Strategizing for Sustainable Business Model Innovation in the Digital Age

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “Strategizing for Sustainable Business Model Innovation in the Digital Age”

Journal: Long Range Planning
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission deadline: 31 August 2026

Overview

This special issue—published by Elsevier—examines the strategic integration of digital transformation and Sustainable Business Model Innovation (SBMI). As global challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequality intensify, organizations are under pressure to align economic performance with the "triple bottom line." The issue explores how digital technologies (AI, blockchain, IoT, and big data) act as catalysts for redesigning value creation, delivery, and capture, while addressing the theoretical and practical complexities of managing sustainability in a rapidly shifting digital landscape.

Key Research Themes

• Strategic Integration: Aligning digital transformation initiatives with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and long-term organizational strategies.

• SBMI Frameworks: Redesigning business models for environmental, social, and economic value using advanced technologies like AI and IoT.

• Dynamic Capabilities: The roles of sensing, seizing, and transforming in successfully embedding sustainability within the digital firm.

• Ecosystems & Collaboration: Managing complex stakeholder networks, cross-sector partnerships, and platform-based value co-creation for sustainability.

• Responsible Innovation: Ethical development of digital tools, governance for AI and blockchain, and ensuring inclusive and transparent innovation processes.

• Leadership & Change: Navigating the organizational tensions between profit and purpose and fostering leadership competencies required for the digital-sustainable era.

Submission Details

• Submission window: 01 February 2026 – 31 August 2026.

• Submission portal: https://www.editorialmanager.com/lrp/default2.aspx

• Special Instructions: You must select the article type “VSI: Sustainable Business Model Innovation” during the submission process to ensure your manuscript is correctly linked to the special issue.

• Submission Standards: The journal invites high-quality research, including empirical analyses, conceptual developments, and sector-specific case studies. All submissions must adhere to the Long Range Planning Guide for Authors.

Guest Editor Team

• Francesco P. Appio, Paris School of Business (f.appio@psbedu.paris)

• Sotirios Paroutis, Warwick Business School (Sotirios.Paroutis@wbs.ac.uk)

• Maria Carmela Annosi, Wageningen University (maria.annosi@wur.nl)

• Mariagrazia Squicciarini, UNESCO (m.squicciarini@unesco.org)

Why This Issue Matters

Strategy in the digital age requires more than mere operational efficiency; it demands a fundamental rethinking of how businesses contribute to societal well-being. This special issue bridges the gap between digital strategy and sustainability research, providing a crucial forum for scholars and practitioners to develop the frameworks needed to navigate the dual transition of our time.

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