This study addresses the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) when adopting circular economy (CE) practices, particularly when the SMEs are characterized by limited resources, lack of expertise, and constrained access to tailored digital tools. Within the Interreg Baltic Sea Region (BSR) CIRC-2-ZERO initiative, a digital twin demo platform (DTDP) is being developed to support SMEs in terms of data-driven circular product and value chain design. Given that the effectiveness of such platforms depends on systematic evaluation, this study proposes a collaborative key performance indicator (KPI) framework to enable systematic assessment and monitoring of the DTDP. The study applies a participatory and iterative methodology, employing the nominal group technique and multi-voting across three expert workshops involving twenty participants from academia, business support organizations, and the electronics and engineered wood products sectors. This stakeholder-driven approach ensures that the KPI framework reflects both operational realities and user needs. The study is structured into three phases—namely, KPI identification, refinement and validation, and development of data collection procedures. The resulting framework organizes the KPIs into three core dimensions—technical performance, usability, and value impact—while distinguishing between indicators relevant to the DTDP’s piloting phase and those important for its long-term development. The framework also includes structured data collection procedures intended to support consistent and reliable monitoring. This study contributes to the growing body of research on performance assessment of digital platforms supporting CE transitions, offering a practical, stakeholder-driven tool for assessing DTDPs and supporting SMEs’ circular transformation. Moreover, the study promotes sustainable industrial practices and supports regional development in the BSR.
The findings indicate that e-commerce, cloud computing, customer relationship management, and digital marketing tools supported operational coordination, market reach, and customer engagement, but limited digital skills, implementation costs, cybersecurity risks, and infrastructure constraints restricted deeper adoption.
Sundeep Kumar, N. Kumar, Akash Singh· Journal of Global Entreprene...· 0 citations
The abundance of digital technologies poses a challenge for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which must identify, select, and implement appropriate solutions to innovate their business. Digital transformation requires SMEs to undertake a continuous digitalisation process, but a lack of guidance has led to many SMEs’ failures to embrace the potential of digital technologies. To meet this challenge, IS research has developed procedure models that structure the digital transformation process. The literature suggests that such models should have a reasonable level of flexibility and should integrate external digital innovation units to support SMEs. Research provides a promising basis for developing procedure models that meet these requirements, but extensive evaluations of these models in a naturalistic setting remain to be explored. The present study addresses this gap by developing a procedure model following the Design Science Research based on eight digitalisation projects with industry partners. The study concludes that the model provides the flexibility needed to adapt it to SMEs’ various circumstances and integrates the role of external digital innovation units. Thus, it helps SMEs initiate and advance their digital transformation. The results contribute to the body of knowledge concerning reference modelling, digital transformation, and innovation.
Ann-Kristin Cordes, A. Hermann, Torsten Gollhardt et al.· Scandinavian Journal of Info...· 0 citations
Digital technologies are widely expected to reshape supply chains, yet the conditions under which they deliver operational and sustainability-related value in practice remain insufficiently understood. This study examines how digital technologies influence supply chain operations and performance, where performance is operationalized through demand forecasting accuracy, cost, lead time, visibility, and inter-organizational collaboration, and asks how these technologies can support more resilient, resource-efficient, and sustainable supply chain operations. The study adopts an exploratory qualitative design based on semi-structured interviews with eight supply chain professionals at manager level or above, drawn from the aluminum, elevator, railway, food, and consumer goods industries in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, and conducted between March and June 2025. A structured literature review complements the interview evidence. Within this exploratory sample, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics were the most widely adopted technologies (five of eight participants each), followed by the Internet of Things (four of eight) and Automation (five of eight), while no participant reported active Blockchain deployment. Reported benefits concentrated on forecasting accuracy, operational efficiency, visibility, and collaboration, whereas high implementation costs, legacy system integration, skill shortages, and regulatory uncertainty formed the principal barriers. The central finding is a conditional relationship between adoption and competitiveness: internal operational gains did not automatically translate into competitive advantage among the professionals interviewed, but appeared to require strategic alignment, cross-functional integration, and performance measurement. Because digitally enabled forecasting, inventory positioning, and resource optimization also reduce waste and improve resource utilization, the findings link digital supply chain transformation to sustainable development objectives. This exploratory study of eight participants therefore provides practitioner-level propositions and a research agenda for digital and sustainable supply chain transformation rather than statistically generalizable findings.
