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Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic

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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 (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 45588

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. JinHyo Joseph Yun

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Guest Editor

1. DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology), 333, Techno jungang-daero, Hyeonpung-eup, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, Republic of Korea
2. Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwank-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
Interests: open innovation; business model; open innovation economy; social open innovation; Schumpeterian dynamics; complexity; game theory; political economics
* Managing Guest Editor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Yuri Sadoi

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

Faculty of Economics, Meijo University, 1 Chome-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tenpaku Ward, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture 468-0073, Japan
Interests: management; economic policy; innovation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Valentina Della Corte

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Guest Editor

Department of Economics, Management and Institutions, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: inter-firm collaboration; strategic networks; coopetition; tourism management; dynamic capabilities; value creation and appropriation; value co-creation; industry 4.0; open innovation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. JungHyun Yoon

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Guest Editor

School of Business, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
Interests: SMEs performance; innovation; social sciences business, management and accounting energy environmental science decision sciences engineering multidisciplinary

Prof. Dr. Wookjoon Sung

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Guest Editor

Graduate School of Public Policy & Information Tech., Seoul National University of Science & Technology, 232 Gongneung-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-743, Korea
Interests: digital Innovation; public sector and government innovation; policy analysis and evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to include selected studies that contribute to our understanding of open innovation and business models for the sustainability of the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Special Issue will cover all special sessions of SOI 2021 and 2022 including Social Change & Entrepreneurship, Technology Management and Transfer & Commercialization, Climate Change and Sustainability, Open Innovation and Business Model in the Biomedical Industry, Organization Open Innovation, etc.

This Special Issue seeks to collect the top theoretical and empirical studies on open innovation economics, policy, engineering, and management, in addition to open business models, open service innovation, and others of the high-quality SOI 2021 and 2022 papers.

In addition to these papers, which were selected from SOI 2021 and 2022 special sessions, a total of 60–70 papers will be submitted to this Special Issue.

Time schedule of this Special Issue:

Special Issue Open: 10 June 2022

From 10 June 2022, any SOI 2022 authors in addition to the planned papers can submit to this Special Issue after full paper submission to the SOI 2022 platform and paying the registration fee until 10 June 2022.

Close: 31 December 2022

All papers should be submitted to this Special Issue by 31 December 2022.

Prof. Dr. JinHyo Joseph Yun
Prof. Dr. Yuri Sadoi
Prof. Dr. Valentina Della Corte
Prof. Dr. JungHyun Yoon
Prof. Dr. Wookjoon Sung
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

new open innovation for the sustainability of the economy
new business model for the sustainability of the economy
innovation diversity for the sustainability of the economy
new technology transfers to conquer the pandemic
tourism sector open innovation
financial open innovation and management
technological change and future work
open innovation in Japan under COVID-19
strategic digital transformation for the sustainability of the economy
rethinking business digitalization
common goods open innovation for the sustainability of the economy
new HRM after the pandemic for the sustainability of the economy
public sector innovation in the era of digital transformation
public policies and organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic
biomedical industry open innovation after the pandemic
AI-based open innovation

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 1814 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethical Responsibility of a Company in the Context of Digital Transformation of Work: Conceptual Model

by Angelina Roša (Rosha) and Liudmila Lobanova

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11365; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141811365 - 10 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3729

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to study the relationship between the elements of a company’s ethical responsibility and the outcomes of the digital transformation of work, considering the dynamic processes of open innovation. Based on the results obtained, the paper proposes a conceptual model to address the following research questions. How does the ethical responsibility of a company impact the digital transformation of work? How does the digitalization of work relate to the ethical responsibility of a company? How does open innovation advance the ethical responsibility of a company? The research follows the logic of the elaboration of a conceptual model. The theoretical novelty of the article is expressed in the fact that 25 criteria, through which the relationships between the studied concepts are manifested, were identified and systematized. To assess the significance of the criteria, a survey of experts was developed and conducted to obtain a diverse opinion. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W) and Pearson’s chi-squared were used to measure the level of agreement of the experts’ evaluation. A conceptual model established the relationship pathways as well as inbound and outbound flows, and highlighted the key findings of the research. Namely, the guiding role of open innovation as the external circumstances for corporate ethical responsibility, and the necessity to apply all elements of ethical responsibility to ensure the viable digital transformation of work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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19 pages, 3852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Emergency Road Network Determination for Seoul Metropolitan Area

by Seunghyun Choi, Jonggil Chae and Myungsik Do

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5422; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095422 - 30 Apr 2022

