Integrating digital and sustainable entrepreneurship through business models: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

While research exploring the benefits and challenges of integrating sustainability and digitalization in new ventures has been on the rise, a comprehensive examination of the accumulated knowledge on this topic remains elusive. Addressing this gap, this study aims to identify the simultaneous focus on digitalization and sustainability aspects in entrepreneurship literature and to investigate how the business model perspective has been incorporated into these studies. Using a two-phase bibliometric analysis of 284 papers from 2005 to 2022 in the Web of Science database, this paper identifies the unique research clusters in the literature. The gathered data was subjected to co-occurrence, citation, co-citation, co-author, and bibliographic coupling analysis. The results reveal that while some studies prioritize digital entrepreneurship with minimal consideration of sustainability, others predominantly emphasize social impact and sustainable development, treating digitalization merely as a means to an end. Additionally, only a small group of scholars have surveyed business models in this context. This study not only offers valuable insights into current trends and patterns in digital sustainability, but also provides a framework and suggestions for scholars and entrepreneurs alike to navigate this evolving landscape. The findings especially highlight the need for business model thinking to connect the digital and sustainable features of entrepreneurship, for the creation of more diverse international scholar networks, and for the execution of in-depth empirical research that allows for the inquiry of particular relationships and mechanisms.