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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: closed (30 August 2023) | Viewed by 16965

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yang Liu

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Guest Editor

School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: digital innovation; corporate social responsibility; strategy management

Dr. Zhigang Fan

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Guest Editor

Alibaba Business School, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
Interests: digital transformation; Industry 4.0

Dr. Tuoyu Li

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Guest Editor

Institute of China's Science Technology and Education Policy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: technological management; engineering education; cluster innovation

Dr. Yang Yang

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Guest Editor

School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: innovation management; technology management; digital economy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Digital innovation, defined as ‘the change or creation of products and innovation processes that result from the new combinations of digital and physical components enabled by digital technology’ (Liu et al., 2021b, p. 2), has been transforming organizational and societal development (e.g., Sachs et al., 2019; Liu et al., 2022). We expect incremental and radical digital innovations to be harnessed to reduce inequality, as well as provide new solutions for the sustainable development of organizations and society. For example, digital innovations may have profound implications for platform governance, firms’ sustainable advantages, corporate social responsibility, eco-innovations, frugal innovation in emerging markets, urban governance, etc. (Chen et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2021a; 2022; Ying et al., 2022; Yang & Huang, 2022)

Therefore, this Special Issue aims to gather high-quality papers that contribute towards both theoretical and practical development in the context of digital innovation for sustainable development. We welcome contributions that investigate issues related to the sustainable behaviors of organizations such as firms, universities, hospitals and government agencies from various perspectives of digital innovations.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Digital innovation and corporate social responsibility;
Digital innovation for smart cities;
Digital platform governance and sustainability;
Digital technologies and social innovation;
Digital innovation for sustainable advantages;
Digital technologies and environmental innovations;
Digital technologies and low-carbon circular economy.

References:

Chen, L., Li, S., Wei, J., & Yang, Y. (2022). Externalization in the platform economy: Social platforms and institutions. Journal of International Business Studies, 1-12.

Liu, Y., Dai, W., Liao, M., & Wei, J. (2021a). Social status and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from Chinese privately owned firms. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(4), 651-672.

Liu, Y., Dong, J., Ying, Y., & Jiao, H. (2021b). Status and digital innovation: A middle-status conformity perspective. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 168, 120781.

Liu, Y., Dong, J., Mei, L., & Shen, R. (2022). Digital innovation and performance of manufacturing firms: An affordance perspective. Technovation, 102458.

Sachs, J. D., Schmidt-Traub, G., Mazzucato, M., Messner, D., Nakicenovic, N., & Rockström, J. (2019). Six transformations to achieve the sustainable development goals. Nature sustainability, 2(9), 805-814.

Ying, Y., Wang, S., & Liu, Y. (2022). Make bricks without straw: Eco-innovation for resource-constrained firms in emerging markets. Technovation, 102517.

Yang, C., & Huang, C. (2022). Quantitative mapping of the evolution of AI policy distribution, targets and focuses over three decades in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, 121188.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Yang Liu
Dr. Zhigang Fan
Dr. Tuoyu Li
Dr. Yang Yang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

digital innovation
sustainability
eco-innovation
CSR
sustainable development

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 453 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Innovative Governance of the Indonesian Creative Economy: A Governmental Perspective

by Dina Dellyana, Nina Arina and Tribowo Rachmat Fauzan

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16234; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316234 - 23 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1228

Abstract

The digital transformation of the creative economy has presented Indonesia with a unique set of challenges and opportunities, demanding innovative governance strategies to navigate this dynamic landscape. This research focuses on the nuanced governance mechanisms employed by the Indonesian government to foster, regulate, and harness the full potential of its digital creative economy. Utilizing a qualitative methodology, this study investigates the experiences, perspectives, and actions of key governmental actors, policymakers, and stakeholders. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis reveal the intricate interplay between government policies and civil servants in Indonesia that takes place in order to manage the creative economy in this developing country. The findings shed light on the adaptive strategies and policies implicated in the creative economy, providing insights into the understanding and collaboration between civil servants that can inform not only Indonesia, but also other nations seeking to harness the transformative power of this rapidly evolving sector. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between governance and the creative economy, highlighting the need for a digital innovation co-creation scheme by which civil servants can navigate the digital age of creative industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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18 pages, 803 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does the Collaboration of Digitalization Foster Regional Green Development?