Viewed by 1403

Abstract

Recently, with the increased frequency of disasters, the demand for measures to secure the golden hour after disasters has been increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to plan and select road infrastructures for effective disaster response. The purpose of this study was to determine emergency road networks for rapid rescue, paramedical activity, and resource transfer in the event of an earthquake in Seoul (including nearby areas). Decisions were made to select a suitable emergency road network in Seoul based on the collection and management of earthquake-related data, grid-based quantitative evaluation of factors regarding demands during disasters and provision of response resources, link-based importance evaluation and grouping analysis, and results of grid and link evaluations. Analysis was first conducted on 16 types of disaster demands, including building, facility, demographic, and response resource-provision data. An expert survey was conducted, and each factor was weighted and integrated into the grid structure for grid-based analysis. Roads and bridges that could play critical roles in an earthquake were selected and grouped in the road network for link-based analysis. The final emergency road network was chosen based on the quantitative and qualitative results from the second and third stages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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19 pages, 827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Difference in Open Innovation between Open Access and Closed Access, According to the Change of Collective Intelligence and Knowledge Amount

by Jinhyo Joseph Yun, Zheng Liu, Euiseob Jeong, Sangwoo Kim and Kyunghun Kim

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2574; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14052574 - 23 Feb 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2147

Abstract

This study explored the differences in the effects of collective intelligence and references on open innovation between open and closed access journals. This study analyzed the moderating effect of references on the motivation of collective intelligence on open innovation from 2003 to 2006 and 2013 to 2016, considered to be the digital transformation era. The Scopus database on open and closed access journals was used for ordinary regression analysis. During the 2003–2006 period, only papers in closed access journals demonstrated sufficient effect of collective intelligence and reference on open innovation and the effective moderating role of reference. However, between 2013 and 2016, papers in open and closed access journals demonstrated the incentive effects of collective intelligence and references on citation and the moderating role of references on the correlation between collective intelligence and citation. The increase in digital transformation strengthens the collective intelligence and references of open access journals, and citations of open access journals nearly surpass those of closed access journals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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11 pages, 3330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Evolution and Determinants of Open Innovation: A Perspective from Patent Citations

by Yakun Ji, Xiang Yu, Minghan Sun and Ben Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1618; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031618 - 29 Jan 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3047

Abstract

The research of open innovation (OI) has developed considerably in recent years. In this article, a new perspective based on the patent citation network is provided to explore the dynamic evolution and mode of OI. In our framework of the OI network, enterprises are represented as nodes, and patent citations represent cross-organizational knowledge flow, which are ties in the network. The Driver Assistance System (DAS) was selected as the research case. Time-sliced patent citation networks are constructed, and then an exponential random graph model is employed to identify the formation mechanism of OI networks. The results show that the OI network of DAS is still partially open and at a low level. The inherent dominance of automakers may have been weakened, and new models and relationships in innovation activities are developing. In addition, heterogeneity in type and geographic proximity which significantly promote the formation of the open network was prevented, but the larger scale of the enterprise inhibited the OI network. R&D investment has no obvious impact. This research provides a new perspective to observe open innovation and helps stakeholders to better understand industry trends. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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26 pages, 1852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationship between Sustainable Management Activities and Financial Performance: Mediating Effects of Non-Financial Performance and Moderating Effects of Institutional Environment

by Yuhan Liu, Choo Yeon Kim, Eun Hwa Lee and Jae Wook Yoo

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1168; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031168 - 20 Jan 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6249

