“Entrepreneurial Behavior and Decision Support Systems: New Path to Sustainable and Resilient Futures”

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “Entrepreneurial Behavior and Decision Support Systems: New Path to Sustainable and Resilient Futures”

Journal: Technology in Society
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission deadline: 31 July 2026

Overview

In an era of high volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), entrepreneurs must increasingly rely on data-driven tools to navigate crises and align their ventures with sustainability imperatives. This special issue bridges the gap between entrepreneurial behavior and Decision Support Systems (DSS), exploring how these technologies—ranging from AI and big data analytics to simulation tools—influence entrepreneurial cognition, sensemaking, and adaptive capacity. The guest editors aim to unpack the behavioral and psychological mechanisms that enable entrepreneurs to utilize DSS to build more resilient and sustainable ventures.

Key Research Themes

• Behavioral Drivers: Analyzing cognitive biases, heuristics, and psychological drivers that shape how entrepreneurs adopt and engage with DSS.

• Cognitive & Adaptive Capacity: Investigating the role of DSS in enhancing entrepreneurial foresight, opportunity recognition, and strategic pivoting in early-stage or high-growth firms.

• Sustainability & Resilience: Examining how tech-enabled decision-making promotes sustainable entrepreneurial orientation and supports business resilience during environmental, social, or economic disruptions.

• Human-Machine Interaction: Exploring the ethics, trust, and human-machine dynamics when DSS are used in high-stakes entrepreneurial contexts.

• Contextual Perspectives: Assessing cross-cultural or gendered influences on DSS engagement, as well as the use of these tools in social entrepreneurship and community-based innovation.

Submission Details

• Submission window: Opens 01 February 2026 – Deadline 31 July 2026.

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

• Special Instructions: Select article type “VSI: Sustainable and Resilient Futures” to link your submission to the special issue.

Guest Editors

• Guoqing Zhao (Managing Guest Editor), Swansea University (guoqing.zhao@swansea.ac.uk)

• Shaofeng Liu, University of Plymouth (shaofeng.liu@plymouth.ac.uk)

• Paul Jones, Swansea University (w.p.jones@swansea.ac.uk)

Why This Issue Matters

Despite the proliferation of digital decision-making tools, the behavioral dimension of how entrepreneurs integrate these systems into their strategic decision-making remains critically under-theorized. This issue provides a timely forum for scholars to explore how technology-enabled insights can help entrepreneurs move beyond traditional growth metrics to prioritize long-term ecological and societal value.

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