Special Issue "Sustainable Development through Frugal Innovation—A Challenge or an Opportunity?"

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 June 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eglantina Hysa
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Epoka University, Tirana 1032, Albania
Interests: development economics; economic growth; wellbeing; sustainable development; quality in higher education
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Félix Puime Guillén
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Business, Coruña University, Spain
Interests: wellbeing; entrepreneurship; innovation; sustainability
Dr. Alba Kruja
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Business Administration, Epoka University, Albania
Interests: entrepreneurship; innovation; performance; sustainability
Prof. Dr. Mirela Panait
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Cybernetics, Economic Informatics, Finance and Accounting, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, 100680 Ploiesti, Romania;
2. Institute of National Economy, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: foreign direct investment; capital market; corporate social responsibility and sustainable development
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ahsan Akbar
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
International Business School, Guangzhou College of South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510080, China
Interests: enterprise sustainability; corporate life cycle; corporate social responsibility; green investments; energy economics
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In a resource-constrained ecosystem, not only emerging but also developed markets face an uphill of challenge to innovate. Frugal innovation refers to the process of economizing the usage of scarce resources by reducing product costs, which results in not only building technologically advanced solutions, but also enabling solution integration for emerging markets. These solutions have proven to be effective, socially valuable, economical, profitable, and in some cases, their business models have disrupted the existing markets. Albert (2019) in his study associates frugal innovation specifically with ecological and social sustainability, recommending the use of the term “ecologically sustainable frugal innovation” for frugal innovation with a positive connection to ecological sustainability. Meanwhile, Von Janda et al. (2020) further extend the concept by defining frugal innovation as a four-dimensional put-up of cost of consumption, sustainability, simplicity, and basic quality. Following this approach, frugal innovation contributes not only to economic and ecological sustainability but also to social sustainability through considering the consumption impact. For a sustainable development achievement, while designing innovative business models, entrepreneurs need to consider the economic, ecological, and social aspects altogether. Frugal innovation is the mean which creates value for customers, investors, and society as a whole by preserving financial and natural resources not only crucial for the advancement of developing but also for developed countries. This business model needs to be further explored by the policymakers, implemented and developed by entrepreneurs, and validated and advocated by the academicians.

Another dimension of frugal innovation is its linkage with the concept of sharing economy, being an innovative business model that has grown up with the revolution of Industry 4.0. Also known as a collaborative economy or peer-to-peer sharing, it provides several opportunities and benefits to its users. Nonetheless, as an emerging business model, it is facing developmental and operational challenges in the world markets. Furthermore, it is equally imperative to explore the possible consequences of frugal innovation to mitigate the impact of climate change on corporate efficiency. Likewise, the positive impacts of frugal innovation on environmental variables in various regional settings is an interesting and under-researched area.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present state-of-the-art theoretical and empirical advances in research on sustainable development, frugal economy, and environmental innovation to stimulate and foster discussions on these topics.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eglantina Hysa
Prof. Dr. Félix Puime Guillén
Dr. Alba Kruja
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mirela Panait
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahsan Akbar
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 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

  • Frugal innovation
  • Sustainable development
  • Circular economy
  • Ecological sustainability
  • Value co-creation
  • Sharing economy
  • Sustainable business models

Published Papers (3 papers)

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

Research

Article
Sustainable Business Model and Corporate Performance: The Mediating Role of Sustainable Orientation and Management Accounting Control in the United Arab Emirates
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8947; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168947 - 10 Aug 2021
Viewed by 313
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of management accounting control systems (MACS) and sustainable innovations orientation (SIO) in the relationship between business model innovations (BMI) and overall corporate performance. A total of 355 managers drawn from different types of manufacturing firms [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of management accounting control systems (MACS) and sustainable innovations orientation (SIO) in the relationship between business model innovations (BMI) and overall corporate performance. A total of 355 managers drawn from different types of manufacturing firms in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) participated in the study, and the collected data were analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the structural model with the aid of Smart PLS 3. The findings from the study revealed that BMI does not directly influence SIO but has an indirect effect through MACS. Moreover, this study revealed that MACS mediate the relationship between BMI and financial performance. In addition, the argument that SIO influences overall corporate per-formance was supported with our findings. Finally, it was established in this study that MACS and SIO partially mediate the relationship between BMI and environmental performance as well as BMI and employee performance. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Finances and National Economy: Frugal Economy as a Forced Approach of the COVID Pandemic
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6470; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116470 - 07 Jun 2021
Viewed by 551
Abstract
This paper aims to create an image both in terms of description and in terms of graphical representation, with multiannual coverage (2007–2019), the evolution of the financial indicators of the population, and their impact on the national economy. The main objective is to [...] Read more.
This paper aims to create an image both in terms of description and in terms of graphical representation, with multiannual coverage (2007–2019), the evolution of the financial indicators of the population, and their impact on the national economy. The main objective is to establish the basic pillars of the concentrated table of population financial indicators in terms of the values of absolute primary indicators, on the basis of which the values of the three relevant relative indicators that characterize the financial situation of the population were calculated directly for the potential and performance of the national economy, especially in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research methodology was based on a series of numerical data from public databases, tools, and appropriate research methods based on the calculation of primary indicators, and indicators derived by appropriate calculation formulas, for the identification of factors influencing the financial status of the population at and a comparative analysis of the financial assets and liabilities of households in Romania and the European Union. The results of the paper are given by the evolution of primary indicators on the characterization of the financial situation of the population in 2007–2019, especially for the active population, and are directly influenced by the quality of eligible employment and employed adults, as well as the sustainability of the national economy. The personal contribution of the research team consists of the mathematical correlations given by the population finances for the economy of a state, which are extremely relevant, especially since, depending on their positive or negative levels, systemic financial and social imbalances are created with direct impact on the sustainability of the national economy. Thus, we want to determine these financial indicators relevant to the economy. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the related issues to the population finances have aggravated and as such, there is a need for structural changes and adoptions. Finally, as an immediate and less costly solution, this study comes up with the suggestion of shifting the national economy toward frugality, therefore, significantly supporting sustainable development. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Towards Sustainable Digital Innovation of SMEs from the Developing Countries in the Context of the Digital Economy and Frugal Environment
Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5715; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105715 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 778
Abstract
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop