Search Results (246)

This study synthesizes the rapidly expanding evidence on how digital technologies reshape international trade, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Guided by two research questions—(RQ1) How do digital tools influence the volume and composition of cross-border trade? and (RQ2) How do these effects vary by countries’ development level and firm size?—we conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic literature review covering 2010–2024. Searches across eight major databases yielded 1857 records; after duplicate removal, title/abstract screening, full-text assessment, and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT 2018) quality checks, 86 peer-reviewed English-language studies were retained. Findings reveal three dominant technology clusters: (1) e-commerce platforms and cloud services, (2) IoT-enabled supply chain solutions, and (3) emerging AI analytics. E-commerce and cloud adoption consistently raise export intensity—doubling it for digitally mature SMEs—while AI applications are the fastest-growing research strand, particularly in East Asia and Northern Europe. However, benefits are uneven: firms in low-infrastructure settings face higher fixed digital costs, and cybersecurity and regulatory fragmentation remain pervasive obstacles. By integrating trade economics with development and SME internationalization studies, this review offers the first holistic framework that links national digital infrastructure and policy support to firm-level export performance. It shows that the trade-enhancing effects of digitalization are contingent on robust broadband penetration, affordable cloud access, and harmonized data-governance regimes. Policymakers should, therefore, prioritize inclusive digital-readiness programs, while business leaders should invest in complementary capabilities—data analytics, cyber-risk management, and cross-border e-logistics—to fully capture digital trade gains. This balanced perspective advances theory and practice on building resilient, equitable digital trade ecosystems. Full article

The effective design of logistics platform business models is an important means for platform-type logistics enterprises to gain a competitive advantage. This study employs RRS Logistics as a case study to clarify the dynamic environmental mechanisms of logistics platform business models from the perspective of value co-creation and build a novel structural framework for logistics platform business models with community at their core. The research findings are as follows: First, guided by the idea of “value positioning–value co–creation–value support–value maintenance–value capture”, the conceptual framework of business models is redefined. The key steps in designing logistics platform business models, which can provide guidance and assistance for different logistics platforms, are proposed. Second, the design process for logistics platform business models should be dynamically adjusted in real time according to changes and environmental uncertainty. Third, in the process of transitioning to an ecological platform, logistics platforms’ ecosystem service clusters and ecosystem envelope are key factors in achieving a win–win scenario for all the stakeholders in the community. The case studies show that in logistics platform business model design, methods and key steps based on value co-creation could enhance the core competitiveness of logistics platforms. Full article

Collaborative business ecosystems (CBEs) are increasingly exposed to disruptive events (e.g., pandemics, supply chain breakdowns, cyberattacks) that challenge organizational adaptability and value creation. Traditional approaches to resilience and robustness often fail to capture the full range of systemic responses. This study introduces a unified mathematical framework to evaluate four crisis response modes—plasticity, resilience, transformative resilience, and antifragility—within complex adaptive networks. Grounded in complex systems and collaborative network theory, our model formalizes both internal organizational capabilities (e.g., adaptability, learning, innovation, structural flexibility) and strategic interventions (e.g., optionality, buffering, information sharing, fault-injection protocols), linking them to pre- and post-crisis performance via dynamic adjustment functions. A composite performance score is defined across four dimensions (Innovation, Contribution, Prestige, and Responsiveness to Business Opportunities), using capability–strategy interaction matrices, weighted performance change functions, and structural transformation modifiers. The sensitivity analysis and scenario simulations enable a comparative evaluation of organizational configurations, strategy impacts, and phase-transition thresholds under crisis. This indicator-based formulation provides a quantitative bridge between resilience theory and practice, facilitating evidence-based crisis management in networked business environments. Full article

The global coffee supply chain is a complex multi-stakeholder ecosystem plagued by fragmented records, unverifiable origin claims, and limited real-time visibility. These limitations pose risks to ethical sourcing, product quality, and consumer trust. To address these issues, this paper proposes a blockchain and IoT-enabled framework for secure and transparent coffee supply chain management. The system integrates simulated IoT sensor data such as Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) identity tags, Global Positioning System (GPS) logs, weight measurements, environmental readings, and mobile validations with Ethereum smart contracts to establish traceability and automate supply chain logic. A Solidity-based Ethereum smart contract is developed and deployed on the Sepolia testnet to register users and log batches and to handle ownership transfers. The Internet of Things (IoT) data stream is simulated using structured datasets to mimic real-world device behavior, ensuring that the system is tested under realistic conditions. Our performance evaluation on 1000 transactions shows that the model incurs low transaction costs and demonstrates predictable efficiency behavior of the smart contract in decentralized conditions. Over 95% of the 1000 simulated transactions incurred a gas fee of less than ETH 0.001. The proposed architecture is also scalable and modular, providing a foundation for future deployment with live IoT integrations and off-chain data storage. Overall, the results highlight the system’s ability to improve transparency and auditability, automate enforcement, and enhance consumer confidence in the origin and handling of coffee products. Full article