by Tianyi Zhu, Xue Li, Haoqiang Wu and Ziyu Chu

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14799; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014799 - 12 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 828

Abstract

The collaboration of digitalization refers to a comprehensive digital governance system that achieves cross-regional digital industrialization and deep integration of industrial digitization through the construction of digital infrastructure, which paves the way toward regional sustainability. However, little is known about whether and to what extent regional digital collaboration contributes to green development. Furthermore, the specific role of digital collaboration in greening the regional economy and society remains unexplored. Thus, this paper tests the relationship between digital collaboration, business environment, and regional green development by using data from 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2008 to 2022. The findings suggest that: (1) the hysteresis phenomenon of the “green dividend effect” response to regional digital collaboration is present; (2) digital collaboration in eastern cities positively impacted (but lagged) the greening of the economy and society, but cities in central and western regions negatively impact this process; (3) the business environment mediates the relationship between the lagged digital collaboration and regional green development, and it positively moderates the relationship between both the current and lagged digital collaboration and regional green development. By elucidating the relationship between digital collaboration, business environment, and regional green development, contributions have been made to previous digital innovation literature, and management insights have been provided for how regions can promote green development in the digital age. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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22 pages, 502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Urban Economic Efficiency, Environmental Factors, and Digital Finance: Impacts on Sustainable Development in Chinese Cities

by Yuling Yuan and Dukangqi Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13319; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813319 - 05 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 944

Abstract

This study investigates the potential of digital finance to mitigate the environmental impact of economic development. Utilizing panel data from 290 Chinese cities between 2011 and 2019, we employ a two-way fixed effects model to control for unobservable city characteristics and time-invariant macro factors. Our findings reveal that cities with higher proportions of value-added tax and secondary industries (mainly for manufacturing) tend to experience increased air pollution. Conversely, cities characterized by higher economic efficiency exhibit better air quality, underscoring the significance of prioritizing technology-intensive sectors during economic development. Pollution control technologies, such as centralized wastewater treatment systems and harmless treatment systems for household waste, also play positive roles. Moreover, technological and educational investments correlate with increased urban green coverage and lower air pollution, highlighting the pivotal role of technology development and residents’ literacy in fostering sustainable practices. Although we initially observed a positive association between the index of digital financial technology and air pollution, which could be attributed to the influence of economic growth, our study employs instrumental variable regression to unveil their true correlation. The results suggest the application of digital financial technology may enhance environmental awareness, contributing to the mitigation of air pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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23 pages, 1360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Organizational Unlearning in Manufacturing Firms’ Sustainable Digital Innovation: The Mechanism of Strategic Flexibility and Organizational Slack

by Ziyi Zhao and Yulu Yan

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10371; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310371 - 30 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1339

Abstract

This study explores the underlying mechanisms of achieving sustainable digital innovation in the context of manufacturing companies. Building on the perspective of organizational unlearning, we propose that organizational unlearning could disrupt current innovation routines and positively relate to the sustainability of digital innovation, the features of which are self-referential improvement and iterative scalability. This study conducted a questionnaire survey of 274 Chinese manufacturing companies and used SmartPLS 4.0 to analyze the data. Drawing insights from data analysis results, this study discovers that organizational-level unlearning is able to make digital innovation achievable and sustainable. In addition, this study articulates the partial mediation mechanism of strategic flexibility and organizational slack. The findings unearth the utility of organizational unlearning to manufacturing companies in the digital context, contribute to the emerging literature on digital innovation by introducing organizational unlearning as a new theoretical perspective for introducing digital transformation, and offer managerial insights to help manufacturing companies leverage organizational unlearning proactively to release its long-term benefits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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18 pages, 1074 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does the Development of Digital Economy Affect Environmental Pollution?

