Purpose: This paper investigates the literary corpus on the role of intellectual capital (IC) for the sustainable and innovative development of organisations. It provides a quantitative overview of the academic literature that constitutes this field. The paper discusses whether IC, through the implementation of knowledge management (KM) processes, can influence the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) towards the creation of sustainable business models (SBMs), which are outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 agenda and adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015.Design/methodology/approach: Based on a database containing 45 publications in the English language with a publication date from 1990 to 2019 (October), a bibliometric analysis was conducted. Data on publications, journals, authors and citations were collected, re-checked and examined by applying bibliometric measures.Findings: The bibliographic analysis identified that the research published on IC in the perspective of sustainability focusses mainly on the measurement of results, in terms of increased business performance. The results show that the IC is linked to the concept of long-term value. Therefore, the development potential of the IC is linked to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development (SD). These results also provide a framework for the literature on IC and SDGs by highlighting the connection with the EO to develop SBMs.Originality/value: This paper contributes to the literature on IC as a driver for SD. In more detail, it provides a systematic review of the literature on these topics under the umbrella of the SDG perspective.

The aim of the paper is to investigate the artificial intelligence (AI) function in agri-food industry, as well as the role of stakeholders in its supply chain. Above all, from the beginning of the new millennium, scholars and practitioners have paid an increasing attention to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in operational processes management and challenges for new business models, in a sustainable and socially responsible perspective. Thus, the stakeholders can assume a proactive or marginal role in the value creation for business, according to their own environmental awareness. These issues appear still “open” in some industries, such as the agri-food system, where the adoption of new technologies requires rethinking and redesigning the whole business model. Methodologically, we brought forward an in-depth review of the literature about major articles in this field. Especially, the study has been conducted following two phases: firstly, we extracted from scientific databases (Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar) and studied relevant articles; secondly, we analyzed the selected articles. The findings highlight interesting issues about AI towards a “space economy” to achieve sustainable and responsible business models, also in the perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic scenario. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Drawing on the business model innovation theory and the resilience theory, the present study explores existing literature on the capacity of digitalization and new technologies for the sustainable and innovative development of shipping and seaports; more in details, it identifies the shipping and seaport business models that can meet environmental, economic and social goals through the digitalization of operational processes in the ship–port interface. This paper aims to investigate whether digitalization and new technologies can help in the creation of sustainable business models as set out in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all UN member states in 2015. The methodology is based on a qualitative approach, conducting a systematic literature review followed by a bibliometric analysis of a database containing 132 items in English language publications between 1969 and 2020. The findings indicate that literature on the topic has concentrated mainly on the environmental externalities connected with operations at the ship–port interface. The study offers theoretical and practical contributions, outlining the main issues debated in the literature on digitalization and new technologies in the shipping and seaport industry, and analyses the key variables that will play a role in achieving the SDGs.