and contestable markets, but high-impact, low-probability events such as terror attacks or heavy storms may lead to price gouging, which may trigger injunctions or get sellers banned from platforms such as Amazon or eBay. This work [...] Read more.
Algorithmic pricing may lead to more efficient and contestable markets, but high-impact, low-probability events such as terror attacks or heavy storms may lead to price gouging, which may trigger injunctions or get sellers banned from platforms such as Amazon or eBay. This work addresses how such events may impact prices when set by an algorithm and how different markets may be affected. We analyze how to mitigate these high-impact events by paying attention to external (market conditions) and internal (algorithm design) features surrounding the algorithms. We find that both forces may help in partially mitigating price gouging, but it remains unknown which forces or features may lead to complete mitigation. Full article
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Article
Online Sustainability Reporting and Firm Performance: Lessons Learned from Text Mining
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031069 - 21 Jan 2021
Viewed by 852
Abstract
As a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, firms are increasingly disclosing sustainability indicators on online platforms to attract stakeholders’ interests. It is vital to understand what indicators reflect more on a firm’s performance and valuations. This study focuses on deriving value-oriented business intelligence [...] Read more.
As a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, firms are increasingly disclosing sustainability indicators on online platforms to attract stakeholders’ interests. It is vital to understand what indicators reflect more on a firm’s performance and valuations. This study focuses on deriving value-oriented business intelligence from the voluntary disclosure of sustainability reports. The analysis in this study involves a three-stage approach: (1) Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) based topic modeling algorithm to identify and summarize typical contents expressed in various documents, (2) firm’s sustainability maturity modeled as a function of its strategic intent using a latent Markov model (LMM) to estimate the statistical significance and the extent of their relationships, and (3) empirical analysis using random effect linear and non-linear probit models to explore the impact of antecedents and firm performance consequences of three strategic intents. This study highlights using an advanced business analytics approach, specifically with latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling, to codify intangible knowledge embedded in annual sustainability reports to infer a firm’s strategic intent behind voluntary disclosure. In addition, this study aims to analyze the influence of the firm’s sustainability strategic intent on its financial performance. A secondary panel dataset consisting of information on 680 firms in 3 years was constructed by matching the text mined data with information from other sources. Results indicate that, on the one hand, while external stakeholder engagement is the primary motivation behind voluntary disclosure of sustainability reporting, firms are starting to engage internal stakeholders through workforce practices. On the other hand, internal employee-oriented intent has more influence on firm performance than external customer-oriented intent. This study demonstrates a toolset to index firms’ sustainability indicators and evaluates firms’ sustainability practice as an intangible asset and its impact on firms’ financial performance. Full article
Article
Tacit Collusion on Steroids: The Potential Risks for Competition Resulting from the Use of Algorithm Technology by Companies
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020951 - 19 Jan 2021
Viewed by 568
Abstract
Digitalization has a growing impact on everyone’s life. It influences the way consumers purchase products, read online news, access multimedia content, and even meet or interact socially. At the core of digital products lies algorithm technology, decision-making software capable of fulfilling multiple tasks: [...] Read more.
Digitalization has a growing impact on everyone’s life. It influences the way consumers purchase products, read online news, access multimedia content, and even meet or interact socially. At the core of digital products lies algorithm technology, decision-making software capable of fulfilling multiple tasks: data mining, result ranking, user matching, dynamic pricing, product recommendations, and ads targeting, among others. Notwithstanding the perceived benefits of algorithms for the economy, the question has been raised of whether the use of algorithms by businesses might have countervailing effects on competition. Although any anti-competitive behavior typically observed in traditional markets can be implemented by this technology, a particular issue highlighted in discussions between researchers and practitioners is the concern that algorithms might foster collusion. Because of their capacity to increase market transparency and the frequency of interactions between competing firms, they can be used to facilitate parallel collusive behavior while dispensing competing firms with the need for explicit communication. Consequently, it is not excluded that algorithms will be used in the years to come to obtain the effects of a cartel without the need to enter into restrictive agreements or to engage in concerted practices. We evaluate the collusion risks associated with the use of algorithms and discuss whether the “agreement for antitrust purposes” concept needs revisiting. The more firms made use of types of algorithms that enable direct and indirect communication between the competitors, the more likely those companies may be considered liable. Full article
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