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Sustainability
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Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation
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Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 15243

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ghaleb El Refae

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Business Administration, College of Business, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi Campus, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 112612, United Arab Emirates
Interests: big data; business intelligence; digital marketing; e-business; sustainability and innovation
Dr. Ahmad Aljumah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Communication and Media, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi Campus, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 112612, United Arab Emirates
Interests: big data; business intelligence; digital marketing; e-business; sustainability and innovation
Prof. Dr. Mohammed Nuseir

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Business Administration College of Business, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi Campus, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 112612, United Arab Emirates
Interests: big data; business intelligence; digital marketing; e-business; sustainability and innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, ‘Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation’, invites contributions that critically examine how organizations embed sustainability principles into management and marketing while harnessing the potential of digital technologies. We seek evidence-based research that supports responsible leadership, climate-conscious operations, and equitable value creation.

This Special Issue focuses on the intersection of sustainable development, managerial strategy, and digital transformation. In an era of climate urgency, shifting consumer expectations, and rapid technological change, managers face challenges around aligning profitability with ecological integrity and social responsibility. We are particularly interested in studies that show how digital tools—artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data, and social platforms—facilitate low-carbon growth and green supply chains. This Special Issue considers sustainability to be a strategic imperative, not a peripheral activity.

We welcome diverse contributions, including empirical studies, conceptual papers, systematic reviews, and comparative case analyses addressing, but not limited to, the following topics: digital marketing strategies that encourage sustainable consumption and circular economy practices; the integration of corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social & governance (ESG) goals, and sustainability reporting into management decision making; green supply chain design, traceability, and resilience enabled by digital platforms; business intelligence, life-cycle analytics, and big data approaches for monitoring environmental performance; stakeholder co-creation, sustainable value propositions, and consumer trust in eco-innovations; and cross-sector or cross-national studies identifying policy, cultural, or institutional drivers of sustainable innovation. Interdisciplinary works bridging management, information systems, and environmental studies are highly encouraged, as are quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches.

This Special Issue seeks to deepen our theoretical understanding of how firms reconcile company performance with long-term environmental and social stewardship; provide actionable guidance for executives, entrepreneurs, and policymakers navigating digital disruption while pursuing low-carbon, inclusive growth; and extend the literature by integrating insights from strategic management, green marketing, and innovation studies, aligning scholarship with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By situating managerial research at the nexus of sustainability, innovation, and digitalization, this Special Issue contributes timely knowledge to scholars, practitioners, and institutions committed to building resilient and future-ready organizations.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Ghaleb El Refae
Dr. Ahmad Aljumah
Prof. Dr. Mohammed Nuseir
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

  • sustainability 
  • digital marketing 
  • sustainable innovation 
  • green business models 
  • corporate social responsibility 
  • ESG 
  • circular economy 
  • supply chain sustainability 
  • big data & analytics 
  • strategic management 
  • responsible leadership 
  • sustainable consumption

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

Published Papers (5 papers)

