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SMEs in Industry 4.0: Collaborative Networks in the Value Chain...
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SMEs in Industry 4.0: Collaborative Networks in the Value Chain and Sustainable Development

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: 25 May 2024 | Viewed by 4837

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Sonia Benito Hernández

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agrarian Economics, Statistics and Business Management, Polytechnic University of Madrid, 28042 Madrid, Spain
Interests: SMEs; Industry 4.0; collaborative networks; sustainable practices; SME competitiveness; CSR in SMEs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The effects of the fourth industrial revolution have reached the industry. Industry 4.0 was born to respond to an interconnected environment committed to flexible and efficient production, the integration of the consumer into innovation processes, collaborative value chains and better adaptation to the environment (Martínez Simarro, 2016). These can undoubtedly contribute to creating more sustainable processes and products. However, in SMEs, Industry 4.0 is being implemented slower than in larger companies, due, among other reasons, to a lack of resources.

This Special Issue aims to explore through different contributions the ways in which these companies can attract resources: both training and advice, technical and financial. The study of belonging to collaborative networks within the value chain, characteristic of the new Industry 4.0, is proposed to share information, resources and knowledge. Widespread access to information offered by products has increasingly forced these small businesses to associate themselves with values such as transparency, security and personalization. The value chain must be able to meet the demand of a flexible and sustainable consumer, since today’s society is increasingly concerned about responsible consumption, and its demands on food producers and distributors in this regard are growing old.

A project was developed within the framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, its objective intended to cover SDG12, i.e., to guarantee sustainable consumption and production patterns. Great progress has been achieved on this topic, but this SDG is also one which the EU’s 27 member states scored, on average, as the second lowest in the global ranking, with much work yet to be realized. 

Prof. Dr. Sonia Benito-Hernández
Guest Editor

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 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 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

  • SMEs
  • Industry 4.0
  • Collaborative networks
  • Sustainable practices
  • SME competitiveness
  • CSR in SMEs