Abstract

The importance of corporate responsibility for society and environments is emphasized by increasing influence of firms on various stakeholders. Firms strengthen environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities, which are critical elements for sustainable management. However, there are inconsistent findings on the relationship between ESG activities and firms’ financial performance in prior studies because of the lack of full consideration of internal mechanisms and external conditions. To overcome this limitation, this study investigates the mediating effect of non-financial performance and the moderating effect of the institutional environment on the relationship between firms’ ESG activities and their financial performance in a unified moderated mediation model. Samples for empirical analyses were collected by a survey from 304 small and medium-sized Chinese manufacturers. The results of a mediation analysis reveal that each ESG activity has a positive effect on firms’ financial performance, and the impact of ESG activities on financial performance is completely mediated by non-financial performance. The results of a moderated mediation analysis further indicate that the mediating effect varies depending on the level of institutional pressure from the government, consumers, and competitors. The study suggests the need for interdisciplinary research in sustainable management and institutional theory and emphasizes the importance of sustainable management for performance improvement in a changing environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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24 pages, 2252 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Approach to Certification of Persons: Ensuring Reliability and Quality

by Maija Kavosa, Inga Lapina and Konstantins Kozlovskis

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1137; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031137 - 19 Jan 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1483

Abstract

Nowadays, sustainability issues are gaining more and more topicality in the context of improving organizational processes, including in the field of conformity assessment. In the field of certification of persons, competence assessment institutions have also become interested in using new approaches as the quality of assessment execution does not fully meet the requirements of stakeholders regarding the ability of a person to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in situations related to the professional activity. The aim of the research is to analyze the aspects of professional competence assessment related to the certification of persons and its performance according to the stakeholder requirements in order to develop a new sustainable approach to the process of certification of persons that would ensure the quality and reliability of its execution. Qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used to analyze the elements of the concept of certification of persons and the main elements of the concept of professional competence. As a result of the research, a new sustainable approach to certification of persons is offered, where certification of persons transforms from a conformity assessment procedure into a professional competence assessment process and ensures that a person’s ability is assessed not only in accordance with the industry requirements, but also with the stakeholder needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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17 pages, 1943 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Challenges of Uncertainty in Sustainable Strategy Development: Reconsidering the Key Performance Indicators

by Aija Medne, Inga Lapiņa and Artūrs Zeps

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 761; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020761 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2442

Abstract

The planning and development of the university strategy is closely linked to the university’s current performance, key priorities, and capabilities. A systematic literature review of factors that influence decision-making for strategy development has been applied in this research. To determine the external factors that influence strategic decision-making for universities nowadays there has been chosen a structure from the PESTLE analysis. The systematic literature review was limited to only higher education factor analysis. Based on the literature review, the authors have developed an approach for strategic direction evaluation and ongoing key performance indicator analysis. The approach is based on the Importance-Performance Matrix–IPA and developed further to include a comprehensive analysis of the strategic directions, organizational sources, and capabilities. An assessment of the university’s main strategic priorities with influencing factor analysis can be done using the developed approach adapted by the authors. It integrates the principles of resource-based strategy, key stakeholder engagement and creating shared value in the strategy development process. The adapted method was used in the 3rd generation university strategy development. The research contributes to the literature on a systematic approach development in the strategy evaluation process. This article puts emphasis on the resource-based view and key stakeholder involvement in the evaluation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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13 pages, 1379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Characteristics of Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions of Water Deer in Korea Expressway

by Hyomin Park, Minkyung Kim and Sangdon Lee

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13523; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413523 - 07 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2219

Abstract

In recent decades, rapid industrial growth has accelerated the construction of new roads, which has led to the destruction and isolation of wildlife habitats. Newly constructed roads affect wildlife in many ways. In particular, fatal wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) have a direct impact on wildlife. A substantial number of WVCs occur every year on expressways, where vehicle speeds and vehicle traffic are significant. However, our understanding of the relative importance of the factors associated with areas in which large numbers of WVCs occur on the expressway remains poor. Therefore, herein, we analyze the spatial characteristics of WVCs. The effect of spatial distribution on the occurrence of WVCs was analyzed using the types of land cover in the areas where water deer appear (Cheongju, Boeun, and Sangju) and the areas in which WVCs occur along the Cheongju–Sangju Expressway (CSE). We identified the WVC hotspots by using CSE patrol data recorded between January 2008 and December 2019, and we analyzed the corresponding distribution patterns and land cover characteristics. Along the CSE, a total of 1082 WVCs occurred, out of which collisions involving water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) accounted for 91%. Water deer appear frequently in Forested Areas and Agricultural Land, but the WVC distribution in the Hotspots followed a highly clustered pattern, with a higher proportion of WVCs occurring in Used Areas (areas including buildings such as residential facilities, commercial and industrial facilities, and transportation facilities). Used Areas have a smaller cut slope compared to Forested Areas, and Used Areas are open terrains. Therefore, the occurrence of WVCs will be high given that wildlife can easily access the expressway. Based on these results, we can infer that the landscapes near the expressway influence the occurrence of WVCs. To establish an effective policy for reducing WVCs on a road, the WVC characteristics and spatial distribution of the road should be considered together. Further research on the wildlife ecology and land-use status of WVC hotspots is required to mitigate WVCs on expressways and protect human and animal life. Therefore, if the characteristics of WVC hotspots are analyzed considering the characteristics of various ecosystems, an appropriate WVC reduction plan can be established. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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19 pages, 3678 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Destination Resilience and Innovation for Advanced Sustainable Tourism Management: A Bibliometric Analysis

