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Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology

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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 June 2022) | Viewed by 53531

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Dr. Uwe Riss

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Institute of Information and Process Management, OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Rosenbergstrasse 59, 9001 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Interests: digital transformation; digital business; business in the context of artificial intelligence; innovation management for business models; value of digital services; digital customer journey

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Digitalization has become one of the new driving forces of economic development in Europe and worldwide (Evangelista 2014). More and more companies are recognizing that information technologies offer them vast new opportunities and that it is dangerous to ignore them. These new economic perspectives go beyond merely increasing efficiency—their influence becomes apparent in the better use of available resources and increased participation of people in value generation via new crowd models or platforms. This not only means potential economic growth but an equally huge potential to increase sustainability. As an example, the crowd or sharing economy provides the means to increase environmental sustainability by making better use of the resources already available (Görög 2014). We can observe a clear connection between the level of digitalization and the level of environmental sustainability, as Isensee et al. (2020) found in an investigation of SMEs.

If we look at the three dimensions of sustainable management, which are the economic, ecological, and social dimensions (Orth et al. 2020), we find the significant influence of digitalization in all three. In economic terms, digitalization leads to longer and more interactive customer relationships, which enhances the long-term perspectives of companies. In environmental terms, digital technologies and business models help us to make better use of our natural and societal resources. In social terms, participation via crowd platforms and co-creation of all kinds can lead to increased social interaction and community behavior if we use them in the right way.

To further develop these dimensions, we invite authors to submit original contributions, either based on thorough theoretical work or analysis of empirical data, that concern the following and related topics:

Sustainable business through information technologies
Digital business model innovation and sustainability
Sustainable business through digitalization
Sustainable management via digital platforms and co-creation
Digital platforms and ecosystems
Saving resources via platforms and sharing
Digital resource management

References:

Evangelista, R., Guerrieri, P, Meliciani, V. The economic impact of digital technologies in Europe. Econ. Innov. New Technol. 2014, 23, 802–824.

Görög, G. The Definitions of Sharing Economy: A Systematic Literature Review. Management 2018, 13, 175–89.

Isensee, C., Teuteberg, F., Griese, K. M., Topi, C. The relationship between organizational culture, sustainability, and digitalization in SMEs: A systematic review. J. Clean. Prod. 2020, 122944. Doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122944

Orth, R., Holger K., Mila G. Sustainable corporate development: a resource-oriented approach. In Knowledge, People, and Digital Transformation, Matos F. et al., Eds.; Springer, Cham, 183-206.

Dr. Uwe Riss
Guest Editor

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Keywords

digital business
information technology
platform business
sharing economy
digital sustainability
digital participation

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 2811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Inclusive Finance, Environmental Regulation, and Regional Economic Growth: An Empirical Study Based on Spatial Spillover Effect and Panel Threshold Effect

by Rijia Ding, Fenfen Shi and Suli Hao

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4340; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074340 - 06 Apr 2022

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 3774

Abstract

The development of digital financial inclusion has added a new vitality to economic growth, and environmental regulation is an important tool to achieve sustainable economic growth. Therefore, whether there is a synergistic effect between these two factors of economic growth is a topic worth exploring. This paper uses the space econometric model and threshold model to explore the impact of digital financial inclusion and environmental regulation on regional economic growth using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces, collected between 2011 and 2019. The research results prove that the development of digital financial inclusion and the improvement in the intensity of environmental regulation have a significant direct promotion effect and negative spatial spillover effect on regional economic growth. Moreover, the two have a significant synergistic effect on regional economic growth. A panel threshold analysis showed that, with the improvement in the level of digital financial inclusion, the regression coefficient of environmental regulation changed from negative to positive, which played a significant role in promoting regional economic growth. The heterogeneity analysis found that digital inclusive finance in eastern regions of China plays a greater role in promoting the economy, whereas environmental regulation in the central region plays a greater role in promoting the economy. The synergy between the two in the central region greatly promotes economic development. When digital inclusive finance is used as the threshold variable, environmental regulation in eastern and western regions has a single-threshold effect on regional economic development. Based upon these research results, this paper proposes that a coordination mechanism between digital financial inclusion and environmental regulation should be established to give full play to their synergies in sustainable economic growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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21 pages, 4108 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on Temporal Effects of Different Types of Mobile Application Updates

by Feiyan Lin, Jing Zhao and Maomao Chi

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1487; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031487 - 27 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2233

