Business Model Innovation Paths of Manufacturing Oriented towards Green Development in Digital Economy

Abstract

China’s manufacturing industry has been confronted with the issue of extensive development with high input, high consumption, and high emissions for a long time, and its green development is the key to reaching carbon neutrality in China. Under the digital economy, business model innovation is the fundamental means of the green development of manufacturing enterprises. Four representative listed companies in China’s manufacturing were selected as typical cases for the case study. Through open, axial, and selective coding that is based on proceduralized grounded theory, this study profoundly explores business model innovation paths of the manufacturing industry oriented towards green development in the digital economy following the research logic of “green development orientation–business model innovation process–business model innovation result”. Moreover, this study further compares the differences among paths and discusses each path’s effectiveness and applicable conditions. Results show that: (1) Four green business model innovation paths are revealed based on the four green development orientations: efficiency-oriented path, value-oriented path, user-oriented path, and ecology-oriented path. (2) Different enterprises pursue distinct business model innovation paths. The scientific premise for enterprises to opt for the optimal innovation path is the matching of upgrading demands, existing conditions, and path characteristics. Ultimately, the following policy implications are offered: First, promote the green innovation of business models in the manufacturing industry. Second, consider enterprises’ heterogeneity and implement differentiated support policies. This study can serve as theoretical support and decision-making reference for business model innovation and green development in manufacturing enterprises.

Synergistic Evolution of China’s Green Economy and Digital Economy Based on LSTM-GM and Grey Absolute Correlation

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Research on the coupling mechanism and influencing factors of digital economy and green technology innovation in Chinese urban agglomerations

“…A mutually reinforcing coupling relationship exists between the digital economy and green technology innovation. The digital economy has increased the value-added and improved the efficacy of innovation in green technology 32 . Initially, the digital economy alleviates financial limitations for projects affiliated with green technology innovation.…”

Configurational paths to the green transformation of Chinese manufacturing enterprises: a TOE framework based on the fsQCA and NCA approaches

“…However, only exploring and analyzing the linear or nonlinear relationship between these antecedent factors and the green transformation of enterprises cannot truly clarify the mechanism through which multiple antecedent factors connect and drive this transformation. Regarding research on the green transformation of manufacturing enterprises, most scholars equate enterprise green technological innovation with enterprise green transformation and choose to use methods such as system dynamics 5 or case studies for research 6 . In fact, enterprise green technological innovation is only one part of enterprise green transformation.…”

“…Research on “what combination of factors can improve the level of green transformation of manufacturing enterprises” belongs to a complex causal relationship problem, while configuration thinking focuses on “multiple causes and one result”, which helps to explain multiple concurrent causal complexity problems. The mixed use of fsQCA (fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis) and NCA (necessary condition analysis) has been widely carried out to study the results of multiple antecedent factors working together 6 . It is an ideal method for analyzing the linkage of various factors, such as technology, the organization, and the environment, on the green transformation of manufacturing enterprises.…”