Proposing a Conceptual Framework for Business Model Innovation: The Connecting Link Between Digital Transformation and Sustainability
Keywords:
Digital Transformation, Business Model Innovation, Sustainability, Sustainable Business Model, Creation of Sustainable Value for StakeholdersAbstract
The number of articles related to business model innovation, digital transformation, and sustainability has increased significantly in recent years. However, there is no conceptual framework that incorporates all these concepts and their interrelationships. The aim of this study is to propose a conceptual framework for understanding the relationships between digital transformation, business model innovation, and the creation of sustainable value for stakeholders. This study was conducted using a literature review method, a Delphi survey, and a triangulation approach applied to experts in the fields of digital transformation, business model innovation, and sustainable business models through purposive sampling. The findings indicate that business model innovation serves as the connecting link between digital transformation—arising from the implementation of digital technologies—and the creation of sustainable values for stakeholders. Dynamic capabilities represent the connecting point between the business model’s activity system and the technology system. Meanwhile, sustainability acts as the linking point between the business model’s value system and the stakeholder system. Business model innovation occurs through the interaction of the activity system and the value system. The proposed conceptual framework, developed by comparing prior models and refined through expert insights, assists traditional businesses in generating sustainable value for stakeholders while undergoing digital transformation driven by the application of digital technologies.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Yousef Taghinia Hajikolaei (Author); Abbas Khamseh; Taghi Torabi (Author)
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