During the almost 27 years of its existence, the business ecosystem research has developed a substantial level of ambiguity and multifacetedness. Because to the technological advancements that promote interconnectedness and value co-creation, the field has consequently spun off into more domain-specific branches, such as the arena of digital business ecosystems that are driven by Internet of Things (IoT). Nonetheless, despite the efforts to mend the theoretical foundations and to close the gap between academia and empirical practice, the absolute majority of IoT-driven digital business ecosystem literature follows the trend of conceptual randomness while expanding the volume of publications exponentially. Therefore, in order to address this unfavourable increase in random adoption of distinct concepts that ultimately refer to the same subject matter, the author encourages other scholars involved in the research field of IoT-driven digital business ecosystems to make extended efforts and support the external validity of their research (as well as the relevance of the research stream as a whole) by bounding the IoT-driven digital business ecosystems on a rigorous basis through deploying the extant theory in a careful and appropriate manner. Via a thorough examination of the theoretical fundaments that underpin the concept of IoT-driven digital business ecosystem, and based on a concise thematic review of corresponding literature published until September 2020, this article articulates logic for viewing the conceptual hierarchy within the business ecosystem research and proposes six literature-based recommendations for developing further IoT-driven digital business ecosystem (DBE) research in a rigorous way.

Purpose: The principal purpose of this article is to address a critical issue emerging in the realm of interorganizational dependencies heavily impacted by digitalization, namely developing business models that would protect privacy in a sustainable way. On the one hand, companies have been jointly proposing, creating, delivering, and capturing value through an excessive, unethical exploitation of personal data and information. On the other, restricting and controlling flows of data and information hampers the processes that lead to social well-being. This article reflects on this paradox by building on the theories of business models for sustainability and contextual integrity, while offering a holistic conceptual narrative guiding the sustainable transition towards digital equity and inclusivity. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual article can be classified as a theory synthesis paper with the ambition to achieve an outcome that enhances knowledge on concepts and a phenomenon by a conceptual integration across two different, previously unconnected literature streams and theories. Findings: This article suggests that businesses which play any role in transmission of data and information cannot be sustainable without protecting privacy as a social value. Furthermore, it argues that privacy cannot be protected without addressing the appropriateness of both flow and use of data and information with respect to all involved stakeholders. Ultimately, via linking two distinct yet interrelated and rigorously developed research streams, a heuristic framework for privacy and sustainability in business models is proposed as a system of key considerations for managers to apply in assessing and planning a business practice, so it protects privacy in a sustainable way. Originality/value: The key theoretical contribution of this article can be considered twofold. Firstly, it unfolds the relevance of privacy protection for the stream of business model research directed toward sustainable development in a way that is theoretically rigorous, complementary with the stakeholder theory, and reflecting the changing interorganizational dependencies affected by digitalization. Secondly, it contributes to the contemporary debate on privacy as a social value through identifying theoretically thorough avenue for adapting the theory of contextual integrity to a social domain where value proposition, creation, delivery, and capture with and for stakeholders involves transmission of data and information.

During the almost 27 years of its existence, the business ecosystem research has developed a substantial level of ambiguity and multifacetedness. Due to the technological advancements that promote interconnectedness and value co-creation, the field has consequently spun off into more domain specific branches, such as the arenas of digital business ecosystems or business ecosystems driven by IoT. Nonetheless, despite the efforts to mend the theoretical foundations and close the gap between academia and empirical practice, the absolute majority of IoT driven business ecosystem literature follows the trend of conceptual randomness while expanding the volume of publications exponentially. Therefore, in order to tackle this conceptual inflation, the author encourages other researchers to make extended effort and increase the external validity of their researches, as well as the relevance of the research stream as a whole, by bounding the IoT driven business ecosystems on a rigorous basis and deploying the extant theory in an careful and appropriate manner. Overall, this position paper contributes to the research area of IoT driven business ecosystems by unfolding the importance of focusing on developing conceptual consistency within the discussed emerging field of interest.