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Against the backdrop of the global reshaping of supply chains, supply chain ecosystems have emerged as a critical force in ensuring the high-quality development of enterprises and fostering stable economic growth. However, a systematic theoretical understanding of how to construct these supply chain ecosystems remains nascent. This study aims to explore the mechanism of the process of building supply chain ecosystems between digital innovation platform enterprises and digital trading platform enterprises from the perspective of dynamic capabilities.

An explanatory case study is conducted based on a theoretical framework grounded on dynamic capabilities view. Two preeminent digital platform enterprises in China (Haier and JD.com) are studied. The authors primarily conducted this research by collecting a large volume of these Chinese public materials.

First, the construction processes of supply chain ecosystems in both digital platform enterprises can be delineated into three stages: embryonic, development and maturity. Second, digital innovation platform enterprises’ construction process is primarily influenced by factors such as production and operational collaboration, consumer demand and research and development. This influence is exerted through interactions on digital platforms and within sub-ecosystems. Meanwhile, digital trading platform enterprises’ construction process is influenced by factors such as infrastructure development, consumer demand and financial support, driving dynamic capability formation through multi-party cooperation and ecological interactions based on conceptual identity.

In the establishment of supply chain ecosystems, digital platform enterprises should prioritize the cultivation of opportunity expansion, resource integration and symbiotic relationship capabilities. Furthermore, this study shows that digital platform enterprises need to actively adjust their interactive relationships with cooperating enterprises based on changes in the market, industry, policies and their own developmental stages.

This study addresses prior deficiencies in understanding the comprehensive construction of supply chain ecosystems and provides significant insights to enhance the theoretical foundation of supply chain ecosystem studies. Additionally, this paper uncovers the dynamic capability development behaviors and contextual features inherent in the construction process of supply chain ecosystems by digital platform enterprises.

With the advancement of digital transformation, it is important for e-retailers to use artificial intelligence (AI) for customer engagement (CE), as CE enables e-retail brands to succeed. Essentially, AI e-marketing (AIeMktg) is the use of AI technological approaches in e-marketing by blending customer data, and Retail 4.0 is the digitisation of the physical shopping experience. Therefore, in the era of Retail 4.0, this study investigates the factors influencing the use of AIeMktg for transforming CE.

The primary data were collected from 305 e-retailer customers, and the analysis was performed using a quantitative methodology.

The results reveal that AIeMktg has tremendous applications in Retail 4.0 for CE. First, it enables marketers to swiftly and responsibly use data to anticipate and predict customer demands and to provide relevant personalised messages and offers with location-based e-marketing. Second, through a continuous feedback loop, AIeMktg improves offerings by analysing and incorporating insights from a 360-degree view of CE.

The main contribution of this study is to provide theoretical underpinnings of CE, AIeMktg, factors influencing the use of AIeMktg, and customer commitment in the era of Retail 4.0. Subsequently, it builds and validates structural relationships among such theoretical underpinning variables in transforming CE with AIeMktg, which is important for customers to expect a different type of shopping experience across digital channels.

In this article, the authors draw-upon an extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and propose a research model involving performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), facilitating conditions (FC) and competitive pressure (CP) as potential salient factors explaining the adoption of digitalization in European SMEs. The authors also postulate that there may be cross-cultural differences, thereby leading us to include the country as a moderator in the model.

The authors validate this model with a cross-cultural sample involving 188 owner-managers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia and through the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) techniques as well as multi-group analysis.

The results using the study’s global dataset indicate that PE, FC and CP significantly affect owner-managers intentions toward digitalization in SMEs. The authors’ application of the multi-group analysis also suggests that although the two countries differ in digitalization adoption intention, the differences are statistically insignificant. In the conclusion, the authors highlight several implications these findings have for theory and practice.

The authors recommend that the providers of emerging digital technologies should improve on the performance features of those technologies and ensure they are relevant to the SMEs. By doing so, the adoption of digitalization will grow, because owner-managers of SMEs will have the confidence that adopting such technologies will improve their operations. Second, SMEs are required to provide adequate organizational and technical infrastructure to support digitalization adoption.

