Systemic Innovation and Strategies in Business Management and Entrepreneurship

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 1453

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Management and Economic Informatics, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: entrepreneurship; business strategies; organisational behaviour; innovation in business systems; business models; behavioural economics

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management and Economic Informatics, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: organisational behaviour; systemic digitalization of businesses; marketing research; logistics; sustainability and environmental responsibility; entrepreneurship; sustainable entrepreneurship
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to both rethink the strategic approaches of businesses, which are vital systems within the economic, technological and social ecosystem, as well as consider new approaches, with a specific focus on innovation. Our general objective is to present scientific developments and insights on the persistent challenges faced by managers and entrepreneurs and the strategies they have designed to achieve business success. Thus, we encourage researchers to explore the behavioural and organisational features of real‑world systems and propose holistic business models, including the AI models, inviting readers to consider their benefits and drawbacks.

To this end, with the aim of inspiring future authors, we suggest the following topics:

  • Management of traditional versus holistic business systems;
  • Trends in system innovation;
  • Transformative framing of entrepreneurial systems;
  • Behavioural economic insights into systems;
  • Systemic digitalization and its impact on the business ecosystem.

We encourage submissions that surpass conventional thinking, introduce innovative models, and scientifically elucidate how systems in various fields of business could drive transformation. Only by promoting novel research, whether empirical or not, can we build constructive academic dialogue and highlight state-of-the-art approaches in entrepreneurial and managerial development.

Dr. Cristina Nicolau
Dr. Alexandra Zamfirache
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

  • business system
  • entrepreneurial system
  • strategic approach
  • behavioural economics
  • organisational behaviour
  • systemic digitalization
  • business ecosystem dynamics
  • innovation management
  • value creation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 412 KB  
Article
Leveraging Local Standards for Systemic Innovation: How Internationalization Strategy Amplifies Radical Innovation in Manufacturing Business Systems
by Xiaohui Yuan, Xuan Liu and Lei Wen
Systems 2026, 14(7), 746; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14070746 - 27 Jun 2026
Viewed by 437
Abstract
Systemic innovation is restructuring global industrial competition. This study focuses on the relationships between local product standards, firm internationalization, and radical innovation. Using panel data of Chinese listed manufacturing firms from 2005 to 2017, this paper empirically examines how local product standards shape [...] Read more.
Systemic innovation is restructuring global industrial competition. This study focuses on the relationships between local product standards, firm internationalization, and radical innovation. Using panel data of Chinese listed manufacturing firms from 2005 to 2017, this paper empirically examines how local product standards shape corporate radical innovation and its underlying mechanisms, as well as the moderating role of firm internationalization. The results show that local product standards facilitate radical innovation through three key channels: regional knowledge spillovers, fair market competition, and cross-regional market integration. Firm internationalization positively strengthens the innovation-promoting effect of local product standards. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis suggests that such beneficial effects are more salient for firms with low digital transformation, weak business credit, and those in non-high-tech industries. Full article

Review

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27 pages, 5572 KB  
Review
Does AI Reconfigure Production Management? Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis
by Lorant Bucs, Anna Bucs, Viorica-Mirela Ştefan-Duicu and Cristina Nicolau
Systems 2026, 14(8), 885; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14080885 - 23 Jul 2026
Viewed by 432
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping production management by enabling data-driven optimization, predictive decision-making, and more adaptive operational systems across manufacturing. With research activity in this area growing rapidly, the literature is fragmented; thus, understanding the current reconfigurations of production management driven by [...] Read more.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping production management by enabling data-driven optimization, predictive decision-making, and more adaptive operational systems across manufacturing. With research activity in this area growing rapidly, the literature is fragmented; thus, understanding the current reconfigurations of production management driven by AI has become difficult, though necessary. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of scientific publications (n = 439) on AI in production management published between 2016 and 2026. Research was conducted through an adapted selection process guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to ensure transparency, while data were analyzed using VOSviewer and complementary statistics, combining keyword co-occurrence mapping, subject area classification, and country and author collaboration networks. Findings indicate an increase in research activity, with computer science, engineering and telecommunications emerging as the primary foundations of the field. The analysis identifies three interconnected thematic directions: AI-enabled smart manufacturing and operational optimization, including scheduling, production planning, predictive maintenance, and quality control; sustainability- and resilience-oriented production and supply chain transformation; and digital twin-based, human-centered, and knowledge-driven production systems. Moreover, international collaboration patterns show a highly globalized research landscape led by Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway and South Korea. Overall, bibliometric patterns suggest an emerging framing of AI in production management research which needs more attention and further development. Full article
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