Sustainable Technology and Entrepreneurship最新文献

This study posits that technology actors and stakeholders hold different intentions for sustainability interests. This dissimilarity between sustainability intentions determines the strategic choice of materiality setting adopted when disclosing non-standardized (i.e. non-financial) data to the public in order to reach unbiased sustainability decisions. Inherently, non-standardized data is contextually specific and dynamic, especially in the technology innovation and venturing contexts. Materiality should have rationality and detailed characterization; as such, highly visible sustainability values and concomitant challenges can be addressed thoroughly. Based on institutional and social psychology perspectives, this study proposes a materiality characterization model that connects four thematic dimensions: reflexivity, proximity/immediacy, centrality, and materiality morality. The materiality characterization model helps to determine materiality contents and disclose collective sustainability interests in technology advancement and entrepreneurship. To investigate this connection, we conducted industrial interviews in over 13 technology-innovation and technology-venturing cases, and we applied a recursive induction analysis to make conclusions based on the findings. The results indicate the importance of sustainability materiality for social dialogues – a bottom-up social governance for technology advancement. In conclusion, we affirm that the characterization model acts as a meta-technology to propel sustainable innovation and venturing.

Entrepreneurs working to tackle marine challenges are contributing to the Blue Economy by developing new technologies, services and products that can simultaneously stimulate economic growth and deliver environmental benefits. We study a subset of these blue entrepreneurs focused on marine plastic pollution mitigation, since little is known about the business models deployed and their associated drivers and barriers in this emerging industry. We utilize a multiple case study approach to analyze the business models of 96 startups working to manage marine plastic and identify four business model categories: 1) consumer targeted solutions, 2) government and business solutions, 3) companies focused on value chain development, and 4) startups that generate revenue to fund plastic waste recovery. These four BMs differ in how they create environmental benefits, as well as their economic value capture or revenue models. We then conducted 19 interviews with entrepreneurs (20% of the sample) and six experts to understand the conditions that support or hinder business model development. We find that entrepreneurial challenges and motivations associated with starting a new business are experienced by all companies, regardless of the business model chosen. Other relevant drivers include the availability of financing early on in business development, a supportive culture and positive and constructive market response. Challenges include competition from less sustainable businesses that may negatively influence the legitimacy of the industry, as well as slow government responses. Finally, we propose recommendations for policy makers to encourage blue entrepreneurship and for practitioners to prepare for identified barriers and predict avenues of support.

The study examines sustainable digital transformation aspects, comprehensively unpack their nature and implications to digital marketing firms’ ambidexterity. Sustainable digital transformation building blocks are discussed in detail. It further identifies and delineates sustainable growth strategies for digital marketing firms in order to successfully transform digitally. Business Model Theory (BMT) has been used as the theory informing the current study and is based on the PRISMA methodology. Sustainable digital transformation is influenced by a variety of factors and as a process, it is triggered by digital disruption which forces digital firms to seek for value creation and structural changes. Systematic literature review period was from January 2012 to April 2022 (ten year time gap). A conceptual modelling framework has been developed for future research to test and validate its applicability and relevancy to similar studies to the current one. Future researchers are encouraged to consider alternative methodologies to examine sustainable digital transformation within a longitudinal research design.

Bangladesh produces 3 million metric ton (MMT) of e-waste, including ship-breaking yards, each year. The leachate from dumped e-waste contains toxic heavy metals and organics that are detrimental to animals, humans, and the environment. The proper legislation and systematic e-waste management strategies have not yet been established in Bangladesh. This study reported the upgradation of the e-waste policies, e.g., the Factory Act, 1965 to Hazardous Waste (e-waste) Management, 2021 of the government of Bangladesh (GoB). A field survey was conducted for an in-depth understanding of the current scenario of e-waste management in Dhaka and Chittagong and total e-waste streamflow has been presented. The usage trend of electronic products (cell phones, refrigerators, television, computers, and air conditioners), the average lifetime of these products, and knowledge of e-waste were explored by the face-to-face questionnaire-based interviews. Cell phones were found to be the significant contributors to e-waste in Bangladesh. The study suggests that systematic e-waste management policies can improve the total scenario. An integrated e-waste recycling facility based on life cycle analysis (LCA) and materials flow analysis (MFA) must be introduced. The recycling process has been discussed, and recommendation has been pointed out for Bangladesh. Based on the study, printed circuit boards (PCBs)-based metal recovery business model from mobiles and computers worth $1 billion/yr by 2030 has been proposed. State-of-the-art technologies in recycling plants and disposal site selection criteria are essential factors for the safer management of e-waste in Bangladesh. Environmental awareness has to be developed for a sustainable and long-term e-waste management system.

The entrance of sustainable and digital technologies into urban entrepreneurship is a new approach that provides a fertile ground for innovation in businesses. Hence, businesses use new models and methods of entrepreneurship in the context of smart cities to increase their capability and become more sustainable, which leads to their development and expansion. This research aims to investigate the effects of urban entrepreneurship on sustainable businesses in smart cities considering the role of digital technologies. The statistical population of this study is all active technology-based firms located in Tehran in 2022. Then, according to Cochran's formula, 315 firms were selected randomly as the sample. This research is an applied and descriptive-survey research and is quantitative in terms of the type of collected data. The data were analysed using Smart PLS 3 software, structural equation modelling (SEM), and the partial least squares methods. As a result, research findings show that urban entrepreneurship creates and develops the studied firms in both quantitative and qualitative aspects by using and benefiting from digital technologies considering the new needs of cities and achieving business sustainability in smart cities.

