Sustainable Value Co-creation Research Articles

Value Co-Creation Model for Sustainable Supply Chain: A Case Study of B2B Platforms Empowering SMEs

As the international community enters Digital Upgrade 3.0, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), originally focused on offline business, are exposed to shortcomings such as insufficient capital, monolithic business models, the imbalance between supply and demand, and trust-building behaviors. To address these challenges, this study examines the role of the B2B platform model in facilitating the high-quality development of SMEs. Taking SMEs as the object of study, this study examines the role of the B2B platform model in promoting the high-quality development of enterprises. The impact of sustainable supply chain management and value co-creation theories on SMEs is analyzed by combining theoretical and practical cases. A case study of Alibaba's B2B platform 1688 reveals how the value co-creation model empowered by the platform promotes cooperation and innovation between SMEs and consumers. This study also explores the role of third-party logistics (3PL) in shaping the value co-creation model. Finally, this study provides recommendations for optimizing management models and enhancing collaboration to support the sustainable development of SMEs in the digital era.

Sustainable Value Co-creation Between Financial Services Firms and Microenterprise Customers: is Digital the Missing Link?

Sustainable Value Co-creation Between Financial Services Firms and Microenterprise Customers: is Digital the Missing Link?

VALUE CO-CREATION IN SMEs: A FIFTEEN-YEAR BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF EMERGING TRENDS AND RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Objective – This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the evolution and emerging trends in value co-creation within Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) over the past fifteen years. Design/Methodology/Approach – A total of 529 research and review articles from the ScienceDirect database were analyzed using VOSviewer software to identify key clusters and trends in value co-creation research. Findings – The analysis identified seven significant clusters in the literature: Digital Marketing and Customer Engagement, Service Innovation and Service-Dominant Logic, Customer Experience and Loyalty, Social Capital and Stakeholder Engagement, Technology-Enabled Value Co-creation, Sustainable and Ethical Value Co-creation, and Co-creation in Emerging Markets. These clusters highlight the growing importance of integrating advanced technologies, sustainability practices, and tailored strategies for different market contexts in value co-creation. Conclusion and Implications – The findings provide actionable insights for SMEs to implement effective value co-creation strategies, emphasizing the importance of adapting to technological advancements and sustainability trends. The study also identifies research gaps, suggesting areas for future research, including the role of artificial intelligence in value co-creation and the impact of sustainable practices on SME performance.

Sustainable Value-Sharing Mechanisms of the Industrial Internet of Things Platforms: A Case Study of Haier’s Service-Oriented Transformation

Ensuring fairness and equity in value distribution is crucial for the sustainability of platform ecosystems. However, existing approaches to distributing benefits among cooperative entities often find it difficult to accurately assess each stakeholder’s contributions. This paper tackles this challenge through a case study of the Haier COSMOPlat IIoT platform. By analyzing its value creation and value distribution processes, the research uncovers how platform enterprises can overcome existing limitations by quantifying and revealing intangible customer relationships alongside financial metrics. This revised value-sharing mechanism encourages a shift from “post-event value-sharing” to “mid-event adjustment”, promoting a fair and equitable profit distribution framework that motivates stakeholders toward sustainable value co-creation.

Self-transcendent emotions as the locomotive of value co-creation in sustainable tourism: a horizon 2050 paper

Purpose This paper aims to outline the role of self-transcendent emotions (STEs) such as compassion, gratitude and elevation in the context of sustainable tourism. It proposes a research agenda for further investigation of these emotions as facilitators of value co-creation in sustainable tourism. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the literature on the psychology of STEs, sustainable tourist behaviour and value co-creation, this paper pinpoints potential developments and challenges associated with STEs in the domain of sustainable tourism by following a service-dominant logic approach. Findings STEs are likely to have a profound impact on sustainable tourism leading to value co-creation and mitigating the risk of value co-destruction and value no-creation. They can facilitate value co-creation by shifting the focus of actors from their own selves towards others in the tourism ecosystem, shifting the focus from extrinsic to intrinsic motivations and increasing moral values. Moreover, STEs are expected to be contiguous and reciprocal, fostering value co-creation in sustainable tourism practices. However, extreme levels of STEs can lead to value co-destruction and value no-creation. Originality/value This paper highlights the role of STEs as facilitators of value co-creation in sustainable tourism, a facet that has been overlooked in the existing literature. Further investigation is necessary in different contexts such as transformative and regenerative tourism; societal or individual crises and failures and the applications of technologies such as the Metaverse and artificial intelligence.

