Business Models and Innovative Technologies for SMEs focuses on technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and data as a service. As these technologies offer new possibilities, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often struggle to grasp their full potential within evolving business landscapes. Five reviews discuss the potential of these technologies to drive SME growth. The book also highlights the need for a strategic approach to overcoming challenges faced by SMEs to create innovative business models such as limited resources, infrastructure hurdles, and financial limitations. The chapters explore diverse facets of business model innovation, covering strategic models for mobile application development, the critical role of cybersecurity culture, readiness assessments, digital transformations leveraging artificial intelligence, expert systems' impact on competitiveness, and the adoption of data as services in SMEs. Each chapter is tailored to provide actionable insights drawn from theory and, where possible, real-life case studies, addressing questions related to technological benefits, innovative strategies, and challenges in implementing digital transformations for SMEs. This book caters to a wide audience of academics, researchers, policymakers, and business practitioners deeply invested in SME development, offering practical solutions and theoretical frameworks. The combination of scholarly and practical approaches towards developing and implementing innovative strategies, makes it a valuable resource for readers seeking to understand and support SME growth. Readership Academics, Entrepreneurs, Business consultants in the SME sector.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Conference, ICDEc 2020, held in Bucharest, Romania, in June 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference took place virtually. The 13 full papers presented in this volume together with 3 abstracts of keynotes and 1 introductory paper by the steering committee were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 41 submissions. The core theme of this year’s conference was “Emerging Technologies & Business Innovation”. The papers were organized in four topical sections named: digital transformation, data analytics, digital marketing, and digital business models.

Dive deep into the transformative world of digital services with E-service Digital Innovation, a masterful blend of academic rigor and real-world insights. This text dissects the complexities of user motivation, the symbiotic dance between digital innovations and societal structures, and the collaborative essence of value co-creation. Venture into the heart of banking’s digital metamorphosis and unravel the strategies shaping today’s digital business models. With chapters dedicated to the revolutionary Industry 5. 0, the transformative powers of AI and blockchain, and the resilience imperative in business continuity, this book stands as a beacon for scholars and practitioners alike. Beyond the urban digital realms, discover the nuanced dynamics of rural digital adoption and the future of e-service in higher education. Grasp the intricacies of instructional learning design, data monetization ethics, and the innovative potential of IoT in urban planning. E-Service Digital Innovation invites you to engage, learn, and emerge as a contributor to the ever-evolving digital landscape. Your journey toward understanding and shaping the digital future starts here. Key Advantages: •Comprehensive coverage: From user psychology to the avant-garde applications of digital innovation •Scholarly rigor: A seminal text for academics, researchers, and industry experts •Practical wisdom: Real-world insights to navigate and shape the digital future •Diverse perspectives: Topics range from AI in e-commerce to the transformative potential of self-financing cities

This book aims to increase the success rates of startups by focusing on value proposition innovation, which is propelled by the involvement of potential consumers as well as other resources such as freelancers and strategic relationships with academia. The author shows how startups who are resource constrained can invest efforts exploring the potential market of their products. The author also explores how global markets can be beneficial for a startup’s success, while showing the workarounds in hard-to-access markets. The book investigates gaining knowledge shared by freelancers, customers, and academia, whose involvement can be crucial in supporting value proposition innovation activities such as ideas generation, implementation, and commercialization. Combined, the author leads readers to discover their ability to foster value proposition innovations that result into long term competitive advantage in a highly fluctuating business environment.

Sustainability, Technology and Innovation 4.0 is a holistic perception and analysis of innovation at the level of public organisations, innovation in industry and innovation in HR. Its chapters collectively present a thesis that Innovation 4.0 signals a technological revolution that has the opportunity to prevent environmental degradation and, in particular, to stop climate warming, the effects of which may disrupt the process of sustainable development. Uniquely, this edited book offers a comprehensive and multi-faceted examination of Innovation 4.0, fulfilling methodical, empirical and utilitarian goals. The methodological objective is to present tools that allow the identification, analysis and assessment of the relationship between Innovation 4.0 and inspiration that will carry society towards a new economic and social order. Its empirical aim is to enable the analysis and evaluation of the role of public organisations, innovation in industry and innovation in HR in the process of building sustainable development of the global environment. The book’s utilitarian goal is a recommendation for global organisations of Innovation 4.0 as an instrument to stimulate an innovative economy. This is a high-level research book aimed at postgraduates, MBA students, researchers and academics from business colleges and universities, and may also provide a valuable strategic perspective for business executives.

Various sectors of emerging markets face unique challenges, largely related to the gap between small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) research and practice. The relationship between SMEs and agriculture, tourism, and other key industries requires a close examination to understand the intricacies of their interplay. An emphasis on the need to bridge this gap, and strategies for scaling up and embedding new sustainability and technology trends into SME strategies is necessary for a healthy growth strategy within emerging markets. Drivers of SME Growth and Sustainability in Emerging Markets is a comprehensive book that delves into the intricate dynamics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in developing economies. With a focus on a keen awareness of the challenges faced by SMEs, this book offers valuable insights for marketers, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and policy makers seeking to unlock the potential of these vital economic contributors. With a focus on entrepreneurship capacity building and government schemes designed to support SMEs, this book equips readers with the knowledge and tools to create an enabling environment for sustainable SME growth. From identifying bottlenecks and challenges to presenting innovative business models and sustainable practices, this book serves as a vital resource for business students, management faculty, and professionals seeking to navigate the complexities of SMEs in emerging markets.

Integrates theories and frameworks with global cases to illustrate how business model innovation can solve business and societal problems.

Interest in generally expanding the understanding of small and medium-sized enterprises, especially understanding their strategies and operations to enter international markets, is growing rapidly among researchers and academics globally. Government officials, regional and economic specialists, and international trade advisers are directly involved in assisting small and medium-sized enterprises in developing their international marketing expertise. Motivating SMEs to Cooperate and Internationalize consists of research studies, cases, and experiences obtained by researchers and academics from managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in Northern Europe as they worked closely with managers on issues and problems leading to internationalization of enterprises. This book will map not only the attempts of small and medium-sized enterprises in Northern Europe to enter foreign markets, but also to understand how researchers and academics can help small and medium-sized Northern European enterprisers achieve their objectives. This compilation of approaches, perspectives, and experiences will serve as a resource tool for researchers and academics active in international management training programs worldwide and help illustrate how to close the gap between publishing results of their findings and efforts to disseminate their findings among managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in their domains. This book is the first attempt to integrate results of research studies and practices as an illustration of how knowledge of small and medium-sized enterprises has evolved since the 1980s with the contributions of individual researchers and academics in Northern Europe. It will be of relevance to academics and researchers interested in working closely with small and medium-sized enterprises to meet their goals in entering international markets.