Aside from being among the few attempts to extend the explanatory power of UTAUT with PE, EE, FC and CP in investigating digitalization adoption in SMEs context, this study also validates its model with rigorous methodological approach as well as three datasets (global, Czech Republic and Slovakia) thereby strengthening the validity of the results.

This study aims to draw lessons from the financial technology (FinTech) ecosystem literature through a systematic literature review.

This study systematically studied a sample of 134 articles from the Scopus database to assess the pattern of research development within the scope of the FinTech ecosystem over the last 15 years (2008–2023).

The results obtained indicated that the current research focus leads to several aspects: digital technology and financial inclusion, FinTech and customer behavior, FinTech ecosystem, business model, as well as aspects of governance and regulation. In the effort to develop Islamic FinTech, some aspects that might be targeted include aspects of business development and the Islamic FinTech ecosystem in general, extending financial inclusion to governance and managerial implementation of Islamic FinTech itself.

This research has limitations because it did not focus on the study of more specialized sectors, such as insurance or microfinance institutions, in adopting FinTech, requiring the use of other specifications of institutions in addition to Islamic banking.

This research has substantial theoretical implications in mapping the intellectual structure of Islamic FinTech research, which has been underexplored by previous researchers, as well as providing essential information about which sectors should be prioritized to encourage inclusiveness and overall performance of financial institutions.

This research explores more deeply with a comprehensive approach so that it becomes a pioneer in the study of FinTech ecosystem literature for the development of Islamic FinTech.

The primary objective of this research is to identify and analyze the influence of digital marketing practises on performance of business of manufacturing enterprises in Delhi-NCR. A quantitative and descriptive research design was implemented in this study. 368 participants from various enterprises were chosen. Questionnaires were used to collect data on the benefits and challenges which are perceived of digital marketing, as well as usage and business performance of these enterprises. SPSS v24.0 is utilized to carry out statistical analysis on the collected data. The study discovered that advantages and problems of digital marketing practices influenced the usage of digital marketing. Furthermore, the execution of digital marketing had a prominent influence on sales and total number of customers of these enterprises, and this relationship was moderated by type and size of businesses. It was discovered that using digital marketing strategies increased business profits by raising digital marketing awareness among consumers and various industries. It made digital marketing easier to implement in various businesses. However, research should be conducted for appropriate generalization in a larger scale.

Subscription offerings are being hailed as the next service growth engine for companies in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) markets. The study analyzes how a manufacturing firm can develop and implement a scalable service-based subscription business model for B2C and B2B customers alongside its existing product-centric model.

A longitudinal case study is conducted, drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with company executives and dealers in key European markets.

The study outlines an iterative process model for subscription business model innovation. It reveals key events and decisions taken in developing, implementing, and scaling the new business model and how internal and external tensions involving intermediaries arose and were mitigated during the four stages of the process.

The findings highlight the dynamics of business model innovation processes and underscore the importance of organizational learning, collaborative relationships with channel partners, and strategic talent acquisition during business model innovation.

The findings suggest how product-centric firms can implement new service business models alongside existing product models and what this means for partner and customer journey management.

While servitization research predominantly concerns B2B manufacturers, B2C research focuses on digital subscription contexts. The study bridges this divide by investigating the move to subscriptions in both markets.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to understand the format of for-profit social enterprise working for menstrual hygiene sustainability and its contribution toward U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, to appreciate the company’s alignment with the triple bottom line framework, to analyze the blue ocean mechanism that the company has developed to create an impact and to critique the strategies the Asan Cups company could adopt to increase its market share and growth.

Asan Cups was a for-profit social enterprise founded by Ira Guha in 2021. The company crafted reusable menstrual cups from liquid silicone, sporting a patented design in India, the UK, Europe and the USA. Successfully retailing its products in India, the UK and Europe, Asan Cups operated on a bootstrap model with a compact team of four, led by its visionary founder. From the get-go, the company embraced a compelling 1-for-1 donation initiative. For every cup sold, Asan Cups generously donated another to women who could not afford it. Collaborating with nongovernmental organizations, schools, educational institutions and social workers, the company spearheaded campaigns to heighten menstrual hygiene awareness. This proactive approach aimed to boost the acceptance of menstrual cups among rural women and championed the cause of environmental sustainability. The company did not just stop at providing an eco-friendly alternative. Asan Cups fervently educated the masses on the detrimental environmental impact of traditional disposable period products like sanitary pads and tampons. Fast-forwarding to 2023, Asan Cups had garnered approximately 30,000 users, with the adoption rate steadily climbing. The company strategically used an education-intensive model to foster awareness about period products in collaboration with partners nationwide. However, being a for-profit entity, the founder, Guha, was at a crossroads. Balancing the need for profitability, there was mounting pressure to explore additional revenue streams and expand operations and market reach. The dilemma loomed large: opt for a quicker marketing strategy or stay true to the company’s foundational education-centered approach. This case study delves into the dynamic strategies, impactful operations and growth scenarios Asan Cups navigated since its inception. It examines the pivotal choices faced by the founder and explores potential strategies for sustained growth.