Open innovation for sustainability in the agri-food sector: why, who and how?

PurposeThis paper examines open innovation (OI) based on sustainability principles within the agri-food sector. The study aims to understand the interplay between different actors and develop a typology of their roles in fostering sustainability. Three key research questions guided our inquiry: “WHY” sustainability is driving the OI initiatives as presented by companies, “WHO” participates in OI interactions and “HOW” these interactions are structured among diverse agri-food actors.Design/methodology/approachThrough a theoretical prism encompassing OI modes, types, practices, sustainability dimensions and multilevel perspectives, we analyzed 78 agri-food sustainable OI initiatives, as described by the companies, to identify and explain why, who and how they engage in OI to drive sustainability shifts.FindingsThe results reveal typical patterns of transaction and cooperation between actors and confirm the collaborative nature of sustainable OI in the agri-food sector when actors must transcend traditional economic boundaries and reshape both the internal performance culture and the broader industrial or community mindset. The paper also conceptualizes the roles of actors in co-creating value in the context of sustainable food transitions.Originality/valueThis study brings the theoretical lenses of OI to conceptualize the collaborative nature of sustainability transitions in the agri-food system. The focus on sustainability transitions is dominantly placed on innovators at the niche level, while incumbents tend to be depicted as protecting the status quo. Thus, the focus on the collaborative interplay among different actors engaged in OI for sustainability contributes to offering a more nuanced view of innovation in sustainability transitions. In turn, the development of a typology of actors, motivations and configurations of OI from sustainability transition perspectives contributes to strengthening the conceptualization of sustainable value co-creation in the OI realm.

Erratum. A Typology of Circular Sport Business Models: Enabling Sustainable Value Co-Creation in the Sport Industry

Erratum. A Typology of Circular Sport Business Models: Enabling Sustainable Value Co-Creation in the Sport Industry

Enhancing Operational Efficiency and Cash Flow through Supply Chain Optimization in the Oil and Gas Sector

The oil and gas industry continues to play a vital role in meeting the world's energy needs. As renewable energy sources gain traction, there is an imperative to refine operational models, prioritizing sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. This study employs a comprehensive conceptual framework integrating critical analysis of business scenarios, product positioning, and market segmentation. The study adopts supply network optimization, encompassing demand forecasting, inventory management, transportation, production scheduling, cash flow management, and data analytics. The research evaluates three supply models: Satellite Manufacturing, Hub Manufacturing, and Contract Manufacturing. It employs scenario analysis to assess the impact of supply chain strategies on operating and cash cycles. The analysis reveals that Hub- based contract manufacturing is the most effective model. The research demonstrates that optimizing supply networks directly influences the operating and cash cycles of companies in the Oil and Gas industry. By reducing inventory levels, optimizing supplier payment terms, and streamlining production processes, organizations can achieve cost savings, improve efficiency, and enhance cash flow management. The study underscores the importance of thorough analysis and strategic decision-making in selecting supply chain models to enhance cost efficiency, operational effectiveness, and cash flow management. The study is limited to midstream and downstream services and may vary based on industry contexts. Future research could explore additional supply chain strategies across different sectors. This research contributes to the sustainable consumption and value co-creation literature by offering practical insights for businesses operating in the oil and gas industry or similar contexts. It provides a framework for optimizing supply chain models to improve cost efficiency and cash flow management, thereby enhancing overall business performance.