by Xing Zhang, Jian Zhong and Huanfang Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9162; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129162 - 06 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1132

Abstract

The development of digital economy (Dig) promotes the development of green economy and the progress of ecological civilization. Based on the panel data of China from 2010 to 2020, this paper constructs the relevant index system and analyzes the impact of the Dig on environmental pollution (EP) by using a variety of econometric models. Subsequently, combined with the transmission effect to discuss its influence mechanism, the spatial quantile regression was used to explore spatial effects. The Dig is conducive to reducing EP, and there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the two. Meanwhile, its influence has obvious regional heterogeneity, and the inhibition effect of Dig on EP is better in technology-intensive areas. Dig can alleviate EP by promoting technological innovation and optimizing industrial structure, but resource allocation has not played a role. In addition, the Dig has a significant impact on the distribution of EP in the middle quantile, and there is a negative spatial spillover effect on EP. Consequently, the study puts forward some suggestions to alleviate pollution from the aspects of promoting technological innovation and improving resource allocation efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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18 pages, 298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Convergence between Digital Industrialization and Industrial Digitalization and Export Technology Complexity: Evidence from China

by Yaozhi Xu and Liling Xu

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 9081; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15119081 - 05 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2165

Abstract

The wave of digitalization is driving the restructuring of the global value chain, providing an excellent opportunity for China to leapfrog into the digital era. The convergence between digital industrialization and industrial digitalization (hereinafter referred to as CDIID) is an indicator to measure the sustainability of the digital economy. The main objective of this paper is to measure the level of CDIID in China and verify the impact of CDIID on export technology complexity and its mechanism. The nonparametric stochastic frontier method is used to measure the level of CDIID of each province in China from 2013 to 2019, and the fixed-effect model is used to investigate the impact effect and mechanism of CDIID on export technology complexity. Empirical research finds that the level of CDIID plays a positive role in promoting the export technology complexity, and in the short term, more attention should be paid to the development of industrial digitalization to enhance export technology complexity. The mechanism test results show that CDIID enhances export technology complexity through the channels of industrial structure upgrading and innovation ability improvement. In terms of industrial digitalization driven by digital industrialization, the channel of innovation ability improvement has a significant impact. In terms of the path of industrial digitalization to promote digital industrialization, it has an inhibitory effect on both channels in the short run. This paper provides empirical evidence and a decision-making basis for China to promote the sustainable development of the digital economy and build new advantages in international competition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

26 pages, 1748 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Review of Policy Framework Research on Promoting Sustainable Transformation of Digital Innovation

by Chenglei Xu, Shuxin Zhu, Boru Yang, Bin Miao and Yi Duan

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7169; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097169 - 25 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1971

Abstract

With the increasing demand for digital innovation scenarios, it is important to complement and improve the policy system for the governance of digital innovation activities. Combining the previous research results on the analysis of antecedent variables, basic effects and potential mechanisms of digital innovation, and based on the citation analysis of digital innovation topics based on the Citespace method, we find that in the past two decades, the topic of digital innovation policy research has gradually shifted from focusing on “constraining policies to control negative impacts” to focusing on “constructive policies to expand positive impacts”. The digital transformation has brought about multidimensional and profound impacts on the governance of innovation activities, and it is necessary to accelerate the theoretical research on policy frameworks for the new areas of technology socialization effects. Summarizing some of the important progresses, we propose a policy framework covering three aspects: policy needs for sustainable transformation of digital innovation, policy orientation and policy dimensions for sustainable transformation of digital innovation, creating R&D opportunities, optimizing R&D organization, building ecological advantages, improving R&D governance, knowledge creation, enabling applications, collaborative promotion, standardizing management, national digital innovation system, digital innovation foundation, data governance capacity, digital security and other aspects of the conceptual framework of the basic policies for sustainable transformation of digital innovation. The research viewpoints and conclusions are of theoretical reference value for further research on key policy conditions for digital innovation, major policy impact effects and digital innovation governance mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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22 pages, 5622 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Network Analysis on the Coupling Coordination of Digital Finance and Technological Innovation

by Jiayi Li, Shujun Ye and Shujuan Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6354; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086354 - 07 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1292