Ensuring the safety and quality of perishable agrifood products throughout the supply chain is essential. Key parameters, such as temperature and humidity, must be consistently monitored to prevent spoilage, maintain nutritional value, and minimise health risks. Fluctuations in transportation conditions can compromise product integrity, leading to deterioration and an increased risk of foodborne illness. Monitoring agrifood supply chains is essential, from packaging to last-mile delivery. Distribution methods that rely on non-automated monitoring systems, such as manual temperature measurements, are error-prone due to the failure of manual treatments and increase the likelihood of product deterioration. Emerging sensor technologies and the rapid development of Information and Communication Technologies offer new possibilities for real-time tracking, enabling stakeholders to maintain optimal conditions and monitor aesthetic, physicochemical, and nutritional quality. This paper proposes a cost-effective temperature and humidity traceability system that utilises wireless sensor networks (WSN) and Internet of Things (IoΤ) services to monitor perishable products within the agrifood supply chain ecosystem. It also provides an overview of recent innovations in sensor technologies, along with food quality indicators relevant to real-time monitoring of food quality. The proposed research examines the available sensor technologies and methodologies that enable continuous monitoring of agrifood supply chains. Moreover, the paper presents a pilot full-scale project from both functional and technological perspectives. Full article

Healthy peatlands provide valuable ecosystem services. Peat extraction damages peatlands, leading to carbon emissions. One of the main reasons for peat extraction is for use in horticulture. Replacing peat with recycled organic materials in horticulture is critical to preserve the valuable ecosystems provided by peatlands and to establish more circular supply chains that are reliant on recycling rather than extraction. Despite the strong policy commitment and budget allocation to restore peatlands, the demand for peat-based growing media remains high and drives most of the peat demand. In our research, we mapped the growing media supply chain, held semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders representing different interests, and surveyed amateur gardeners in the UK to understand the bottlenecks experienced by each profile in ending peat use and how to overcome them. We employed semi-structured key expert surveys to understand the supply chain dynamics and consumer demand, informed by these early interviews and the previous literature, we prepared and distributed an online consumer survey and interviewed supply-side stakeholders to understand their perspectives. The findings indicate that the barriers of availability, cost, and performance are shared between the supply-and-demand-side stakeholders. A portfolio of financial, educational and logistic interventions is required to simultaneously support the supply side to accelerate the transformation of production and supply patterns and to aid the demand side to adapt to growing with compost of recycled organic materials. The policies promoting recycled organic material use in horticulture must be coordinated within the UK and with other parts of Europe focusing on the elimination of the peat content in products rather than peat extraction to avoid extraction and the associated destruction of peat stocks elsewhere. Full article

In response to the growing prevalence of tariffs as instruments of economic policy and strategic competition, this paper introduces a formal mathematical framework for optimizing counter-tariff strategies. We model the global trade ecosystem as a multi-layered, directed, weighted hypergraph, where vertices represent countries, industries, and subindustries, and hyperedges capture complex trade relationships and supply chain dependencies. The proposed framework employs bilevel optimization techniques to maximize strategic impact on target economies while minimizing self-inflicted economic costs. Through integration of graph theory, spectral analysis, and multilevel optimization methods, we develop a rigorous formalism that enables policymakers to identify optimal counter-tariff portfolios under various constraints. Our model explicitly accounts for industrial interdependencies, where export competitiveness depends on imported inputs, thus providing a more realistic representation of global value chains. Case studies applying our model to historical trade disputes demonstrate its capacity to generate superior strategic outcomes compared to conventional approaches. The framework’s axiomatic foundation allows for rapid recalibration in response to shifting economic conditions and policy objectives. Full article