B2B Customer Value Co-Creation for Sustainable Machinery in the Food Processing Industry - A Case Study from The Netherlands

This study examines customer-centric vision and sustainable value co-creation in the B2B machine manufacturing industry. It uses a generative approach to explore B2B customer expectations, focusing on co-conception and co-design. Our research aims to integrate customer-centric benefits with sustainability goals through sustainable business models and boundary work theory. In our paper, we examine a growing circular firm in the food processing machinery sector in The Netherlands. Our study is guided by the main research question, "What actions do B2B customers expect for enhanced machinery sustainability?”. We implemented a single case study and a collaborative research framework, integrating business viewpoints to enhance theoret-ical contributions within a qualitative mixed-method approach. Our findings indicate that, reduction and repurposing of water and used water, and machines generating less food waste and processing waste are among the top expectations of the B2B customers. B2B contexts are underrepresented in customer co-creation literature, therefore our paper contributes with empirical findings to this field.

A Typology of Circular Sport Business Models: Enabling Sustainable Value Co-Creation in the Sport Industry

There is a continuing interest in the relationship between sport and nature. As a new field, sport ecology explores the impact sport has on the natural environment and how sport organizations and individuals can promote sustainability. However, a critical element is still missing in the sport ecology discourse—the link between organizations’ sustainability efforts and their value co-creation processes. The circular economy can provide this link by decoupling the value co-creation of sport business models from their environmental impact and resource depletion. Based on an extensive literature review, this study provides a new theoretically derived typology of circular sport business models, including comprehensive reasoning about sustainable value co-creation processes in the sport industry. It explains how sport managers of all three sectors—for-profit, public, and nonprofit—can transition toward more sustainable and circular business practices and offer integrative guidelines for future research.

Exploring the contribution of neuroscientific approach to sustainable smart tourism

A recent development in the tourism industry is integrating smart technology into prominent destinations to provide personalized experiences for visitors and improve their satisfaction. As a result of smart destinations, knowledge and expertise are available to all parties involved, allowing for the constant transformation of activities by engaging tourists in actively co-creating their experiences. Significant beneficiaries, such as visitors, service providers, and destination marketing organizations, participate in the smart tourism ecosystem’s combination of systems, structures, and technology to co-create value and experience its advantages. The application of neuroscience in smart tourism ecosystem can help to better understand the needs and expectations of tourists, to design more efficient and sustainable services, and to measure the impact of tourism on society and the environment. Sustainable value co-creation based on neuroscientific approach are the new building blocks of smart tourist ecosystems to attain visitor satisfaction and loyalty by establishing positive associations with the co-creation of tourist experiences. Considering neuroscience as a valuable tool for understanding how tourists interact with their environments and how ICTs can be used to enhance their experiences, this paper analyzed literature on smart tourism ecosystem and sustainable value co-creation to provide insights into how sustainable smart tourism can be improved through the use of the neuroscientific approach.

Sustainability starts from within: A critical analysis of internal marketing in supporting sustainable value co-creation in B2B organisations

The role of value co-creation in embedding sustainability within B2B marketing is well-documented. However, little is known about how employees enact this value co-creation, or how they can be supported to do so by their organisations. This article addresses this theoretical gap by analysing the role of employees and Internal Marketing in B2B organisations' efforts to co-create sustainable value. We propose that, since employees are tasked with delivering their organisation's ‘promise’, they can also purposely generate value for a broader range of stakeholders. As such, Internal Marketing can be a key enabler (or inhibitor) in these efforts. Adopting a Service-Dominant Logic and Service Gap lens, the research utilises Template Analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews with employees from a range of B2B organisations, which have adopted ‘sustainability-oriented’ practices. The findings highlight the contribution of Internal Marketing in supporting sustainable value, and demonstrate that, whilst employees can play a key role in the co-creation of sustainable value, value co-destruction can occur due to a ‘Sustainability gap’ within their organisations. This study contributes significantly to extant knowledge by offering a taxonomized analysis of the ‘sustainability gap’ and identifying how B2B organisations can address these at the awareness, design, internal communication, and implementation stages.

