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The paper aims to explore the model of circular economy for promotion of principles of social inclusion, empathetic governance, and economic sustainability environmental resilience by examining the research gap on how to employ Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) framework, principles of biomimicry and reimagining an economic model of resourcefulness.

The paper is a descriptive study based on review of literature. To analyse the research gaps, paper employs bibliometric research technique, well-accepted meta-analytical research of literature to find overlapping factors of relevance by examining most-cited authors, papers, as well as co-citation patterns (Kim, 2008). The method analyses the published data texts, information like authorship, citations, keywords, and illustrating linkages between and among articles about certain research topic (Fetscherin, 2012).

Data were sourced from collection archival database of JSTOR, Web of Science and J-Gate till December 2022, by searching with following string – “Circular Economy,” “ESG (Environment, Social and Governance),” “Biomimicry,” “Circular Economy and ESG,” “Circular Economy and Biomimicry,” “Circular Economy and Resourcefulness.” The selection of said string of words was based on the literature review, overlaps and the research questions formulated. The findings reflect common factors of overlaps and its coherence in domain of policy formulation for the circular economy.

The research approach needs to be tested for practical application with stakeholders which includes individual-community for necessary behavioural change/acceptance, policy measures, innovations for scalability and the new business models so that the changes become an integral part of DNA of new economic model.

Emphasis on reimagined alliance between the environment, economy, and society to achieve the triple bottom line for a sustainable future. In doing so mitigate the impact on nature, generate livelihood opportunities and institute a green industry with an emphasis on circularity by incorporating the principles of ESG, biomimicry and resourcefulness.

The paper addresses the developing frontier of circular economy by identifying and mapping the factors of overlap with principles of ESG and biomimicry with circular economy for a future which is sustainable and resourceful. It attempts to advance the domain of knowledge with suggestion for implementable policy initiative arising from the study.

As an important engine of economic growth, the digital economy is bringing new opportunities for the promotion of entrepreneurship. However, key questions regarding the extent of the effect of the digital economy on entrepreneurship remain unanswered. This study examines how the digital economy influences entrepreneurship in China using provincial data from 2011–2020, applying convergence tests and spatial econometric models.

Based on theoretical analysis and using macro provincial data covering the period of 2011–2020, we adopt a diversified empirical analytical method and apply a combination of the convergence trend test, spatial auto correlation test, and spatial Durbin model to test the research hypotheses.

First, there is spatial correlation between the digital economy and entrepreneurship. Second, the overall trend of China’s digital economy shows s convergence, with the whole country and the eastern region showing absolute β convergence and the whole country as well as the central and western regions showing β conditional convergence. Third, the digital economy can significantly promote entrepreneurship and has spatial spillover effects. Moreover, higher education has a negative moderating effect on the process of digital economy empowering entrepreneurship.

Studying the spatially correlated impacts of the digital economy on entrepreneurship enhances our understanding of its contribution to economic growth. Policy-makers can use these findings to develop targeted digital infrastructure investments in lagging provinces, guide entrepreneurs to better grasp the opportunities of the digital economy, and provide support for innovation and entrepreneurship. The findings also could offer Chinese experience that can be used to guide developing countries in utilizing the digital economy to enable entrepreneurship.

This paper expands and enriches the analytical focus on digital economy-empowered entrepreneurship and complements the current theoretical research on the moderating effect of the digital economy in empowering entrepreneurship.

The purpose of the article is to outline the insights provided by Alan Fox in Man Mismanagement in relation to the rise of the New Right political economy and the spread of unitarist managerialism. The article assesses the contemporary work and employment relations implications of mismanagement arising from a “second wave” of the New Right ideology from 2010 in the UK.

Responding to the Special Issue on Alan Fox, the article focuses on Alan Fox's book Man Mismanagement, considering industrial relations developments arising between the 1st (1974b) and 2nd (1985) editions relating to the political rise of the New Right. It reviews various literature that illustrates the contemporary IR relevance of the book and Fox's insights.

