Digital sustainable business model innovation: applying dynamic capabilities approach (DSBMI-DC)

Abstract

Purpose How to respond to social and environmental concerns while pursuing economic goals remained a dilemma for today’s businesses. Besides, the digital revolution has profoundly changed people's lifestyles, turning out the challenge of how to present products and services to the new generations of consumers through emerging digital channels. To overcome these challenges, a business needs to rely on its internal capabilities but must make them dynamic and modify them, when necessary, in response to or anticipation of external changes. This study aims to propose a model for business model innovation (BMI) with the goal of pursuing sustainability and adapting to the changes of the digital age pursuing dynamic capabilities principles. Design/methodology/approach This study followed a mixed-method design, using meta-synthesis in its first phase (qualitative) and interpretive structural modelling in its second phase (quantitative). Findings The proposed model consists of four layers including approach, aspect, dimension and component. Based on quantitative results, the 16 dimensions were categorised in four main levels of “sustainable computing”, “sustainable execution”, “sustainable engagement” and “sustainable results”. Considering sustainability and digital transformation as main change drivers for contemporary businesses, this paper proposes a novel framework in the field of BMI. Originality/value The results of this study suggest that BMI requires not only proper business design based on social and environmental sustainability and digital transformation requirements but also attention to a new component called sustainable engagement, which represents the need for engaging with social and environmental issues in addition to customers.

Digital Transformation as a Driver of Sustainability Performance—A Study from Freight and Logistics Industry

“…Addressing this gap in the literature could be of significant use to businesses and other organisations by providing valuable insights into how they can develop and implement new processes and products or services that result in improved efficiency, effectiveness, competitiveness, and value creation while significantly improving social and environmental performance [25]. Although current research has identified a number of factors which facilitate innovation in sustainability [26,27], there is, as yet, no explicit examination of the broad issue of how innovation in sustainability affects ESP. Currently, the majority of research has a relatively narrow focus, looking at how a specific innovation, such as green packaging, impacts sustainability [28][29][30].…”