The concept of sector coupling has been gaining increased momentum in political discourses during the past few years but it has only recently received the attention of international academics. The private sector is particularly relevant to foster sector coupling through entrepreneurial action – specifically, innovative business models for more sustainable technologies are needed to promote a transition towards more sustainability. So far, however, the literature on business models from a sector coupling perspective is scarce yet strongly emerging. To address the identified research gaps and enhance the current knowledge on the emerging hydrogen vehicle industry and sector coupling, this study adopts a qualitative and exploratory research approach and builds on information gained in 103 semi-structured interviews to discuss emerging business models in Germany. In particular, 33 business cases have been analyzed. Anchoring business model theory to the concept of sector coupling, this study identifies 12 business model archetypes in the emerging hydrogen vehicle industry and its value chain. It can be shown that, while the market is still emerging and the market players are not defined and are evolving, companies are currently engaged in finding their position along the value chain, fostering vertical integration, and promoting cooperation between the different sectors. While this study is relevant for both the academia and the industry, it is particularly interesting for policy makers shaping the future of sustainable development, specifically considering integrated energy systems.

Increasingly, firms need to cope with challenges related to sustainability and ecological transformation while also experiencing an ongoing transformation by implementing New Work forms, a trend even more accelerated by the Covid 19 pandemic. The current study submits the concept of an ‘Organizational Sustainability Identity’ (OSI). It represents a firm's holistic inclination toward sustainability and the ecological transformation. New Work, often understood to advance work satisfaction, creativity, and entrepreneurship might particularly facilitate the evolvement of an OSI, such as by providing more autonomous and humane work while lowering CO₂ emissions. We systematically examine New Work related to home offices, coworking spaces, and hybrid multilocal work at the backdrop of supporting the construction of an OSI. In essence, New Work can contribute to the evolvement of an OSI by improving humane work, bridging factual activities that reduce CO₂ emissions, and especially by supporting social interactions which facilitate the construction of a shared identity.

According to the research-based view of the firm, innovation is a key capability that can foster a sustainable competitive advantage and explain firm heterogeneity in export performance. However, few studies have focused on the effect of innovation on export performance in the context of low levels of innovation, which developing markets are characterized by. Since exports are considered the first market entry mode, it is critical to understand the effect of innovation on exports. In this paper, we test the effect of innovation on export performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Peru that have received government innovation subsidies, with a theoretical model that incorporates innovation inputs, innovation types, and performance. We test the model using partial least squares structural equation modeling from 237 SMEs. The findings show that government innovation subsidies, human capital, and cooperation have a positive effect on innovation types. Likewise, innovation types positively affect production and export performance. Production performance mediates the relationship between innovation types and export performance. This research article advances the study of innovation and export performance in an emerging market context, which are characterized by a weak innovation system and low investments on innovation. Likewise, it holds policy implications for both science, technology and innovation policy and foreign trade policy.

Mobility emerges as one of the axes on which cities base their response to the challenges of sustainability. It is a complex phenomenon where elements located at different levels interact, meaning that it is increasingly being studied from a multi-level perspective. There are numerous smart mobility initiatives around the world, although there are doubts about their generalisation. The purpose of this article is to stablish the configurations of elements that determine the degree to which a city is making changes to implement sustainable mobility solution, and to study if those are generalisable across continents. Based on the data of 60 cities from different continets provided by the Urban Mobility Readiness Index, the configurations of elements that explain both the transition towards the implementation of sustainable mobility solutions and the denial of this phenomenon are established, three in each case. QCA was applied to a model that use the multilevel perspective.The main contribution is that infrastructures maintain the pivotal role, although the joint presence of other elements is also required, including certain characteristics of the city, such as its innovative character, as well as a high population density. Individual experiences can be extrapolated between cities on different continents.

The world has changed considerably in the previous two decades. Today, people are facing extreme poverty, global warming, and unwanted climate changes. The economic gap between countries is continuously growing. Moreover, with the expanding influence of technology, governance is getting more difficult. To address these issues, the UN announced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also called Global Goals, in 2015. These goals fill in as an overall source of inspiration to annihilate poverty, protect the environment, and guarantee that all individuals live in harmony and thrive by 2030. The 17 SDGs are interconnected in that they recognize that activities in a single region sway result in others and that improvement should adjust to social, monetary, and natural sustainability. The SDGs intend to kill poverty, hunger, AIDS, and gender discrimination against women and girls. The COVID-19 epidemic, on the other hand, has hampered attempts to accomplish the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As a result, the impact of these SDGs must be thoroughly studied and analyzed. As a result, the purpose of this research is to examine the SDG before and after Covid-19, as well as how they have influenced various national and international markets. The research also assesses the 17 SDGs in each of India's 29 states in depth. Since SDGs have a larger scope, this paper predicts the SDG-9 scores of few countries like UAE, New Zealand, Japan, India, Germany, China, Bhutan, and USA.