Abstract

The sustainability of market performance of mobile applications (apps) updates is a vital goal for e-commerce firms to continuously innovate for products and functions. E-commerce firms must formulate effective app update strategies and tackle the temporal uncertainties associated with different types of app updates. However, the existing literature on app updates mainly focuses on the effects of update frequency. At the same time, scant attention has been paid to clarifying the temporal effects of different types of app updates. Accordingly, based on the framework of exploration vs. exploitation, we investigate the temporal effects of different kinds of app updates on market performance in the hypercompetitive context of online travel mobile applications. We collected data on release notes and downloads of seven Chinese online travel apps available from the Android Market from April 2013 to January 2015; conducted structured content analysis to identify different types of app updates; and adopted the feasible generalized least-squares (FGLS) estimation to test our model. We found that exploitative app updates have an instant and continuous positive impact on market performance, while explorative app updates have no significant effect in the short term but will have a positive effect on market performance in the long term. Moreover, competition intensity shortens the duration of the positive effect of exploitative app updates and delays the time that explorative app updates have to take effect. By studying the different impacts that two types of app updates have on market performance from a time dimension, this study helps resolve the mixed findings on the effects of app updates and guides e-commerce firms on how to effectively formulate app update strategies in a hypercompetitive context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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29 pages, 514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Searching for New Technology Acceptance Model under Social Context: Analyzing the Determinants of Acceptance of Intelligent Information Technology in Digital Transformation and Implications for the Requisites of Digital Sustainability

by Ierei Park, Donggeun Kim, Jungwook Moon, Seoyong Kim, Youngcheoul Kang and Sangseok Bae

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 579; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010579 - 05 Jan 2022

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 9404

Abstract

Intelligent information technology (IIT) based on AI and intelligent network communication technology is rapidly changing the social structure and the personal lives. However, IIT acceptancefrom various perspectives still requires extensive research. The research question in this paper examines how five factors—psychological, technological, resource, risk perception, and value factors—influence IIT acceptance. Based on an analysis of survey data, it was first found that the acceptance rate of IIT itself was generally very high. Second, in terms of IIT acceptance, among twenty-five predictors, voluntariness (+), positive image of technology (+), performance expectancy (+), relative advantage (+), radical innovation (+), and experience of use (+) were found to have significant effects on the IIT acceptance. Third, in addition to technological factors, psychological factors and risk perception factors also played an important role in individuals’ decisions regarding IIT acceptance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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19 pages, 433 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synergistic Effect between China’s Digital Transformation and Economic Development: A Study Based on Sustainable Development

by Min Zhao, Rong Liu and Debao Dai

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13773; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413773 - 14 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3070

Abstract

Developing rapidly over the long term makes it easy for a developing country to fall into the middle-income trap, which can only be solved by a new technological revolution. The deep integration of digital technology and industry has gradually become a new impetus to promote the sustainable development of China’s economy. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces and cities from 2010 to 2019, this paper analyzes the coupling coordination relationship between digital transformation level and economic development in China by the entropy method, coupling coordination degree model and spatial autocorrelation model. The results show that the following: (1) from 2010 to 2019, the comprehensive index of China’s digital transformation and economic growth level showed an upward trend, and the development level showed a gradual decline in eastern–middle–western regions; (2) the level of coupling and coordination between China’s digital transformation and economic growth has been increasing each year. Except Guangdong Province, all provinces have shown digital lag coordinated development, and it is necessary to strengthen their economic sustainability; (3) the coupling and coordination degree of digital transformation and economic growth in China shows a remarkable spatial correlation and agglomeration. High–high agglomeration areas are mainly concentrated in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and Yangtze River Delta regions, low–low agglomeration areas are concentrated in northeast and western regions, and low–high agglomeration areas and high–low agglomeration areas are concentrated in southeast provinces. It is suggested that China should strengthen its regional balance in the future, let digital technology continue to lead the development of eastern developed regions, and transform and promote the traditional economy in other regions, overtaking in corners and enhancing the sustainable development of the overall layout of China’s economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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22 pages, 1429 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Does Digital Transformation Improve Organizational Resilience?—Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA

