The digital era is radically changing our societies and how firms do business. Innovating the business model has become a fundamental capability to survive competition, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study investigates the digital-era role of boundary management capabilities in the processes of Business Model Innovation (BMI) in SMEs. Structural Equation Modelling is adopted to analyse data from a survey of 250 Italian experts who possess direct research and consulting experience with SMEs. Our findings reveal that digitalisation and firms’ boundaries affect BMI in SMEs. Moreover, our results demonstrate how boundary management, specifically its technological and relational aspects, directly impacts BMI and mediates the relationship between boundary size and BMI. The study also offers important theoretical and practical insights, calling on scholars and managers to give more attention to the boundary management of SMEs in order to support BMI.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze, from a dynamic capabilities perspective, the role of big data analytics in supporting firms' innovation processes.Design/methodology/approach: Relevant literature is reviewed and critically assessed. An interpretive methodology is used to analyze empirical data from interviews of big data analytics experts at firms within digitally related sectors.Findings: This study shows how firms leverage big data to gain “richer” and “deeper” data at the inter-sections between the digital and physical worlds. The authors provide evidence for the importance of counterintuitive strategies aimed at developing innovative products, services or solutions with characteristics that may initially diverge, even significantly, from established customer/user needs.Practical implications: The authors’ findings offer insights to help practitioners manage innovation processes in the physical world while taking investments in big data analytics into account.Originality/value: The authors provide insights into the evolution of scholarly research on innovation directed toward opportunities to create a competitive advantage by offering new products, services or solutions diverging, even significantly, from established customer demand.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the new capabilities that are required for the facilitation of business processes management (BPM) in the current political and technological landscape. Specifically, the goal is to investigate the role of firm boundaries, from a business processes perspective, in new contexts in which the affirmation of digitalization requires more integration across a complex network of partners.Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a review of relevant literature on BPM, firm boundaries and negotiation. By critically integrating this literature, a framework is developed with the objective of supporting the management of boundaries.Findings: BPM, new competitive contexts, and the technological landscape require the development and management of boundary capabilities. Among these capabilities, “boundary management” – how managers coordinate resources, activities and business processes on the boundaries of the firm – should play a key role. Moreover, as managers must continuously interact with multiple partners in digital supply chains, the organizational model of negotiation serves as a means of effectively managing firm boundaries.Practical implications: The framework offers insights and guidelines that can help practitioners manage the boundaries of business processes. The authors encourage a focus on business processes occurring at firm boundaries. Furthermore, the authors encourage the development of new capabilities in response to the needs of practitioners to ensure best practices of negotiation.Originality/value: This study shifts the emphasis of BPM from the boundaries of management to the management of boundaries. By shedding light on new capabilities required, this paper enriches the BPM literature and can assist, on the one hand, in reconfiguring business processes in the new political and technological landscape and, on the other hand, in facilitating effective negotiation.

Purpose: Although research on smart technologies explains their critical importance in sustainable business models (SBMs) (Mikalefet al., 2017), it remains unclear how organisations can embrace smart technologies to create and/or improve their sustainable business models. The purpose of this paper is to unravel and address the challenges of smart technologies to build and maintain a sustainable business model for organisations.Design/methodology/approach: The research develops an empirical analysis through a case study approach. We have investigated the case of ENAV – an Italian air navigation service provider – and how this firm uses smart technologies in the creation of its successful SBM. After constructing a basic theory, the authors moved to evidence collection. The data analysis has adopted a qualitative approach based on a thematic analysis of the transcripts and related documents.Findings: The findings from the case study support the idea that the business value and the strategic relevance of smart technologies still remain largely underestimated in SBM adoption (Mikalefet al., 2017). Case study findings suggest that until today smart technologies have played a minimal role in SBM adoption. However, the smart technologies show the potential to inform the SBM adoption process by contributing to corporate communication for external stakeholders and to the main dimensions of SBMs such as safety and security or the respect for social and environmental criteria in the supply chain.Practical implications: This study seeks to support organisations and their directors to build and improve sustainable business models through smart technologies to maintain their competitive advantages. Specifically, our findings suggest that smart technologies can help organisations bridge the design–implementation gap of sustainable business models.Originality/value: This research advances our understanding of the role of smart technologies by explaining how they can enhance sustainable business model adoption. Indeed, we offer a comprehensive view of the integration of insights from three different but related literature streams such as sustainability strategies, smart technologies and change management studies.

The fashion and food industries are major contributors to waste generation, making sustainability management a priority for both practitioners and scholars. This study examines how nudging can promote the development of a circular bioeconomy within the fashion industry, specifically investigating whether nudging techniques can facilitate the market adoption of fashion products made from sustainable textiles derived from food waste. Using a dataset of 2112 participants from four European countries, we employ regression and clustering analyses to identify consumer profiles based on psychological and behavioral characteristics. Our econometric analysis reveals that gender, education, and psychological factors such as environmental responsibility and awareness significantly impact sustainable behaviors. Additionally, a left‐leaning political orientation is positively associated with engagement in sustainable practices and willingness to pay for eco‐friendly products. Clustering analysis identifies distinct consumer profiles: “enthusiastic” individuals demonstrate high commitment to sustainability, while “skeptics” shows low engagement and responsiveness to environmental issues. The study offers key policy implications on the effectiveness of nudging interventions in enhancing the sustainability of the fashion industry.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to develop an effective synergy measurement model to support the decision-making process in mergers and acquisitions (M&A).Design/methodology/approach: – Relevant literature is reviewed and critically assessed. An interpretive methodology is used to analyse empirical data from a questionnaire survey and interviews of M&A experts. A framework is provided with the objective to support the process of synergy measurement and the success of pre-deal planning.Findings: – The authors find several mismatches in synergy measurement practices. The strategic factors, which are considered very relevant to generating reliable forecasts, are surprisingly not adequately quantified. On the contrary, a synergy measurement model may integrate the assessment of these factors: the type of synergy, the size of synergy, the timing of synergy and the likelihood of achievement.Practical implications: – The paper offers interesting implications for firms, advisors and consultants, pointing out that synergy measurement issues are related to the analysis of strategic factors affecting synergy. These findings suggest that the pre-planning process should integrate people and tools from different backgrounds, from strategy to accounting, to effectively measure the synergy value. The authors also suggest the development of new tools in response to the needs of practitioners for best practices in M&A.Originality/value: – This paper highlights that the effective use of synergy measurement models are critical to improve the success of M&A due diligence.