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Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation from the Perspective of Sustainable Business Models

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: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 13587

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peng Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF5 2QL, UK
Interests: sustainability; innovation; entrepreneurship; green finance
Dr. Bo Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
Interests: sustainability; human resources management; innovation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In an era marked by environmental challenges and resource scarcity, it is essential to explore how sustainable business models can be driven by and contribute to entrepreneurship and open innovation. Sustainability has positive externality, so classical market solutions (patenting, copyright, etc.) may fail in promoting sustainable innovation. Therefore, open innovation plays a crucial role; it encourages organizations to collaborate with external stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, research institutes, and NGOs to foster sustainable practices and address environmental challenges. By involving diverse perspectives and expertise, it can promote the co-creation and diffusion of sustainable solutions and technologies.

This Special Issue brings together cutting-edge contributions from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and industry experts to explore the theoretical foundations, empirical evidence, and practical implications of entrepreneurship and open innovation in the context of sustainability.

Authors are encouraged to submit original research articles, case studies, and conceptual papers that provide theoretical insights, empirical evidence, and practical implications for sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation. Submissions should demonstrate rigorous methodology, interdisciplinary perspectives, and relevance to the field of sustainability. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable entrepreneurship: investigating how entrepreneurs integrate sustainability into their business models, create sustainable value propositions, and contribute to sustainable development goals.
  • Open innovation: examining how open innovation approaches and collaborations foster sustainable innovation, knowledge sharing, and the development of sustainable products, services, and technologies.
  • Circular economy and business models: exploring how entrepreneurship and open innovation contribute to the transition from a linear to a circular economy, including the design of circular business models and the implementation of circular supply chains.
  • Social and inclusive entrepreneurship: analyzing the role of social entrepreneurs and inclusive business models in addressing social and environmental challenges, promoting social equity, and creating shared value.
  • Technological advancements: investigating the impact of emerging technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things, cloud computing, and 3D printing on the design and implementation of sustainable business models.
  • Sustainable finance: exploring the roles of green finance and other financial instruments in supporting sustainable business models, projects, and innovations.
  • Policy and institutional frameworks: examining the role of policies, regulations, and institutional support and identifying barriers and enablers for their implementation.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Peng Zhou
Dr. Bo Zhang 
Guest Editors

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

  • entrepreneurship
  • innovation
  • knowledge sharing
  • sustainable business model
  • circular economy
  • sustainable finance
  • social equity
  • policy framework