by Valentina Della Corte, Giovanna Del Gaudio, Fabiana Sepe and Simone Luongo

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12632; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132212632 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5305

Abstract

Over the years, literature on the topic of destination resilience has gained increasing attention in different fields (strategic management; sociology; etc.). Therefore, the potentiality of resilience in the tourism field has stimulated the definition and the implementation of strategies, policies, and activities addressed to mitigate risks and seize opportunities through open innovation attitudes in times of crisis. This work aims to contribute to the debate on tourist destination resilience by proposing a conceptual framework of destination resilience and open innovation based on a bibliometric analysis. Moreover, this article is intended as a starting point for a wider discussion of factors that contribute to destination resilience and therefore provides the basis to develop a toolkit of matrixes and approaches. Findings reveal that resilience assessment, as well as in terms of performance, remain undiscovered. Moreover, the present research poses some unresolved questions, shaping interesting future research directions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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17 pages, 608 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying the Policy Direction of National R&D Programs Based on Data Envelopment Analysis and Diversity Index Approach

by Myoungjae Choi, Ohjin Kwon, Dongkyu Won and Wooseok Jang

Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12547; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132212547 - 13 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1359

Abstract

The Korean government has been continuously conducting diverse national R&D programs to discover new growth engines. The Republic of Korea is one of the countries with the largest investment in national R&D, but its efficiency was relatively low. In response, this study established a framework to identify the characteristics and direction of outstanding R&D programs. In this study, the performance of the R&D programs was identified in the sub-program unit. The efficiency of the national R&D program was analyzed using the data envelopment analysis model through the outputs of the national R&D programs such as papers and patents. However, patent and paper output would take time to be realized. Therefore, this study also calculated the diversity index of R&D programs to identify their potential expected performance. This study applied the suggested framework in the electric vehicle fields, which is one of the core growth engines of South Korea. A list of outstanding programs was identified from the National Institute of Science and Technology Information (NTIS) data. Additionally, this study also discovered the main technology areas and their current issues of outstanding and brand-new R&D programs. These results could contribute to suggesting the policy direction to conduct high-performance national R&D programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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15 pages, 422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Affecting Technology Transfer of Universities in the LINC (Leaders in Industry-University Cooperation) Program of Korea

by Seunghoo Jin and Kangwon Lee

Sustainability 2021, 13(18), 10027; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131810027 - 07 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1718

Abstract

The purpose of our study was to propose the measures necessary to promote industry-academic cooperation by investigating and analyzing factors affecting its performance Recently, the Korean government increased the budget available for industry-academic cooperation to help nurture industrial talent and promote industry-academic cooperation. In our study, the results of industry-academic cooperation for 48 universities that carried out the 5-year LINC development project from 2012 to 2016 were analyzed via panel analysis to identify any factors affecting the performance. Our analysis revealed that the organizational capabilities of the university—including the number of dedicated professors, the number of projects assigned, and the financial support—had a significant effect on technical commercialization. In addition, we found that the moderating effect of allied companies on the relationship between the organizational capabilities of universities and their technical commercialization was significant. However, the results of our analysis differed depending on university location. Universities in and around the Capital region benefited from their organizational capabilities and cooperation with allied companies. Based on the results of the analysis, we conclude that it is necessary to consider a variety of factors, including efficient support of the industry-academic cooperation budget and practical application of industry-academic cooperation systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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23 pages, 361 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Types of Government Support on Food SMEs Improve Innovation Performance?

