Call for paper: Sustainable Innovation for a Digital and Globalized World

Sustainable Innovation for a Digital and Globalized World

The escalating challenges in environmental, social, and economic sustainability have transformed the operational landscape for organizations, including multinational enterprises (MNEs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This transformation has been pronounced following the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by all UN member states. Consequently, there is growing interest among international business (IB) scholars in the intersection of international business and sustainability. Initially, research focused on opportunities for MNEs to respond to these challenges. However, the role of MNEs in impacting sustainability has gained more attention recently. Fostering innovation is critical to achieving sustainable development. Yet, innovating for sustainability is complex, requiring system-level change, integrating diverse stakeholders, and thinking beyond traditional market-driven innovation. While innovations have improved environmental and economic performance, the impacts of current sustainable innovations need more comprehensive evaluation. For instance, electric vehicles have increased environmental degradation due to mineral mining and electronic waste. Similarly, digital systems and AI have realigned traditional firm structures, resulting in business models that exacerbate societal inequalities.

Given the increasing relevance of innovation for SDGs, management research plays a critical role in analysing the inadvertent drawbacks of innovation. This special issue invites scholarly submissions to explore conversations at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and global businesses. It strives to extend the current research on the business case of innovation for sustainable growth by advocating more nuanced approaches to how firms and global businesses can shape sustainable innovation without overlooking the potential ‘dark side’ of these innovations. This topic is of utmost relevance, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic, amidst global conflicts, and in the context of the rise of digital business and platform business models.

Therefore, the focus of the proposed special issue is to explore the strategies, practices, and challenges of ‘Sustainable Innovation for a Digital and Globalized World’ by firms. In line with the ethos of CPoIB, this special issue seeks to open up a critical reflexive discussion on the paradoxical nature of innovating for sustainability, from a number of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives.

List of topic areas

We acknowledge the vast potential for critical IB research, considering the magnitude and complexity of the Grand Challenges and the diverse ways in which these are interconnected with innovation across various locations and contexts.

The following list of topics should therefore be seen as merely examples for potential topics rather than exhaustive.

Innovating for Sustainability
- What innovative methods, technologies and strategies do firms formulate to generate beneficial outcomes?
- How do firms strike a balance between the benefits of emerging technologies and potential drawbacks due to environmental and societal concerns?
Resource Constraints and Sustainable Development
- Given the finite nature of resources, how can recent technological advancements be leveraged for sustainable development?
- How can sustainable practices by individuals, organizations and governments be incentivized?
Policy and Innovation for Sustainability
- What role do policies play in promoting sustainable innovation and regulating the potential concerns that might emerge due to sustainable solutions?
- What system level impacts can the policy makers create to regulate or promote innovative ecosystems for sustainable growth?
MNEs, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Sustainable Innovation
- As MNEs are facing increasing pressure from different stakeholders to become more sustainable, what benefits or drawbacks does the MNE structure offer for innovating for sustainability?
- How do MNEs and SMEs approach sustainable innovation in times of de-globalization triggered by climate crisis, modern technologies and global conflicts?
- Do past periods of de-globalization still reflect or inform MNEs or SMEs strategizing or have sustainability concerns and digitisation led to radically different corporate responses?
Megatrends Shaping the Global Economy
- As digital transformation continues to disrupt traditional business models, how can it be ensured that the transition is just, e.g., fair future of work and equitably distributed benefits of economic and environmental transformation?
- What strategies can be employed to bridge the digital divide and promote digital inclusion in line with the UN SDGs?
- With the ongoing geopolitical shifts and conflicts, how can businesses build economic resilience?
- How do historical legacies still shape geopolitical megatrends and affect the diffusion of technology and sustainability agendas?

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here.

Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see here.

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”.

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.