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 887 KiB  
Article
Consumer Willingness-to-Pay for Sustainable Coffee: Evidence from a Choice Experiment on Fairtrade and UTZ Certification
by Nesrine Merbah and Sonia Benito-Hernández
Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3222; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083222 - 12 Apr 2024
Viewed by 405
Abstract
Sustainability labels serve as crucial instruments facilitating the presentation of credible product attributes, enabling consumers to assess various aspects of sustainability in their purchasing decisions. This study aims to evaluate consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for sustainable certifications, specifically Fairtrade and UTZ [...] Read more.
Sustainability labels serve as crucial instruments facilitating the presentation of credible product attributes, enabling consumers to assess various aspects of sustainability in their purchasing decisions. This study aims to evaluate consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for sustainable certifications, specifically Fairtrade and UTZ certification, within the coffee sector in Spain. Employing the choice experiment approach, an online survey involving 547 Spanish consumers was conducted, and a conditional logit model was estimated. The findings indicate that consumers exhibit positive utility towards both sustainability labels examined. Furthermore, the results reveal that consumers are willing to pay a premium of EUR 1.481 per 250 g for the Fairtrade label and EUR 1.379 per 250 g for the UTZ label. The proposed model offers an initial insight into willingness to pay for sustainable coffee in Spain. These results furnish valuable insights for the coffee sector in crafting effective marketing strategies to bolster initiatives promoting sustainable production practices and expanding market access for certified coffee products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SMEs in Industry 4.0: Collaborative Networks in the Value Chain and Sustainable Development)
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26 pages, 1962 KiB  
Article
Streamlined Resilient Post-COVID-19 Supply Chain in Industry 4.0: A Case Study on Romania
by Alexandru Ionescu, Ana Maria Mihaela Iordache, Alexandra Andreea Mironescu and Vlad Gabriel Cârstea
Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16606; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416606 - 06 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1446
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitization of the logistics industry, exceeding the expectations of some companies. Ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the online ordering and delivery process has major implications for their profitability and market position. This study aims to classify firms in [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitization of the logistics industry, exceeding the expectations of some companies. Ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the online ordering and delivery process has major implications for their profitability and market position. This study aims to classify firms in the logistics sector based on their financial accounting performance and determine if software designed for the logistics sector can improve their performance. By using advanced data analysis methods such as cluster analysis and neural network training, the study identifies three distinct classes. One company from a lower class was given a scenario for implementing digitization, improving its performance indicators, and enabling its movement to a higher class. The practical implications of the study are related to the domestic and international business environment, providing an overview of the logistics sector in Romania and a direction for growth for companies operating in the sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SMEs in Industry 4.0: Collaborative Networks in the Value Chain and Sustainable Development)
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15 pages, 273 KiB  
Article
Technology Transfer Centers as Support Instruments for SMEs—Comparative Analysis of Poland and Malaysia
by Maciej Woźniak, Marek Matejun, Fadhlur Rahim Azmi, Mior Harris Mior Harun and Fazlena Hamzah
Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 15814; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152215814 - 10 Nov 2023
Viewed by 914
Abstract
The goal of the paper is to compare technology transfer centers in Poland and Malaysia. Therefore, the authors decided to use the comparative analysis method. The findings show that technology transfer and commercialization efforts both in Poland and Malaysia are on the right [...] Read more.
The goal of the paper is to compare technology transfer centers in Poland and Malaysia. Therefore, the authors decided to use the comparative analysis method. The findings show that technology transfer and commercialization efforts both in Poland and Malaysia are on the right track. This demonstrates the universities’ persistent dedication to turning research and innovative ideas into concrete products, as seen by the university’s sustained growth in total product commercialization. It emphasizes the critical role that they play in promoting technological transfers, particularly for SMEs. The paper contributes to the macroeconomics theory in the area of public policy. Furthermore, it also provides insights into the theory of incentives, particularly in the field of non-financial support. The findings could be of interest to policymakers on macro and micro levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SMEs in Industry 4.0: Collaborative Networks in the Value Chain and Sustainable Development)
18 pages, 1311 KiB  
Article
Family SMEs in Poland and Their Strategies: The Multi-Criteria Analysis in Varied Socio-Economic Circumstances of Their Development in Context of Industry 4.0
by Barbara Siuta-Tokarska, Justyna Juchniewicz, Małgorzata Kowalik, Agnieszka Thier and Elwira Gross-Gołacka
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14140; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914140 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1300
Abstract
The growing importance of family businesses in the global economy is related to the specificity of their activities, the increase in their contribution to GDP creation or providing jobs. It prompted the authors of this article to research these particular entities belonging to [...] Read more.
The growing importance of family businesses in the global economy is related to the specificity of their activities, the increase in their contribution to GDP creation or providing jobs. It prompted the authors of this article to research these particular entities belonging to the small business. Considering the different economic conditions caused by the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aim of the work was to examine and identify the strategies implemented among family enterprises from the SME sector in Poland in the period immediately preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (2018–2019) and during this pandemic (2020–2021). It was achieved through analyzing the literature of the subject, development of our own research method, analyzing the results of primary research, presenting conclusions and making recommendations for science and economic practices. The authors formulated research hypotheses verified within the framework of the conducted research. The research is of a pioneering nature and was designed in such a way as to present the similarities and differences between the classes of enterprises under study (micro, small and medium-sized), as well as the research periods in terms of the development strategies applied by them. In this respect, appropriate research methods were selected. The study combined qualitative methods (critical analysis of existing explanations of the concept and essence of family enterprises; review of the literature on enterprise development in the light of Industry 4.0) with quantitative methods (analysis of the taxonomy of structures based on the similarity index of the studied structures; comparative analysis by cross-tabulation). To perform the research thus planned, the authors’ study on the systematization of development strategies in family enterprises was adopted. Implementing strategies among family enterprises in the SME sector seems to be crucial in their development. As the results show, this is of particular importance in crisis periods. The pandemic crisis was particular, and the functioning of enterprises during it was problematic. Some of them had to suspend their activities, some ceased their operations altogether, and those that survived were successful. The path leading to this success was the specific development strategies that were implemented by the family businesses in the SME sector surveyed. It is therefore worthwhile, both from an academic point of view and from a business practice point of view, to learn about these strategies. The authors have identified and described them and presented the resulting conclusions for the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SMEs in Industry 4.0: Collaborative Networks in the Value Chain and Sustainable Development)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Investigating the role of prototyping in overcoming the challenges of digitalisation for manufacturing SMEs
Authors: David Mesa; Blair Kuys; Prem Prakash Jayaraman
Affiliation: Swinburne University of Technology

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