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38 pages, 1436 KB  
Article
Sustainable Social Media Advertising and Monetisation: Digital Payments, Consumer Behaviour, and ESG Governance
by Rania Abdallah, Farah Saboune, Layal Halawani and Khaled Alhasan
Sustainability 2026, 18(9), 4613; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18094613 - 6 May 2026
Viewed by 5991
Abstract
Digital commerce ecosystems increasingly depend on the alignment between social media advertising formats and digital payment systems, yet existing research has examined these mechanisms in isolation, overlooking their combined influence on consumer behaviour, conversion, and long-term value creation. This study addresses that gap [...] Read more.
Digital commerce ecosystems increasingly depend on the alignment between social media advertising formats and digital payment systems, yet existing research has examined these mechanisms in isolation, overlooking their combined influence on consumer behaviour, conversion, and long-term value creation. This study addresses that gap by developing an integrative conceptual framework that examines how advertising formats and payment infrastructures jointly shape sustainable digital monetisation within an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework. Methodologically, the study adopts a structured narrative literature review of interdisciplinary peer-reviewed studies and selected high-quality institutional reports, drawn from Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and Google Scholar, covering publications from 2015 to April 2026. A four-stage PRISMA-adapted selection protocol was applied to ensure transparency, replicability, and analytical rigour across the review process. The findings demonstrate that advertising formats including native advertising, influencer marketing, user-generated content, short-form video, live streaming, and augmented reality drive consumer attention and purchase intention, while payment systems encompassing digital wallets, BNPL services, and in-platform checkout shape transactional trust and friction. Conversion and customer lifetime value emerge as joint outcomes of this interaction, mediated by consumer trust and transaction friction. The study further identifies key sustainability tensions related to digital carbon footprints from data-intensive formats, financial vulnerability associated with frictionless credit tools, and governance concerns surrounding transparency, privacy, and platform power concentration. The study contributes an integrative conceptual model linking advertising formats, payment systems, consumer behaviour, and ESG dimensions within a unified framework, supported by six theoretically grounded hypotheses (H1–H6) to guide future empirical research in sustainable digital commerce. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation)
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42 pages, 1342 KB  
Article
Educational Factor of Human Capital: Key Point for Sustainable Development and Strategic Competitiveness in Kazakhstan’s Metallurgical Enterprise
by Sergey Polevoy, Mariana Petrova and Assiya Atabayeva
Sustainability 2026, 18(9), 4287; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18094287 - 26 Apr 2026
Viewed by 893
Abstract
This research analyzes “educational” factors influencing the human capital of a labor collective from Karaganda Metallurgical Plant from the perspective of the enterprise’s potential qualitative development. The purpose of this article is to consider the importance of educational factors in understanding the concept [...] Read more.
This research analyzes “educational” factors influencing the human capital of a labor collective from Karaganda Metallurgical Plant from the perspective of the enterprise’s potential qualitative development. The purpose of this article is to consider the importance of educational factors in understanding the concept of “human capital” by employees of the enterprise. An additional goal is the description of various factors, influencing satisfaction with the educational component. The authors tested the following hypothesis: the factor of education directly affects employees’ satisfaction with the level of human capital development at the enterprise. The research results are based on a personnel survey about level of educational satisfaction, its quality and its accessibility. The main analysis tool to verify the stated hypothesis was structural modeling in the Smart PLS. The analysis of the research results revealed dissatisfaction from a significant portion of the respondents with the approaches to vocational education established at the enterprise, despite the fact that a high importance of the educational aspect in human capital formation was confirmed by the respondents during the hypothesis testing procedure for same survey’s results. The identified problems were explained by a discrepancy between the manufacturing tasks and the skills and knowledge acquired by the respondents. This research has the potential for development within the framework of company policy analysis in the field of education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation)
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28 pages, 1524 KB  
Article
The Impact of Digital–Green Synergy on Firm Innovation Resilience: Evidence from China
by Linzi Zhu and Zaijie Zhang
Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 3661; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18083661 - 8 Apr 2026
Viewed by 447
Abstract
Innovation is the core driving force behind high-quality development. This study uses a sample of Chinese A-share non-financial listed companies from 2011 to 2024. It empirically examines the impact of digital–green synergy on corporate innovation resilience. We find that digital–green synergy (DG) significantly [...] Read more.
Innovation is the core driving force behind high-quality development. This study uses a sample of Chinese A-share non-financial listed companies from 2011 to 2024. It empirically examines the impact of digital–green synergy on corporate innovation resilience. We find that digital–green synergy (DG) significantly enhances firm innovation resilience. The baseline regression coefficient is 0.031 (p < 0.01). This conclusion remains robust after addressing endogeneity and conducting various robustness checks. Mechanism tests show that digital–green synergy enhances innovation resilience by improving firms’ absorptive capacity, attracting capital market attention, and cultivating both resource and organizational synergy. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the impact of this dual transformation depends on firms’ specific characteristics and their internal and external environments. This research provides micro-level evidence on the value-creation mechanisms of dual transformation synergy. The findings offer significant insights for supporting corporate innovation systems in navigating uncertainty and achieving high-quality, sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation)
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17 pages, 614 KB  
Article
Investigating the Effect of Talent Management Practices on Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Private-Sector Organizations
by Razaz Waheeb Attar, Amal Alanazi and Amal Hassan Alhazmi
Sustainability 2025, 17(21), 9909; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219909 - 6 Nov 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3396
Abstract
Talent management is an important strategic tool to improve sustainable organization performance and competitiveness in the contemporary business environment. Even though there are increasingly more studies around this topic in the world, studies in the context of Saudi Arabia, and more specifically in [...] Read more.
Talent management is an important strategic tool to improve sustainable organization performance and competitiveness in the contemporary business environment. Even though there are increasingly more studies around this topic in the world, studies in the context of Saudi Arabia, and more specifically in the private sector, are still scarce, forming the research gap that this study aims to fill. The study is designed to explore the effect of human resource practices on employee innovation, organization resilience, and sustainable competitive advantage in the Saudi private-sector organizations based on the Resource-Based Variability (RBV) theory as a theoretical perspective. Data were gathered from 366 structured questionnaires, and the hypotheses were tested by employing the relevant statistical tools. The results supported the first hypothesis (H1), showing that there is a positive influence of the practices of talent management on the innovation of the employees, and the second hypothesis (H2) showing the correlation between these practices and organizational resilience. The third hypothesis (H3) showed that talent management practices are significant in the attainment of a sustainable competitive advantage. The findings affirm that the adoption of sound approaches for the attraction, development, and retention of talent has a part in the consolidation of innovation, resilience, and the accomplishment of competitive advantage. The most important theoretical and applied implications of the study are discussed at the end, along with the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation)
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Other

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20 pages, 697 KB  
Systematic Review
The Role of User-Generated Content in Social Commerce: A Systematic Review
by Sara Kostić, Jelena Spajić, Đorđe Alavuk, Iva Šiđanin, Branka Laličić and Sonja Bunčić
Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1601; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031601 - 4 Feb 2026
Viewed by 3890
Abstract
User-generated content (UGC) plays a central role in social commerce. However, existing knowledge remains theoretically fragmented across constructs, perspectives, and empirical contexts. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic review of 60 peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024, following PRISMA [...] Read more.
User-generated content (UGC) plays a central role in social commerce. However, existing knowledge remains theoretically fragmented across constructs, perspectives, and empirical contexts. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic review of 60 peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. It develops an integrative conceptual perspective structured around five key dimensions: trust, authenticity, perceived risk, engagement, and loyalty. The findings demonstrate that UGC influences consumer decision-making primarily through mediating psychological and social mechanisms, including trust, satisfaction, perceived value, social presence, and community identification. At the same time, perceived risk remains insufficiently theorized, and comprehensive multi-dimensional models remain scarce in the literature. The study advances social commerce theory by consolidating fragmented evidence into a coherent conceptual framework. It also explicitly foregrounds the central explanatory role of mediating mechanisms in UGC effects. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight the strategic importance of fostering authentic and trustworthy UGC. This supports sustainable consumer–brand relationships and long-term value creation within digital platform ecosystems. The review has limitations related to database coverage and language restrictions, which may have led to the omission of relevant studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Management Practices Through Digital Marketing and Sustainable Innovation)
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