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1380 KiB  
Article
Green Entrepreneurship for Business Sustainability: Do Environmental Dynamism and Green Structural Capital Matter?
by Khaled Tekala, Sarvnaz Baradarani, Ahmad Alzubi and Ayşen Berberoğlu
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5291; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135291 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4588
Abstract
With the appearance of rising environmental challenges, businesses are increasingly recognizing the imperative of adopting sustainable practices. Within this context, the concept of green entrepreneurship has emerged as a pivotal force driving environmentally responsible innovation and economic growth. Employing Green Theory, this study [...] Read more.
With the appearance of rising environmental challenges, businesses are increasingly recognizing the imperative of adopting sustainable practices. Within this context, the concept of green entrepreneurship has emerged as a pivotal force driving environmentally responsible innovation and economic growth. Employing Green Theory, this study examines the impact of green entrepreneurship (GEN) on business sustainability (BS) through the mediation role of green structural capital (GSC) and the moderation influence of environmental dynamism (ED). Using a quantitative research approach, 443 owners and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (e.g., wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, building materials, and scientific, professional, and technical activity enterprises) in Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey, were surveyed using both on site and electronic questionnaires. The data from the study were statistically analyzed using SPSS V.27 and structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings of this study show that green entrepreneurship (GEN) significantly enhances business sustainability (BS) and green structural capital (GSC), with GSC serving as a vital mediator in the GEN-BS relationship; however, environmental dynamism (ED) does negatively moderate the GEN-BS relationship, indicating that GEN’s positive impact on BS is accentuated under lower environmental uncertainties. Additionally, ED’s moderation effect is observed in the GEN-BS relationship via GSC, particularly under conditions of reduced dynamism, underscoring the nuanced role of environmental factors in sustainable entrepreneurship. The findings demonstrate green entrepreneurship and structural capital as key drivers for SME sustainability amidst environmental fluctuations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation from the Perspective of Sustainable Business Models)
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24 pages, 4690 KiB  
Article
Design Options for Sustainable and Open Business Models: A Taxonomy-Based Analysis
by Franziska Mais and Thomas Bauernhansl
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4790; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114790 - 4 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1285
Abstract
The imperative for decarbonization forces businesses to transform their business models (BMs) and to adopt Sustainable Business Models which focus on creating value sustainably. In the context of Sustainable Business Model Innovation, maintaining close relationships within ecosystems is crucial to ensure a sustainable [...] Read more.
The imperative for decarbonization forces businesses to transform their business models (BMs) and to adopt Sustainable Business Models which focus on creating value sustainably. In the context of Sustainable Business Model Innovation, maintaining close relationships within ecosystems is crucial to ensure a sustainable transformation while preserving competitiveness. As corporate boundaries become more transparent, the importance of external resources increases, leading to a shift from closed to open business models (OBM). In OBMs, stakeholders, including customers, actively co-create innovation and value creation. Our research investigates how integrating these approaches can shape BMs that effectively address decarbonization drivers and tackle the required business model innovation. We conducted a structured literature review to develop a taxonomy that outlines 64 design options across nine dimensions for sustainable, open BMs. In conclusion, this study provides sustainable and open design options, classified into detailed taxonomies. The practical applicability of this taxonomy was demonstrated through a use case classification, providing a foundation for companies and further research into designing and implementing these BMs in the context of decarbonization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation from the Perspective of Sustainable Business Models)
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23 pages, 693 KiB  
Article
Cross-Border E-Commerce and Urban Entrepreneurial Vitality—A Quasi-Natural Experiment Evidence from China
by Qigang Yuan, Yongsheng Ji, Wei Zhang and Ting Lei
Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 1802; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051802 - 22 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2195
Abstract
Cross-border e-commerce, as a new form of trade driven by digital technology, provides an opportunity to enhance the entrepreneurial vitality of cities. With the help of the comprehensive pilot area for cross-border e-commerce, also called a “quasi-natural” experiment, and using 2010–2020 panel data [...] Read more.
Cross-border e-commerce, as a new form of trade driven by digital technology, provides an opportunity to enhance the entrepreneurial vitality of cities. With the help of the comprehensive pilot area for cross-border e-commerce, also called a “quasi-natural” experiment, and using 2010–2020 panel data and Chinese business enterprise registration data for 278 cities in China, this paper examined the impact of cross-border e-commerce on enterprise vitality. The study found that the pilot policy in the comprehensive pilot area promoted the entrepreneurial vitality to increase by about 13.3%, and it remained stable after a series of tests. The heterogeneity analysis shows that the pilot policies in the comprehensive pilot areas have a stronger effect on the promotion of enterprise vitality in the eastern and western regions. At the same time, the pilot policy has expanded the scope of enterprise subjects and plays a more prominent enterprise incentive effect in small and medium-sized cities, cities with low innovation, and small and medium-sized registered enterprises. In addition, the pilot policy stimulates the entrepreneurial vitality of the service industry, but has no significant impact on agriculture and manufacturing. In terms of the influence mechanism, the comprehensive pilot area mainly affects the entrepreneurial vitality by means of optimizing the business environment, reducing the entry cost, promoting the synergistic agglomeration of manufacturing and producer services, and stimulating market demand. The further spatial spillover effect found that the comprehensive pilot area not only improves the entrepreneurial vitality of the pilot cities, but also radiates the enterprise development of neighboring and surrounding cities with similar economic development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation from the Perspective of Sustainable Business Models)
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19 pages, 790 KiB  
Article
Digitalization in Entrepreneurship: Unveiling the Motivational and Demographic Influences towards Sustainable Digital Sales Strategies
by Samuel Plečko, Polona Tominc and Karin Širec
Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16150; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316150 - 21 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2883
Abstract
Digitalization is incrementally transforming business practices, particularly in sales and digital marketing, although the factors motivating entrepreneurs to adopt digital technologies in sales strategies remain underexplored. Consequently, the aim of our research is to identify the factors that influence the use of digital [...] Read more.
Digitalization is incrementally transforming business practices, particularly in sales and digital marketing, although the factors motivating entrepreneurs to adopt digital technologies in sales strategies remain underexplored. Consequently, the aim of our research is to identify the factors that influence the use of digital technologies in sales. This research elucidates the interplay between demographics and entrepreneurial motivations, utilizing data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, involving 464 entrepreneurs in Slovenia and Croatia, analyzed through logistic regression. Notably, demographic factors, including gender, age, and education, do not significantly influence digitalization adoption in sales strategies. Among entrepreneurial motives, only the aspiration “to make a difference in the world” propels entrepreneurs towards considering digital sales approaches, while other motivations do not have a significant influence. Despite extensive studies on demographic factors influencing digital technology adoption, a consistent trend is conspicuously absent, necessitating an intricate examination of various dimensions of digital business transformation. Furthermore, our findings underscore that, while digitalization is acclaimed for enhancing companies’ profitability, entrepreneurs motivated by altruistic goals demonstrate a pronounced proclivity to integrate digitalization into sales, signifying that digitalization’s pragmatic utility extends beyond merely amplifying profitability and growth, insinuating a more integrative role in sculpting sustainable entrepreneurial practices and business models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation from the Perspective of Sustainable Business Models)
26 pages, 1337 KiB  
Article
The Impact of User Benefits on Continuous Contribution Behavior Based on the Perspective of Stimulus–Organism–Response Theory
by Zhongyuan Sun, Di Hu, Xuming Lou and Yucheng Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14712; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014712 - 10 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1280
Abstract
With the rapid development of the Internet, enterprises have integrated internal and external innovation resources through the establishment of open innovation communities, guided users to participate in innovation activities, and promoted product improvement and development. Users’ continuous contribution behavior is a key factor [...] Read more.
With the rapid development of the Internet, enterprises have integrated internal and external innovation resources through the establishment of open innovation communities, guided users to participate in innovation activities, and promoted product improvement and development. Users’ continuous contribution behavior is a key factor for open innovation communities to achieve sustainable development, yet most communities do not collect enough data on them. This study investigates the mechanism of user benefits on continuous contribution behavior in open innovation communities based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) theory, which creatively takes self-verification as a member of the organism (O). This was chosen to overcome the aforementioned issues. Based on the questionnaire data of 469 users in open innovation communities, the SEM method was applied to test the relationship between user benefits, self-verification, and continuous contribution behavior, and the moderating role of future work self-salience on self-verification. The empirical results show that user benefits positively affected both continuous contribution behavior and self-verification. Self-verification positively affected continuous contribution behavior and mediated the relationship between economic, functional, and self-fulfillment benefits and continuous contribution behavior. Meanwhile, future work self-salience positively moderated the relationship between these three types of benefits and self-verification. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the sustainable development of open innovation communities and guiding users to engage in continuous contribution behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation from the Perspective of Sustainable Business Models)
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