Operationalizing Collaborative Business Models: A Practitioner Capabilities Lens

This paper offers insight into the boundary-spanning practitioners and the operationalization of their capabilities that are critical to sustainable value co-creation, delivery, and capture within collaborative business models. Few empirical studies have focused on the concept of collaborative business models - those business models in which value is co-created, delivered, and captured between practitioners outside the boundaries of a single firm - and research into the dynamic/ordinary capabilities of their boundary-spanning practitioners appears neglected. The study is centered on three firms that form a solutions collaborative (public-private) business model. A case study methodology is deployed to examine the firms as three embedded units of analysis. The data sources consist ofsemi-structured interviews supplemented by archives of publications. The findings advance understanding of practitioner dynamic/ordinary capabilities in solutions collaborative business models that are critical to support value co-creation, delivery, and capture.

Sustainable value co-creation in healthcare systems in the context of reduced ease of access

Sustainability studies in healthcare systems predominantly have a goods-dominant outlook and focus on the environmental sustainability of hospitals in developed nations. When faced with poor availability and affordability (reduced ease of access), healthcare systems must pay attention to social sustainability. As in the rest of the world, the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases requiring long-term and high patient involvement is increasing in India. ‘Information exchange’ (integrating knowledge) is a crucial co-creation process. Besides ‘information exchange,’ this study considers ‘interaction quality’ (reciprocal understanding) and the customers' ‘knowledge development attitude’ as value-creating processes. The Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework suggests that these cues prompt patients to participate and contribute to healthcare outcomes, resulting in their continued patronage and reduced ease of access weakens this positive influence. Data was collected from General Practitioners (GP) who treat diabetic patients in Jharkhand (with limited healthcare resources and a low-average per-person income). A pilot sample data ensured the reliability of the instrument before the large-scale survey calibrated and independently validated a structural equation model. It was determined that the positive influence of ‘information exchange’ and ‘knowledge development attitude’ (‘interaction quality’) on patients' contribution to healthcare outcomes is (is not) weaker in reduced ease of access. The patients perceive a degree of risk owing to their limited understanding of the healthcare components (e.g., medication). Stated processes reduce this and add to the system's value (knowledge to cure and learn as per service-dominant logic) and improve trust in the service provider. With reduced ease of access, the time spent with the patient has to be effectively used to allay fears and gain trust empathetically. GP clinics with reduced hierarchy and protocols are better suited for required policy changes and service innovations. This is the first study to apply the S-O-R framework interlaced with service-dominant logic in sustainable healthcare.

Value co-creation in a high-performance computing (HPC) service ecosystem: opportunities for European SMEs

PurposeThis paper aims to develop a conceptual framework as a valuable investigative tool for future empirical studies examining stakeholders’ interactions within a high-performance computing (HPC) service ecosystem and identifying the enablers for better value co-creation under various service provisioning contexts.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper follows a theory adaptation research design that systematically examines the literature on a substantive topic encompassing HPC technology adoption and usage by European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, it introduces theoretical perspectives from service innovation research as its methodological approach (method theory) to develop a theoretical framework for value co-creation within an HPC service ecosystem.FindingsThe conceptual framework presented in this paper identifies the critical resource elements of SMEs, which can potentially be integrated with other stakeholders’ resources and complement the limited internal resources of SMEs for enhanced value co-creation within an HPC service ecosystem.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptualisation of an HPC service ecosystem and the potential of value co-creation through integrating stakeholders’ resources, presented in this paper, underscore further empirical research in this direction.Practical implicationsFindings from this paper can inform European policymakers for regional development to frame regional strategies and policies that enable SMEs to better uptake HPC services. Service providers can revisit their business models to reconfigure their organisational resources for enhanced value proposition and co-creation.Social implicationsThis study advances the agenda of transformative service research that aims uplifting changes and societal well-being through a more inclusive and sustainable value co-creation among a wider set of stakeholders within the service ecosystem.Originality/valueThe paper addresses an under-investigated research gap by examining SMEs’ adoption of HPC services and opportunities for higher value co-creation using a service ecosystem approach based on multi-actor interaction, collaboration and resource integration.