by Harry Jeong, Kwangsoo Shin, Seunghyun Kim and Eungdo Kim

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9461; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13169461 - 23 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3045

Abstract

Since small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in economic development, the government implements various supports. Nevertheless, SMEs have difficulties in gaining a competitive advantage in the market owing to lack of capital and capacity. Accordingly, SMEs try to secure a competitive advantage through innovation. Government support is necessary for the innovation of SMEs, and it is essential for food SMEs as well. Whether government support for firms can affect firm’s innovation is still a matter of debate. In particular, it is necessary to empirically investigate the relationship between government support and innovation for SMEs in latecomers to the food industry such as Korea. Therefore, this study conducted an empirical study on the factors that determine the innovation performance of food SMEs by government support. This study used a two-stage regression model. The government support does not unilaterally affect innovation performance, but rather, an endogeneity problem occurs through the interaction between them. This study examined the interrelationships between variables for a clear estimate of government support. Before two-stage regression, this study used the ordered logistic regression to determine the instrumental variables. Each instrumental variable was estimated for the seven types of government support that are normally implemented. The result suggests that the government certification support is effective in improving the innovation performance of food SMEs. This study is useful to establish innovation strategies for supporting food SMEs’ innovation in late-coming countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

19 pages, 329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Impact of Social Responsibility on Poverty

by Egle Jakunskiene

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9395; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13169395 - 21 Aug 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3156

Abstract

Being one of the open social innovations of business entities, social responsibility is taking an important role in our society. It not only contributes to the improvement of the financial indicators of business entities, but also has a significant impact on the economic development of countries and the creation of well-being of the society members. The business contribution to environmental and social initiatives influences various economic processes and, at the same time, affects the level of poverty in countries. The purpose of this thesis is to review the concept of social responsibility and its content after the analysis of the scientific literature, and to assess the impact of social responsibility on poverty indicators after an empirical study. The assessment was performed by using the methods of analysis of the scientific literature, mathematical–statistical analysis, comparative analysis, correlation analysis, as well as by studying the presented statistical data at the level of the three Baltic States — Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The conducted research manifested a significant impact of the business units operating in the production sector on the employed people who are at the brink of poverty, by categorizing them by sex, age, and education. The research revealed the negative impact of the business social responsibility that is directed towards the environment field on the poverty rates of older age (65+) residents, due to the installation of new equipment and technologies. Additionally, business investments mostly affect people with secondary, and lower than secondary, education. The influence of the actual pollution amount in the production sector, to ensure the financial stability of the society, was observed. The research results are significant not only to the Baltic region, but to other economies that are seeking to reduce the poverty level in the country, by integrating the business social responsibility as well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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22 pages, 1461 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovations in the Management of E-Commerce: Analysis of Customer Interactions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by František Pollák, Michal Konečný and Deniss Ščeulovs

Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7986; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13147986 - 16 Jul 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5894

Abstract

In the days leading to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, open innovations in the form of the deployment of digital marketing tools in the management portfolio were an option; in a time of forced closing of economies, they suddenly became a necessity. The aim of the comprehensive research, in which the presented study is prepared, is to describe the changes in e-consumer behavior that occurred in the market during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presented study examines the seasonal and regional specifics that characterize the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. In a sample of almost 14,000,000 Facebook users, the user interactions with ten selected representatives of the e-commerce sector were recorded daily during the 2020/2021 Christmas season lasting 49 days. By analyzing the nature and timing of interactions, it was possible to identify the geographical specifics of e-consumer behavior, as well as basic seasonality indicators based on a comparison with the reference period of the first half of 2020. The synthesis of the findings provided a knowledge base for compiling a preliminary version of the model of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on e-consumer behavior. In terms of changes in e-consumer behavior, it can be stated that the step change in e-behavior patterns caused by the pandemic merges with pre-pandemic behavior patterns. In general, it can be stated that the evolutionary process of the transition from offline to online the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a significant acceleration factor of inevitable changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Innovation and Business Model for Economy Sustainability after the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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