Business model innovation (BMI) is one of the key activities, which has to be continuously undertaken in every enterprise to sustain competitiveness in today’s digital economy. Although the interest in business models (BM) has risen significantly since the late 1990s, little is known about BMI practices in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), representing a majority of enterprises in the European market. Our study addresses this research gap and focuses on the investigation of drivers and outcomes of BMI in SMEs. A partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) method was used to empirically test the model using data collected in 2017 from 71 SMEs in Slovenia. Results have shown that the innovativeness of enterprises and their business environment has a positive impact on the level of BMI activities in the enterprises. However, this is not the case of fast developing and rapidly changing information technology. In addition, the results show that the level of BMI has a positive impact on BMI outcomes and further on overall business performance. The results contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of BMI activities in SMEs and offer useful insights to SMEs that intend to innovate their business model(s) and government to create a supportive environment.

This paper aims to present the model of factors which influence the digital transformation in maritime transport sector. The preliminary model is based on a literature review and interviews conducted to identify the relevant factors influencing the digital transformation of stakeholders operating in the maritime transport sector. In order to test the model, the survey was conducted on the sample of Croatian administrative (port authorities, ministry, harbormaster’s offices, etc.) and commercial stakeholders (freight forwarders, agents, terminal operators, etc.) operating in maritime transport sector. The collected data was analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The research has shown that organizational, technological, and environmental (TOE) factors affect the digitalization of the organizations in the maritime transport sector. As a result of digitalization, changes in business models are visible: organizations in maritime transport sector generate additional revenue from new sources, provide new services, and introduce new sales channels.

An extremely dynamic and fast-moving environment is pushing enterprises to continuous innovation and change. Managing sustainability in a digitalized environment seems to be of central importance for policy makers, as information technologies (IT), in combination with sustainability objectives, offer a wide range of opportunities for positive change. Through a systematic literature review and the application of automated content analysis, this study aims to provide insights into the latest research in the interdisciplinary field of sustainable business models and information systems. The results of the analysis, combined with a researcher’s perspective, suggest that IT, which can be used to achieve sustainability objectives, are already in place and have an infinite number of potential implications in the future. The results suggest that positive economic, social, and environmental changes can be achieved by using IT as long as they are used to identify unsustainable actions and enable positive change. The analysis of research trends revealed a discrepancy between the research in the European Union and the rest of the world and pointed to several avenues for future research.

33. Blejska eKonferenca: Tehnologije za omogočanje trajnostne družbe: 28. - 29. junij 2020, online, konferenčni zbornik. Blejska eKonferenca, ki jo organizira Fakulteta za organizacijske vede Univerze v Mariboru, sooblikuje elektronske interakcije od leta 1988. Blejska eKonferenca je najstarejša, najbolj tradicionalna in najbolj priznana konferenca na tem področju z več kot 30-letno tradicijo. V letu 2020 je bila Blejska eKonferenca prvič v zgodovini organizirana na spletu. Vloga digitalnih tehnologij ni bila nikoli tako pomembna kot v tem času, saj ljudem med karanteno omogoča interakcijo in delo od doma. Tema letošnje 33. konference je "Enabling Technology for a Sustainable Society" (slo.Tehnologije za omogočanje trajnostne družbe). Družba zahteva drugačne ekonomske modele, ki morajo biti bolj odgovorni, pravični in manj izkoriščevalni, da bi dosegli blaginjo za vse in trajnostni razvoj družbe. Digitalne tehnologije imajo za dosego teh ciljev pomembno vlogo. Na letošnji konferenci obravnavamo različne vidike priložnosti in izzivov digitalne preobrazbe. Organizacijam ponujamo usmeritve in napotke za spoprijemanje in premagovanje z izzivi na poti k oblikovanju trajnostnih poslovnih modelov.