by Jichang Zhang, Jing Long and Alexandra Martina Eugenie von Schaewen

Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11487; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011487 - 18 Oct 2021

Cited by 75 | Viewed by 13678

Abstract

Digital transformation has become a critical path for enterprises to improve organizational resilience, and has been widely considered by both academia and business practice. However, the extant literature focuses on the concepts and antecedents of digital transformation and the outcomes of digital transformation, lacking of exploring the effect mechanism of digital transformation of enterprises on organizational resilience. Based on the perspective of dynamic capacity and the theoretical path of “digital transformation—ambidextrous innovation—organizational resilience”, this study constructs a theoretical model to explore a path where digital transformation affects both exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation, and further affects the organizational resilience of enterprises. By performing a questionnaire investigation with 339 Chinese enterprises, this study adopted both a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the relationships among digital transformation, ambidextrous innovation, and organizational resilience. The results show that the digital transformation of enterprises helps to improve organizational resilience. Additionally, digital transformation has a positive impact on the organizational resilience of enterprises mediated by both exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation. Finally, both exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation of enterprises have a positive impact on organizational resilience, and there is a complementary relationship between exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation. Further qualitative comparative analysis also shows that there are three types of configurations for achieving organizational resilience: digital transformation and exploitative innovation, digital transformation and exploratory innovation, and exploitative innovation and exploratory innovation. The paper is concluded by highlighting the importance of the practical significance for enterprises to effectively carry out digital transformation and further achieve organizational resilience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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21 pages, 979 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Individual Dimension of Digital Innovation: The Altered Roles of Innovation Agents and Market Actors

by Haneen Allataifeh and Sedigheh Moghavvemi

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8971; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168971 - 11 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2733

Abstract

Digital innovation entails the employment of new technologies to address business issues and to create practices that lead to the achievement of sustainability. It is observed that digital technology alters the individual dimension of the innovation process, allowing for a set of heterogenous actors to become active engagers in the process. A review of the previous research revealed a lack of focus on the roles these different actors play in the digital innovation process, as well as the mechanisms by which digital technology facilitates actor engagement, calling for research to shed some light on this topic. This phenomenological study undertakes an exploratory investigation of twenty-one Malaysian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, with the aim to demonstrate the importance of engaging market actors in each stage of the value co-creation process. Interviews with industry players show the shifted role of market actors in the innovation process—from product receivers to gatekeepers—at different stages of the innovation process. Market actors are extensively engaged in validating and evaluating the progress of ongoing digital innovation projects and, therefore, can modify their direction. Meanwhile, the role of innovation agents changes from an authoritative to reflective one. This study provides evidence that market actors are in a controlling position at certain points of the innovation process. As such, the view of the innovation process as being company-centric is challenged by the findings of this research. We provide new information regarding innovation practices, the roles of key actors, and their value in the digital context, which can serve as valuable knowledge for both academics and practitioners. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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21 pages, 2019 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Human Capital in Digital Economy: An Empirical Analysis of Central and Eastern European Countries from the European Union

by Adriana Grigorescu, Elena Pelinescu, Amalia Elena Ion and Monica Florica Dutcas

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2020; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042020 - 13 Feb 2021