Environmental sustainability constitutes a strategic priority for Germany, with the circular economy serving a crucial function in its realization. Circular practices foster sustainable development by decreasing reliance on finite resources, minimizing waste, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The circular economy provides ecological advantages and strengthens economic resilience through the promotion of innovation, enhancement of supply chain efficiency, and creation of green jobs. Complementary measures, including the preservation of natural capital, the enactment of structural economic reforms, and the implementation of environmental taxes, enhance sustainability objectives. Ecosystem conservation enhances carbon absorption, structural changes facilitate low-emission industries, and environmental taxes incorporate environmental costs. In contrast, industrial activity continues to be a significant contributor to GHG emissions, necessitating policy examination. This study analyzes the relationships between the circular economy, natural capital, structural change, environmental taxation, and industrial activities on GHG emissions in Germany from the first quarter of 2010 to the fourth quarter of 2022. The study employs wavelet coherence analysis (WCA), fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), demonstrating that circular economy practices, natural capital, structural changes, and environmental taxes significantly reduce GHG emissions. Conversely, industrial activities continually elevate GHG emissions in Germany. Moreover, WCA further reveals the time–frequency dynamics and co-movement patterns between key variables and GHG emissions, enabling the detection of both short-term and long-term dependencies. The results indicate that enhancing environmental sustainability in Germany could be effectively achieved by mandating the integration of recycled materials within key industrial sectors to improve environmental sustainability, which would help lower resource extraction and related GHG emissions. Full article

This entry reviews the evolution from Digital Twins (DT) to Predictive Digital Twins (PDT) and Digital Triplets (DTr), culminating in Predictive Digital Ecosystems, which focus on economic and financial decision-making. It discusses historical developments, technical foundations, practical applications, ethical and regulatory challenges, and future directions. The overview integrates mature knowledge from engineering, data science, and economic domains to provide a structured reference framework for understanding and deploying Predictive Digital Ecosystems. Full article

The latest research highlights the need for circularity in modern industrial supply chains, which is reflected in the decisions of European and global policymakers, as well as in the strategies of major stakeholders. Digital Twins are considered a principal catalyst in the transition to circularity, while real-world, accurate and timely data is a key factor in these supply chains. This emphasis on data highlights the central role of data analytics in extracting key insights and utilizing machine learning to propose sustainability initiatives in decentralized production ecosystems. In consequence, commercial solutions are being developed; however, a single solution might not address all requirements. In this work we present a comprehensive modular, scalable and secure analytics architecture, designed to expand the available components in commercial solutions by providing an intelligent layer to Digital Twins. Our approach integrates with the latest standards for international data spaces, interoperability and process models in distributed environments where multiple actors engage in co-opetition. The proposed architecture is implemented in a market-ready solution and demonstrated in two case studies, in Spain and in Greece. Validation results confirm that the analytics service delivers accurate, timely and actionable insights, while following open communication standards and sustainability guidelines. Our research indicates that companies implementing digital twin solutions using standardized connectors for interoperability can benefit by customizing the proposed solution and avoiding complex developments from scratch. Full article

The increasing emphasis on integrating sustainability into corporate operations has prompted supply chain managers to incorporate not only economic objectives but also environmental and social considerations into their network designs. This study presents a structured six-stage methodology to develop a fuzzy multi-objective optimization model for the sustainable design of a multi-level, multi-product forward supply chain network. The model incorporates two conflicting objectives: minimizing total network costs and reducing environmental impact. To quantify environmental performance, a comprehensive life cycle assessment is conducted in accordance with the ISO 14040 standard and the ReCiPe 2016 method, focusing on three impact categories: human health, resources, and ecosystems. To address uncertainty in demand and production costs, fuzzy mixed-integer linear programming is employed. The model is validated and applied to a real-world case study of a dairy small-to-medium enterprise in Ecuador. Using the epsilon-constraint method, a Pareto frontier is generated to illustrate the trade-offs between the economic and environmental objectives. This research provides a robust decision-making tool for uncertain environments and advances knowledge on the integration of life cycle assessment with supply chain optimization and network design methodologies for sustainable development. Full article

Digital transformation (DT) has become a crucial driver of competitiveness in the shipping industry. However, many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) encounter barriers that result in digital transformation dead zones (DTDZs), where digital initiatives stagnate or fail to achieve the expected outcomes. This study investigates the key factors contributing to digital stagnation specifically within Vietnamese shipping SMEs, adopting the lens of the dynamic capabilities theory (DCT)—a framework that emphasizes firms’ abilities to sense opportunities, seize them, and reconfigure resources to maintain competitiveness in rapidly evolving environments. The DCT provides a dynamic and process-oriented perspective on how organizations adapt to technological change by building flexible and integrative capabilities. Based on quantitative data collected from 588 respondents across the Vietnamese shipping sector, the study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to empirically assess the relationships among critical digital transformation variables. The findings reveal that inadequate sensing capabilities and a lack of data analytics are the most significant barriers, limiting firms’ ability to identify and act on digital opportunities. Additionally, limited ecosystem collaboration and supply chain fragmentation further exacerbate digital inertia. While poor reconfiguration capabilities and weak seizing capabilities also contribute to digital stagnation, their effects are comparatively weaker. The study offers theoretical contributions by extending the DCT, the resource-based view (RBV), and the ecosystem theory to the maritime sector, emphasizing the interplay between organizational, technological, and external barriers. Practical implications highlight the need for strategic investments in data analytics, ecosystem collaboration, and adaptive leadership to overcome digital stagnation. Full article