Martin Končár, Adel Aazami, Sebastian Kummer et al.· Sustainability· 0 citations
Industrial symbiosis (IS) and digital industrial symbiosis (DIS) are widely advocated as essential strategies for furthering circular economy (CE) goals within the European Union; yet empirical evidence about the preparedness of small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) to use these methods is still scarce. This study investigates the organizational, technological, and perceptual aspects influencing SMEs’ preparedness to adopt IS and DIS, emphasizing digital maturity, perceived benefits, barriers, and the institutional support conditions. A convergent mixed-methods methodology was employed, combining qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with SMEs and intermediary organizations, alongside quantitative data from a structured survey conducted across various European countries. The study examined the relationships between adoption readiness and digital maturity, perceived benefits, barriers, and institutional support conditions, while qualitative insights offered further contextual comprehension of trust, governance, and implementation conditions. The findings indicate that digital maturity and perceived benefits are the primary determinants of adoption readiness, but perceived barriers and institutional support predominantly influence implementation feasibility rather than initial willingness. This study differentiates between motivational readiness and structural feasibility, thereby enhancing adoption models and offering insights for policymakers, intermediaries, and practitioners involved in the design of digital industrial symbiosis platforms and SME support instruments.
Valerij Dermol, Špela Dermol· Human Systems Management· 0 citations
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face increasing pressure to enhance service quality within market uncertainty, limited resources, and rapid digital transformation. However, many SMEs struggle to develop sustainable service excellence due to fragmented capabilities and the absence of structured cross-sector collaboration. This study aims to investigate how co-creation between SMEs, academic institutions, and the banking industry can jointly drive service excellence by adopting the principles of Service-Dominant Logic (SDL). A qualitative exploratory design was employed, using in-depth interviews, expert discussions, and document analysis to examine the interplay of knowledge exchange, resource integration, and collaborative service innovation across the three stakeholder groups. The findings reveal that service excellence emerges through co-created value rather than isolated organizational initiatives. Academic institutions contribute theoretical frameworks and analytical tools, while the banking sector provides financial expertise, risk management practices, and customer service models. SMEs, in turn, integrate these resources to build adaptive capabilities, elevate customer experience, and strengthen operational resilience. The study demonstrates that triadic collaboration enables SMEs to transition toward customer-centric service models, leverage digital technologies, and develop more robust financial and managerial competencies. These insights extend the SDL framework by highlighting the role of multi-actor ecosystems in shaping service innovation within resource-constrained contexts. The implications underscore the need for structured co-creation platforms, capacity-building initiatives, and long-term partnerships to scale SME service excellence. The study further recommends exploring broader ecosystem actors and mixed-method approaches to deepen theoretical and managerial understanding of co-creation-driven service transformation.
Denny Rakhmad Widi Ashari, Gautama Sastra Waskita, Nurani et al.· Adilla· 0 citations
This study aims to examine how large technology multinationals use digital platforms as dynamic capability infrastructures to integrate open innovation (OI) with business process management (BPM) via absorptive capacity mechanisms.
The study adopts a qualitative multi-case design based on four global technology firms. Data were collected from 30 elite interviews, 24 annual reports, and more than 300 webpages and analysed through a three-stage coding process.
The findings show that digital platforms support open innovation by enabling firms to sense external opportunities, seize knowledge from distributed actors and reconfigure innovation-related business processes. Four strategic objectives shape platform deployment: developing global expert networks, accelerating digital transformation, accessing external R&D talent and exploring future technologies. The study also identifies firm-, managerial- and employee-level challenges that affect the integration of platform-generated knowledge into BPM routines.
The qualitative case design provides rich process insight but limits statistical generalisability. Future research could test the proposed relationships through quantitative and longitudinal designs.
Managers should align platform types with open innovation objectives, establish clear governance mechanisms, invest in absorptive capacity and develop analytics and digital skills to translate external knowledge into process improvements.
The study contributes by conceptualising digital platforms as infrastructures that connect open innovation with BPM through dynamic capabilities and absorptive capacity. It clarifies how platform-enabled knowledge flows are embedded into business processes and identifies the organisational conditions that support or constrain this integration.
Ghadeer R. Alsaeed, Naheed Bashir· Business Process Management...· 0 citations