The New Right’s ideology has further fragmented work, disjointed labour rights and undermined collective industrial relations institutions, and macho mismanagement praxis is even more commonplace, compared to when Fox wrote Man Mismanagement. The stripping away of the institutional architecture of IR renders the renewal of pluralist praxis, like collective bargaining and other forms of joint regulation of work, a formidable task.

The value of the article relates to the identification of dramatic historical industrial relations events and change in the UK in Alan Fox's book Man Mismanagement, most notably relating to the rise to power of the Thatcherite New Right in 1979. Originality is evidenced by the authors’ drawing on Fox's ideas and assessing the implications of the “second wave” of the New Right in the contemporary industrial relations (IR) context of the 2020s under the conceptual themes of fragmented work, disjointed labour rights and undermined collectivism.

Today, collaborative consumption platforms support business activities. In particular, the sharing economy (SE) increases social and economic dynamism and reduces environmental impact by conserving resources. Therefore, this paper investigates the sustainable value drivers of sharing economy practices.

We explore multiple case studies as a research approach to answer the research question. Multiple sources of evidence were used to triangulate the data. The SE practices influence several sectors; thus, we conducted a sector analysis investigating the healthcare, food and fashion industries. Analysing different sectors provides valuable theoretical and practical insights, facilitating decision-making and fostering innovation. Sectoral differences emphasize how different sustainable SE models are configured.

The findings highlight that SE allows for the development of sustainable business models attesting to: (1) value capture in the food industry, (2) value delivery in the healthcare industry and (3) value creation in the fashion industry. The study opens avenues for future research.

The originality of this study is in the new lens from which the phenomenon is observed.

This study aims to analyse the publication stage on the transition to a circular economy (CE) from the perspective of the isomorphic mechanisms of the new institutional theory (NIT).

The authors conducted a systematic literature review using the Methodi Ordinatio protocol across four databases, resulting in the analysis of 17 articles.

The authors identified a network of CE studies among universities in different countries. As a main result, this study contributed to demonstrating the diversity of approaches available to investigate CE, the importance of stakeholders in the process of transition from linear economy to CE and the means for the transition to CE, as well as the need for future studies covering the detailed analysis of the transition process and the comparison of the evolution of the states/regions of the same country in this process.

The study analyses and summarises the existing literature on CE through the lens of the NIT, analysing the stage of publication based on the phases of implementation of CE (micro, meso and macro). With a research agenda, it presents the current gaps, providing a possible direction for future studies.

El estudio pretende analizar el estado de las publicaciones sobre la transición a una Economía Circular (EC) desde la perspectiva de los mecanismos isomórficos de la Nueva Teoría Institucional (NTI).

Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura utilizando el protocolo Methodi Ordinatio en cuatro bases de datos, dando como resultado 17 artículos analizados.

Identificamos una red de estudios de CE entre universidades de diferentes países. Como resultado principal, este estudio contribuyó a demostrar la diversidad de enfoques disponibles para investigar la EC, la importancia de las partes interesadas en el proceso de transición de la economía lineal a la EC y los medios para la transición a la EC, así como la necesidad de realizar nuevos estudios para el análisis detallado del proceso de transición y para la comparación de la evolución de los estados de un mismo país en este proceso.

El artículo analiza y resume la literatura existente sobre EC a través de la lente de la teoría institucional, analizando la etapa de publicación basado en las fases de implementación de EC (micro, meso y macro). Con una agenda de investigación, presenta las lagunas actuales, proporcionando una posible dirección para futuros estudios.

O estudo tem como objetivo analisar o estágio das publicações sobre a transição para uma Economia Circular (EC) sob a perspectiva dos mecanismos isomórficos da Nova Teoria Institucional (NTI).

Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura usando o protocolo Methodi Ordinatio em quatro bases de dados, resultando em 17 artigos analisados.