This case study can be used at both undergraduate and master’s levels. The case study will be handy for strategic management and business strategy courses and can also be used for social entrepreneurship, marketing and entrepreneurship courses.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

Small farmers in India are collectivized and legalized as Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) to progress in agri-food value chains as small agribusiness enterprises. FPCs are dependent on timely information for their sustainability and profitability. Mobile apps are a cost-effective form of information and communication technology. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore the major determinants of mobile apps adoption by FPCs.

Quantitative and qualitative data are collected by administering a semi-structured questionnaire and conducting in-depth interviews with board members of 115 FPCs, with a total membership of 30,405 farmers operating in 14 districts of the state of Kerala, India. The logit model is used for quantitative analysis, while dialog mapping is used for qualitative analysis, based on an integrated technology acceptance model and technology organization environment framework.

Logistic regression results evidence that amongst FPC characteristics, while company size and age are significantly impacting apps adoption, there is no significant association between board size, education level, multiple commodities business or export intention of companies on apps adoption. Digital literacy and technical hands-on training for FPC board members are quintessential to facilitate mobile apps adoption.

The findings are pertinent to policymakers to earmark funds for technical handholding and digital upskilling of FPCs. The need for developing comprehensive, location-centric, farmer-friendly apps by agritech companies is evidenced.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a pioneering work in the domain of mobile apps adoption from a farmers’ agribusiness enterprise perspective in an emerging market economy using a mixed-methods approach.

Compared to traditional (domestic) e-commerce consumers, cross-border electronic commerce (CBEC) consumers may face greater information asymmetry in the CBEC purchase process. Given this background, however, the literature has paid limited attention to the informational antecedents that influence consumers' perceptions of transaction costs and their CBEC purchase intentions. To fill this gap, this study integrates the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and transaction cost theory (TCT) to develop a model for exploring how product (website informativeness, product diagnosticity and website interactivity as the central route) and external (country brand, website policy and vendor reputation as the peripheral route) informational antecedents affect consumers’ evaluations of transaction costs in terms of uncertainty and asset specificity and their CBEC purchase intentions.

This study employs a survey approach to validate the model with 766 Generation Z CBEC consumers based on judgment sampling. The partial least squares (PLS) technique is adopted for data analysis.

The results show that all the proposed central and peripheral informational antecedents reduce consumers’ perceptions of uncertainty and asset specificity, which in turn negatively influences their CBEC purchase intentions.

Through this investigation, this study increases our understanding of how product and external informational antecedents affect consumers’ evaluations of transaction costs, which subsequently determine their CBEC purchase decisions. This study offers theoretical contributions to existing CBEC research and has practical implications for CBEC organizations and managers.

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the supply and demand of marketing and communication consulting services and evaluate actual and perceived gaps.

The paper uses two different datasets to assess the gap. The supply database comes from desk research carried out in the province of Bergamo (n. 159 consulting agencies). The demand dates are the results of 100 structured interviews with local companies that requested marketing and communication consulting services both inside and outside the province.

Findings show that there is no significant shortage in local service supply. Nonetheless, a limited gap exists between the provision of specific services and their overall quality. Conversely, the perceived gap is wider, leading to an impression of scarce availability – a notion disproven by the analysis of the actual supply.

The study suggests that local agencies may overcome their “myopic” attitude and need to increase their visibility, competencies and expertise by investing in these areas and improving networking.

There are no previous studies that compare the supply and demand for marketing and communication consulting services. The paper also provides insights into actual and perceived gaps in a hypercompetitive environment.