Sustainable Business: Innovation, Projects and Networks
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 April 2023) | Viewed by 5237
Special Issue Editors
Interests: innovation management; business networks; organisational change; sustainable innovation
Interests: quality system; environmental management; lean production; Industry 4.0
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We invite you to participate in this Special Issue entitled “Sustainable Business: Innovation, Projects and Networks”. The pursuit of sustainable business is pushing firms to undertake innovative activities. This development requires, on the one hand, the exploration of new products and markets, and on the other hand the adoption of new organizational configurations and mechanisms. Therefore, sustainable development is acting as a key driver for change in business and this represents a new challenge for firms of different sizes and sectors, both with private or public ownership.
The design and implementation of sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) requires undertaking a transition process, whose management is characterized by strong complexity in terms of strategic decision-making and organizational solutions. Companies show a great variety of choices and behaviours, allocating resources on marketing initiatives, changing R&D goals and structures, involving partners—suppliers, customers, knowledge brokers—with an increasing “open innovation” approach. Moreover, the adoption of standards and guidelines (i.e., ISO 14000, SA 8000, ISO 26000) enables organisations to manage and communicate sustainability initiatives undertaken and directed at environmental management, human rights, social welfare, and anti-corruption effort. Development of sustainable business is concerned not only with economic performance but also environmental and social performance, which is becoming imperative for businesses across the world. Firms are under intense pressure from various stakeholders to address the issues of sustainability and adopt a triple bottom line approach. However, the current research field on SOI is still in an early stage and very fragmented.
We are pleased to invite you to submit your contributions in the research field of the proposed topic. There is an urgent need for a better understanding of the main drivers and processes leading firms to successfully undertake innovative activities, allowing for the transition to sustainable policies and practices. We believe that it is necessary to highlight and explore in more depth the main mechanisms and processes—and the underlying factors—combining both the intra and inter-organisational perspectives. Therefore, contributions on key innovation processes—related to sustainable business—such as new product/process development, digital transformation, marketing/sales integration, service development are welcome. We are interested in research placing emphasis on specific organizational mechanisms—such as projects, organizational interfaces, alliances, and formal/informal networks—supporting SOI processes.
In this Special Issue, original research articles—based on both qualitative and quantitative methodologies—and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Innovation processes leading to sustainability;
- Organizational change and sustainable practices;
- Design and management of sustainability-oriented projects;
- Role of innovation networks in promoting sustainable businesses;
- Role of digitalization in sustainability;
- Role of specific business functions (e.g., Purchasing, Marketing/Sales, R&D) and inter-functional interaction;
- Market orientation and sustainable innovation;
- Sustainable consumption and innovation;
- Impact of the institutional environment (standards/guidelines) on the pursuit of sustainability;
- The development of sustainable-oriented innovation in public–private partnerships.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
References
Adams, R., Jeanrenaud, S., Bessant, J., Denyer, D. & Overy, P. (2016). Sustainability-oriented innovation: a systematic review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 18, 180–205.
De, D., Chowdhury, S., Dey, P. K., & Ghosh, S. K. (2020). Impact of lean and sustainability oriented innovation on sustainability performance of small and medium sized enterprises: a data envelopment analysis-based framework. International Journal of Production Economics, 219, 416-430.
Fagerberg, J. (2018). Mobilizing innovation for sustainability transitions: A comment on transformative innovation policy. Research Policy, 47(9), 1568-1576.
Jiang, Z., Wang, Z., & Zeng, Y. (2020). Can voluntary environmental regulation promote corporate technological innovation?. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(2), 390-406.
Kamboj, S., & Rahman, Z. (2017). Market orientation, marketing capabilities and sustainable innovation: The mediating role of sustainable consumption and competitive advantage. Management Research Review, 40(6), 698-724.
Mousavi, S., Bossink, B., & van Vliet, M. (2018). Dynamic capabilities and organizational routines for managing innovation towards sustainability. Journal of cleaner production, 203, 224-239.
Ren, S., He, D., Yan, J., & Zeng, H. (2021). Environmental Labelling Certification and Firm Environmental Innovation: The Moderating Role of Firm Ownership and Local Government Intervention. Journal of Business Research, 140, 556-571.
Sarfraz, M., Ivascu, L. , Abdullah, M., Ozturk, I., and Tariq, J. (2022), Exploring a Pathway to Sustainable Performance in Manufacturing Firms: The Interplay between Innovation Capabilities, Green Process, Product Innovations and Digital Leadership. Sustainability, 14(10), 5945.
Tura, N., Keranen, J., & Patala, S., 2019. The darker side of sustainability: tensions from sustainable business practices in business networks. Industrial Marketing Management, 77, 221-23.
Dr. Alessandro Pagano
Dr. Federica Murmura
Dr. Elisabetta Savelli
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- sustainable innovation
- sustainable organizations
- sustainable-oriented networks
- sustainability standards