Abstract

For sustainable economic development, it is extremely important to understand how digital finance and technological innovation are coupled and how the spatial coupling network is connected. Based on panel data collected from 31 Chinese provinces between 2011 and 2020, this paper calculates the technological innovation index using the entropy method, and adopts the coupling coordination model to measure the coupling coordination degree of digital finance and technological innovation. Furthermore, this paper utilizes the improved gravity model to determine the spatial correlation matrix and uses the social network analysis (SNA) method to investigate the spatial spillover characteristics of the coupling network. The results demonstrate the following: (1) While the index of digital finance and technological innovation rose and digital finance developed rapidly, the level of technological innovation remained low. (2) There was an improvement in the degree of coupling coordination between digital finance and technological innovation, which was higher in the eastern region and lower in the west. (3) The overall network density and the number of associations increased; meanwhile, the network hierarchy and network efficiency declined, indicating that the spatial structure was strengthened. (4) The centrality of some developed eastern regions, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, was greater than that of some underdeveloped areas in the midwest and northeast regions. (5) The coupling coordination network can be classified into four types: the “main inflow plate” mainly includes underdeveloped regions in the midwest areas; the “main outflow plate” and “bidirectional spillover plate” primarily include the developed eastern areas; and the “agent plate” mainly includes the central provinces. This research provides a foundation for enhancing the cross-regional coupling coordinated development of digital finance and technological innovation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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32 pages, 2280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Drives Industry 4.0 Technologies Adoption? Evidence from a SEM-Neural Network Approach in the Context of Vietnamese Firms

by Vu Linh Toan Le, Tien Hoang Nguyen and Khanh Duy Pham

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5969; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075969 - 30 Mar 2023

Viewed by 2423

Abstract

The development of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 has far-reaching effects on all aspects of life, the economy, and society, bringing various growth opportunities for businesses. However, businesses are still hesitant to apply these new technologies. On a research sample from a survey of 396 Vietnamese enterprises, the study uses the SEM-neural network method to determine the relationship and importance of five groups of factors affecting the firms’ Industry 4.0 technologies adoption. The results suggest that five groups of factors, including Perceived characteristics, Technological competencies, CEO characteristics, Environmental characteristics, and Subjective Norms, all positively and significantly impact the Industry 4.0 technologies adoption in Vietnam. In particular, Technological competencies are the most influential factors according to the SEM method, while Subjective norms factors have the most decisive impact according to the neural-network method. Moreover, the research also found that adopting Industry 4.0 technologies depends on different company characteristics, such as age, size, status, and industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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14 pages, 257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Performance Improvement Mechanism of Cross-Border E-Commerce Grassroots Entrepreneurship Empowered by the Internet Platform

by Zhigang Fan and Xuanshun Zhai

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1178; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021178 - 08 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2045

Abstract

In the cross-border e-commerce industry, millions of small and medium-sized sellers have emerged in recent years. With the empowerment of the Internet platform, these grassroots entrepreneurs, which are generally disadvantaged in terms of resources, capabilities, costs, etc., have overcome a number of barriers and acquired more equitable participation opportunities in the fierce market competition. This study explores the performance improvement mechanism of platform empowerment for grassroots entrepreneurs and tests the mediating effect of resource bricolage. After descriptive statistical analysis, applying the common method variance test, and reliability and validity verification of the 336 valid questionnaire sample data, a path analysis of the structural equation model and an intermediary effect test were conducted. The results indicated that the structural empowerment of the platform could significantly and positively improve the entrepreneurial performance of grassroots entrepreneurs, while the psychological empowerment of the platform has no significant effect. In addition, the resource bricolage played a completely mediating role in the impact of platform empowerment on entrepreneurial performance. By deepening our understanding of the platform empowerment mechanism and grassroots entrepreneurs’ resource bricolage behavior, this study provided guidance and reference for the platform to better play its empowerment role and for the grassroots entrepreneurs to achieve their own growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development)

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