Digital agriculture has rapidly developed in the last decade in many countries where the share of agricultural production is a significant part of the total volume of gross production. Digital agroecosystems are developed using a variety of IT solutions, software and hardware tools, wired and wireless data transmission technologies, open source code, Open API, etc. A special place in agroecosystems is occupied by electronic payment technologies and blockchain technologies, which allow farmers and other agricultural enterprises to conduct commodity and monetary transactions with suppliers, creditors, and buyers of products. Such ecosystems contribute to the sustainable development of agriculture, agricultural engineering, and management of production and financial operations in the agricultural industry and related industries, as well as in other sectors of the economy of a number of countries. The introduction of crypto solutions in the agricultural sector is designed to create integrated platforms aimed at helping farmers manage supply lines or gain access to financial services. At the same time, there are risks of illegal use of computing power for cryptocurrency mining—cryptojacking. This article offers a thorough risk assessment of cryptojacking attacks on endpoint systems, focusing on identifying critical vulnerabilities within IT infrastructures and outlining practical preventive measures. The analysis examines key attack vectors—including compromised websites, infected applications, and supply chain infiltration—and explores how unauthorized cryptocurrency mining degrades system performance and endangers data security. The research methodology combines an evaluation of current cybersecurity trends, a review of specialized literature, and a controlled experiment simulating cryptojacking attacks. The findings highlight the importance of multi-layered protection mechanisms and ongoing system monitoring to detect malicious activities at an early stage. Full article

The development of the supply chain’s outsourcing and globalization has intensified the requirement for sustainable transport. The evaluation of the transport providers’ maturity, which is crucial to all and any achievements in this context, is hampered by a myriad of factors ranging from the transport ecosystem complexity, self-contradictory and unverifiable data and the ceaseless march of modern technology. This study argues for an agile and smart approach to evaluate the maturity level of transport providers, particularly for high-risk areas like hazardous materials transport. Such models should include holistic analysis frameworks of all performance indicator measurement systems with their data collection methods and technology tools to be employed. The need to involve all stakeholders within the supply chain is said to require diverse collaboration. With regard to the solution, collaborative participation between transport providers and relevant institutions is vital to reduce the environmental impacts and improve the efficiency of the entire sector. Full article

The convergence of blockchain and metaverse technologies is poised to redefine how Global Value Chains (GVCs) create, capture, and distribute value, yet scholarly insight into their joint impact remains scattered. Addressing this gap, the present study aims to clarify where, how, and under what conditions blockchain-enabled transparency and metaverse-enabled immersion enhance GVC performance. A systematic literature review (SLR), conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, screened 300 articles from ABI Global, Business Source Premier, and Web of Science records, yielding 65 peer-reviewed articles for in-depth analysis. The corpus was coded thematically and mapped against three theoretical lenses: transaction cost theory, resource-based view, and network/ecosystem perspectives. Key findings reveal the following: 1. digital twins anchored in immersive platforms reduce planning cycles by up to 30% and enable real-time, cross-border supply chain reconfiguration; 2. tokenized assets, micro-transactions, and decentralized finance (DeFi) are spawning new revenue models but simultaneously shift tax triggers and compliance burdens; 3. cross-chain protocols are critical for scalable trust, yet regulatory fragmentation—exemplified by divergent EU, U.S., and APAC rules—creates non-trivial coordination costs; and 4. traditional IB theories require extension to account for digital-capability orchestration, emerging cost centers (licensing, reserve backing, data audits), and metaverse-driven network effects. Based on these insights, this study recommends that managers adopt phased licensing and geo-aware tax engines, embed region-specific compliance flags in smart-contract metadata, and pilot digital-twin initiatives in sandbox-friendly jurisdictions. Policymakers are urged to accelerate work on interoperability and reporting standards to prevent systemic bottlenecks. Finally, researchers should pursue multi-case and longitudinal studies measuring the financial and ESG outcomes of integrated blockchain–metaverse deployments. By synthesizing disparate streams and articulating a forward agenda, this review provides a conceptual bridge for international business scholarship and a practical roadmap for firms navigating the next wave of digital GVC transformation. Full article