Digital transformation is a concept based on the use of digitalization and digitization. Digitalization leads to change of business models and provides a competitive advantage also in the energy sector. The process of change towards a digital business requires a specific strategy type, aimed to solve problems with uncertainty caused by Industry 4.0 implementation. This paper aims to propose a theoretical model combining different digitalization strategies and business models. Their theoretical foundations were discussed in the literature review part and related empirical research questions were attempted to be answered by the reference method analysis. The quantitative method of analysis was based on the secondary data from Eurostat for all EU member states and backed the theoretical part in terms of ICT variables. The novelty of this research is based on Hellwig’s reference method used in management sciences and the presented managerial implications. The discussed challenges of the energy sector are related to the digital strategy implementation, relationships between digital transformation and business models, and solutions for such issues as strategy communication and new roles for managers, who should become digital leaders in the energy sector organizations. The main consequence of the proposed model in this study, for the energy sector companies’ managers, is that uncertainty in modern energy sector organizations is more related to employees and their technical skills than implemented ICT itself.

The aim of the research, the results of which are used in this publication, was to identify the motives for mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector after the introduction of green economy elements in Western Europe. The mentioned region is the group of countries where changes related to the move to green energy are most visible (in addition to some countries from other regions, such as Singapore, New Zealand, or countries of the Arabian Peninsula). The research assumed the hypothesis that over the years since the Paris Conference the themes of mergers and acquisitions have changed from motives close to the views related to energy generation in traditional systems (black energy in large, monopolistic systems) to motives close to green energy (the research hypothesis). This was confirmed in the research, as business risk diversification (defined as diversification of the power sources from black to green) was the most popular M&A motive. In addition to emphasizing the direction of changes in the M&A motives, the authors of this study decided to check whether since 2015 (when the Paris Conference was organized) the motives behind the M&A transactions conducted by companies operating in the electrical energy generation sector have changed, making their motives close to the green energy dominant in Western Europe. Apart from verification of the abovementioned hypothesis, the aim of the research was to check whether there are any characteristic directions of changes in M&A motives across companies from particular Western European countries. The motives are changing from positional approaches to motives closer to resource approaches (green economy). The research used a critical analysis of the literature on the subject, a study that used desk research based on openly available sources and our own analytical tool developed for the needs of this analysis, which is the transformation of the concept of analysis of the M&A motives proposed in K. Borowski’s research: “The strategic development of the technology companies. The mergers and acquisitions perspective”.

The article presents an innovative method of analyzing energy companies’ strategies, which aims to identify the strategic orientation of the entities subject to the research and, thus, to initially define the directions of strategic changes in the analyzed sector. The aim of the research, the results of which were used in this publication, was to identify the features of energy sector companies’ strategies in the European Union in the period of sector transformation caused by the new climate policy. The analysis area is the energy sector, i.e., the sector whose fundamental strategic goal is energy production. The research used a critical analysis of the subject literature and desk research method with the use of the researchers’ own analytical equipment, developed for the needs of this analysis. It was assumed in the conducted research that the primary source of information in the empirical study, the information subject to subsequent analysis, was the analysis of official documents (strategies, financial reports, etc.) posted on the websites of the surveyed corporations. The research results indicate the dominance of the resource-based approach in implementing strategic postulates of the surveyed companies. Nevertheless, the operational activity focuses on the implementation of innovative solutions towards decarbonization and climate neutrality.

The aim of the research, the results of which are presented in the article, is to discover new knowledge allowing for the description and design of business models 4.0 using network effects. In their research, the authors reviewed the literature, carried out desk research and conducted an analysis of publicly available documents of selected companies from the Cyfrowy Polsat Group. The results of the study present the possibility of using the network effect in business models 4.0. The paper develops a framework for business model analysis from the perspective of Industry 4.0. The presented research will allow for an indication of the possibility of using a business model from the perspective of Industry 4.0, based on the theory of the network effect in building the value of network organizations.

The aim of the research, the effect of which is this article, is to identify the hierarchy of selected approaches to building a strategy in companies from the sector of Energy and Utilities included in seven stock market indexes of the G7 countries The obtained results are related to the isolation of cognitive knowledge about the preferred approaches to the strategy in energy companies currently undergoing intensive changes and that are listed in the stock indexes of the G7 countries. The Authors proved that the strategy implementation in companies representing Energy and Utilities sectors is mainly based on the resource approach. Moreover, such an approach is supported by the classic tools of the positional school, resulting in shaping the competitive position in the sector of differentiating the Chamberlin’s rent.