Digitalization is viewed as an important promoter of competitiveness, offering future avenues to new value and revenue opportunities. Nevertheless, the factors that determine the drivers of digital transformation (DT) adoption still need to be explored and understood further. Based on the RBV and institutional theory, this study examines the roles played by organizational culture, IT readiness, and customer demands of firms in the implementation of DT and the consequent improvement of operational performance. The results of a survey carried out among 226 manufacturing companies in Jordan indicate that these antecedent factors have a significant and positive effect on the adoption of DT and operational performance. The results also demonstrate that the implementation of DT enhances the operational performance of firms by increasing their efficiency and effectiveness. This research adds to the existing literature on digital transformation through an examination of the antecedents of its adoption. These findings are useful, as they assist firms in viewing digital transformation as an overarching opportunity that needs to be leveraged to improve their operational performance and competitiveness.

The brisk advance of AI and the thriving concentration on sustainability of companies have led to renewing the concern about the intersection of these two directions. This study examines the influence of AI techniques on environmental performance in addition; it investigates how ESGR mediates the effect of AI techniques on environmental performance. According to Jordanian manufacturing companies’ data, the results have demonstrated that AI techniques have a positive effect on the environmental performance. Also, it is found that ESGR positively affects the relationship between AI techniques and environmental performance. This study demonstrated that AI techniques enforce the environmental performance and facilitate transparent disclosures about ESGR as well as it plays as a prime mover of the efforts of comprehensive global sustainability, especially the SDGs related to sustainable industrial innovation, responsible production and control of climate change where sustainable companies integrate sustainability in their main functions .