Identificamos uma rede de estudos de EC entre universidades de diferentes países. Como principal resultado, este estudo contribuiu para demonstrar a diversidade de abordagens disponíveis para investigar a EC, a importância das partes interessadas no processo de transição da economia linear para a EC e os meios para a transição para a EC, bem como a necessidade de realizar novos estudos para a análise detalhada do processo de transição e para a comparação da evolução dos estados de um mesmo país nesse processo.

O artigo analisa e resume a literatura existente sobre EC sob as lentes da teoria institucional, analisando o estágio da publicação com base nas fases de implementação da EC (micro, meso e macro). Com uma agenda de pesquisa apresenta as lacunas atuais, possibilitando possível direção para estudos futuros.

With the increasing global popularity of the gig economy encompassing freelancers, online platform workers, self-employed, on-call workers and other temporary contractual workers, this study aims to review research focusing on the gig economy to explore the nuances of working in various alternative work arrangements. We aim to enhance the understanding of existing literature and highlight underexplored areas for future research.

A systematic literature review of 258 studies based on gig economy and gig work was conducted. It follows systematic search criteria and SPAR-4-SLR protocols. The analysis uses different gig worker profiles given by Watson et al. (2021) to categorize studies, followed by thematic analysis to identify patterns in the literature.

Our analysis of studies on gig economy shows that the majority of existing literature is based on gig service providers. Within this literature subset, major areas of study are work conditions, financial conditions, emergence and role of collectives, the impact of algorithmic management and the impact of rise of the gig economy on entrepreneurship. There is little research focusing on gig goods providers, gig data providers, agency gig workers and traditional gig worker profiles. More focus is also needed on emerging markets and markets transitioning to the gig economy.

Differing from reviews that have attempted to define gig work and workers, we focus on literature on the lived experiences of gig workers. By reviewing studies on different gig worker profiles, we are able to highlight future research directions for pointed sample sets and comparative underexplored areas.

This paper evaluates the level of the digital economy in Chinese cities based on digital industrialization and industrial digitalization. The research focuses on the effects of spatial mechanism of the urban digital economy on the quality of firms’ exported products.

The authors use the principal component analysis method to evaluate the level of China’s urban digital economy, and spatial metrology to measure the spatial effects of the digital economy on product quality.

The findings suggest that the urban digital economy can expand the quality of firms’ exports. The digital economy has spatial dependence, spatial spillover and spatial heterogeneity on product quality. At the same time, the spatial effect has a significant nonlinear effect and threshold effect. Further decomposition shows that industrial digitalization is the core factor of enterprises’ export products quality, and the micro-mechanism of this impact is mainly manifested in optimization of resource allocation.

The innovation of this paper is reflected explicitly in exploring the quality upgrading of export products from the background of the digital economy, providing a reference for the improvement of China’s export trade competitiveness and the cultivation of a trade power. The authors studied two different mechanisms (specialization division of labor and optimization of resource allocation) to explain the spatial imbalance of export product quality to provide empirical support for enterprises and government departments to formulate quality upgrading policies accurately.

Through the subject of business network dynamics, this study aims to examine how business network relationships impact company entry market and development within fast growing economies as China. The paper looks at business network relationships in a fast-growing economy and provides an understanding of the relational perspectives in internationalisation of three luxury fashion companies and their entry models affected by the China context-related variables.

The methodology is following a qualitative approach, based on multiple case-studies research, proposing three cases of companies entering the Chinese market in the luxury and fashion industry.

The research analyses the local business network paths and how they affect the entry strategy through the socio-cultural and political players. The paper adds knowledge to studies in market entry and business networks, in the fast-growing economies area, with its new norms and values.

This study tries to analyse how business networks and related relationships “with Chinese characteristics” affect the market entry strategy in the internationalisation path from the perspective of the luxury fashion industry sector. In so doing it tries to provide an original further development of business network models within the new Chinese context.