Sustainable Value Co-creation in the Circular Economy through Digitalization

Sustainable Value Co-creation in the Circular Economy through Digitalization

Developing a Framework of Sustainable Consumption in Retailing Contexts

Over the years, the retail sector has been showing increasing interest in inculcating sustainable consumption practices and behaviors among their consumers. This study, accordingly, explores how retailers can contribute to addressing consumers’ various psychological dispositions to co-create sustainable consumption in the retail context. In that regard, the MAPED framework has been developed corresponding to White et al.’s SHIFT framework for exploring the process and mechanism of co-creating sustainable consumption in the retail sector. This comprehensive conceptual framework has been developed using a methodological approach of critical review and analysis of the extant academic literature on value co-creation and sustainable consumption. Accordingly, this study attempts to contribute to both sustainable consumption and value co-creation literature.

The conceptualization of smart tourism service platforms on tourist value co-creation behaviours: an integrative perspective of smart tourism services

The question remains how to integrate the core service proposals within a smart tourism platform setting for further facilitating tourist value co-creation behaviours in sustainable ways. This paper investigates the paradigm of smart tourism service (STS) platforms within the context of an ecosystem space. It conceptualizes concepts by laying a reasonable theoretical foundation (service-dominant logic) and proposing a scale for smart services. Applying sequential mixed methods to an exploratory research design, with seven interlocking stages and data from Fuzzy Delphi experts and tourist surveys in Taipei City, a smart city in Taiwan, this paper proposes a second-order scale with six dimensions, comprising smart services of attractions, transportation, accommodation, diet, purchase, and payment. The final 32-item STS scale is thoroughly developed and subsequently validated in different contexts (i.e. travellers in different phases of travel, pre-travel and during the trip, respectively). The scale significantly reveals the tourist-operated technologies for the provision of STS, determining the development of conceptual STS platforms in this paper. Next, the platforms disclose the locus between ICT functions, information-related services, tourist applications and behaviours, and sustainable value co-creation. The potential path of “STS → behaviour → sustainable value co-creation” explored herein is helpful for illustrating the conceptualization of STS platforms. Moreover, predictions from the platforms of tourists’ smart behaviours make it practically relevant in assessing demands about smart services for tourism. In the end, this paper describes the theoretical implications and managerial implications for tourism practitioners.

Marketing and Customer Sustainable Value Co-creation as Tools for SDGs Achievement: The Case of BTS and ARMY

The aim of this paper was to explore how celebrity marketing and customer brand co-creation can help companies achieve the SDGs. First, insights on value creation, celebrity marketing for sustainability and sustainability co-creation were gathered. Second, a simple theoretical model with the customer at the center was suggested, contributing to the theory-building for marketing and customer brand co-creation for sustainability. The model included points where brands can embed sustainability and interact with customers, elements involved in choosing a celebrity messenger and factors that can help identify cooperation potential. Third, additional insights for the model were gathered from a case study of sustainability promotion by BTS, artists from HYBE corporation, one of the leaders in the entertainment industry, and the involvement of their fandom ARMY as an important stakeholder. Secondary survey data available online was used to get insights into the fandom’s interest in conscious involvement in sustainability-related matters. The findings indicate that some of the elements of the developed theoretical model, namely, engagement online-offline, brand interactivity, and match of personal values, were present in the reviewed case. A brief analysis of comments to two sustainability-related videos featuring BTS performed with the use of YouTube API and R indicated that the UN speech, future, generation and positive sentiments mentions were present among the most frequent words. As this research is explorative in nature, it could benefit from future studies with a more in-depth analysis of the BTS-ARMY case or looking into different cases, as well research further developing the model for specific settings.

Service Inclusion for the Wellbeing of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

People with disabilities still find it extremely difficult to fully participate in society despite the international community’s strong commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. Through the lens of service science, we aim to frame the concept of service inclusion as a value-co-creation among the actors of the system supporting the well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Based on a service-dominant logic, we establish linkages between service inclusion, the goals of sustainable development, and the socio-ecological context. We extract a conceptualization around the sustainability of inclusive services for the well-being of people with IDD, indicated by sustainable value co-creation and exchange through continued service availability across the spheres of interaction in the socio-ecological context. With this work, we extend the potential for a wider research agenda on service inclusion for the well-being of people with IDD, tied to service design practices that focus on the priorities of the people with IDD.