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 6782

Abstract

The hypercompetitive global economy of the 21st century is a hub of innovation, technology, talent, skills, speed, efficiency, productivity, and satisfaction. Within this context, the organizations are looking intensely for people with skills and talents that can differentiate themselves in all that noise. The human capital became slowly but surely a mean of efficiency and growth, especially through the premises of digitization, and a key issue of sustainability. The current research is meant to identify and highlight any correlations that might appear between the population’s welfare of 11 Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) which are members of the European Union (EU), and the components of the digitization trend, including the new human cloud industry, ICT, and the connectivity to the Internet of Things. In order to achieve the needed insights, the multiple regression analysis was employed, and the latter tested the panel models with fixed effects, both from a temporal and country perspective. The results showcased a positive connection between the dependent and independent variables, confirming that the digitization of the economy and the developed human capital will ultimately lead to the increase of population’s welfare. Moreover, the findings are consistent with specific insights for each of the 11 CEECs, showing that digitization and the influence of human capital is differentiated across the latter in terms of their overall effect and amplitude. The research is limited by the timeframe and countries included in the study, and it can be furthered by determining the impact of digitization on the economies of the EU28 countries grouped by level of development, and by using other significant indicators for analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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20 pages, 949 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Product Monetary Value, Product Evaluation Cost, and Customer Enjoyment on Customer Intention to Purchase and Reuse Vendors: Institutional Trust-Based Mechanisms

by Ni Wayan Masri, Athapol Ruangkanjanases and Shih-Chih Chen

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010172 - 26 Dec 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3405

Abstract

This study develops a model based on perceived effectiveness of e-commerce institutional mechanisms (PEEIM) and trust-based mechanisms to explain how PEEIM, product monetary value (MV), product evaluation cost (PEC), and enjoyment influence trust online vendor (TV) and how they affect purchase intention (IP) and reuse intention (IR) in e-shopping. The study is based on a survey of 293 online shoppers in Taiwan. Results show that monetary value, product evaluation cost, and customer enjoyment have a positive relationship with trust in online vendors, and a positive indirect and significant relationship on intention to purchase and reuse the products or service in the e-shopping environment. However, PEEIM does not have indirect effects on the customer’s intention to purchase and reuse the products or services through the influence of trust online vendor if the influence of PEEIM on customer trust online vendor is low and no significant effects, but PEEIM does have significant direct effects on a customer’s purchase and reuse intention. In addition, PEEIM has two constantly indirect relationships with a customer to purchase and reuse intention the product or services through the influence of customer enjoyment and customer trust in online vendor relationships. The study contributes important theoretical and practical implications for scholars and e-commerce providers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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18 pages, 831 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influences of Reference Group on Users’ Purchase Intentions in Network Communities: From the Perspective of Trial Purchase and Upgrade Purchase

by Shuiping Ding, Jie Lin and Zhenyu Zhang

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10619; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410619 - 18 Dec 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6549

Abstract

Reference group is an important factor influencing users’ purchase in the network communities. The reference group’s influences involve informative influence and normative influence, and users’ purchases are divided into the trial purchase and upgrade purchase. In different purchases, users have different product information, consumer experience, and purchase attitudes, making different responses to the reference group. Thus, a research model of reference groups’ influences on users’ purchase intentions from the perspective of trial purchase and upgrade purchase is constructed. The model and hypotheses are tested by analyzing 349 valid questionnaires. The results indicate that both informative and normative influences have significant positive effects on users’ trial purchase intentions. Informative influence has a significant positive effect on users’ upgrade intentions, while the normative influence on users’ upgrade purchase intentions is not significant. Both informative influence and normative influence have significant positive effects on trust in the product. Trust in the product has a significant positive effect on trial purchase intentions, but its effect on upgrade purchase intentions is not significant. Purchase involvement positively regulates the relationship between informative influence and trial purchase intentions and negatively regulates the relationship between informative influence and upgrade purchase intentions. The results further enrich the theoretical system of users’ purchase behaviors in a virtual environment. The research can also have important implications for network communities wishing to improve online marketing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management of Digital Business and Information Technology)

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