This study introduces a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the foreign direct investment (FDI) literature by multinational corporations (MNCs) focusing on emerging economies to identify the most influential authors, journals and articles in FDI research and reveals the fields' conceptual and intellectual structures. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

The study analyzed 533 articles published between 1974 and 2020 in 226 academic journals indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. We used the R language for statistical computing to map author collaboration, co-word and develop a conceptual and intellectual map of the field.

The results show that, although the FDI literature has many authors, few dominate the field. The International Business Review (IBR) and International Journal of Emerging Markets (IJoEM) are the main sources of the publications. Moreover, bibliometric laws show that our dataset follows the Lotka law of scientific productivity and Bradford law of scattering, identifying the core journals. Finally, FDI by MNCs in emerging economies research is divided into four sub-research themes related to (1) FDI determinants, (2) entry mode, (3) MNCs and FDI performance and (4) the internationalization process.

The current article provides several starting points for practitioners and researchers investigating FDI. It contributes to broadening the vision of the field and offers recommendations for future studies.

The purpose of this study is to identify the business strategies that entrepreneurs have formulated to establish the business with the intention of scaling up in the information technology (IT) sector in Chile, given that they have managed to scale up sustainably at an average annual rate of 73.3% and an average annual employee growth rate of 37% for four consecutive years after an establishment period of 25 months.

Three methodological steps were used to identify which strategic initiatives are relevant to the establishment of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the path to scaling up. The first part consisted of identifying the literature and defining the research propositions and research questions. The second part was to prepare, collect and analyse the data to conduct the research by applying, transcribing, reviewing and coding the sources of evidence to explore how SMEs are able to develop strategic initiatives for the start-up process. The final stage was to validate the research proposal to identify potential strategic initiatives identified during the multi-case study.

As a result of the data analysis and empirical findings, three deliberate strategic initiatives were identified: staying engaged with customers, delivering successful business solutions and articulating social capital. However, in crisis situations, entrepreneurs readjust their strategies based on their management skills and an emergent strategic initiative was identified as securing the financial structure and revolutionising change. While this research was not designed to identify personal attributes, it did highlight the importance of adaptation and learning as a skill to drive the business model for scaling up during the establishment of their business.

It is clear that the study focused on Chile and cannot be replicated in other regions or sectors due to the characteristics of the sample itself, but it provides empirical evidence that there are cycles prior to scale up that need to be understood. The findings were empirically validated during the establishment phase, but the deliberate and emergent strategic initiatives that consolidated the SME to prepare for its scale-up process are not evident in the theory.

The IT sector will continue to grow and change after the pandemic, and the global economy will use more digital systems, creating new ways of working with the use of IT. This context will impact on SMEs where strategies, whether deliberate or emergent, will need to be part of the new business models, and therefore, caution should be exercised when using the results of this study. Public and private institutions should educate and guide entrepreneurs for the potential scaling up of their SMEs without having to wait 42 months, according to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2021-2022 (Hill et al., 2022). Scaling up can begin as early as 25 months after establishment, breaking the paradigm of the theory that the SME must be established in a period of 3.5 years. This period cannot be generalised as business opportunities in the IT sector are faster. The research also contributes by reporting that contingency planning is relevant during the establishment phase.

Educational institutions and the public sector have made efforts to change business cultures regarding the importance of strengthening entrepreneurship, but teaching the emergent strategies that often challenge SME creation is not yet widespread in educational formats. This is a challenge not only for institutions but also for entrepreneurs trying to anticipate the constant changes in the global economy. This research provides an opportunity to create more dynamic business models with more conscious risk planning.

Although the literature has confirmed the findings, this research has provided a pre-scaling picture that links these two important stages on the axis of deliberate and emergent strategies. The findings confirm the importance of correctly embedding five strategic initiatives for the establishment of the SME if it is to continue on its journey towards business scale-up. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence in emerging economies on how entrepreneurs have found the right path to scale-up.