Business Strategies and Ethical Challenges in the Digital Ecosystem

The advent of the smart technology era has brought forth unprecedented opportunities and challenging risks, extending beyond individual, organisational and societal boundaries. These vulnerabilities are deeply interconnected with contextual factors such as technology accessibility, user competence and the wide-ranging consequences of technology utilisation that necessitates context-aware solutions. In this policy recommendation that was presented to the UK policymakers, we specified that to pave the way for socially responsible smart technologies, companies must explore and address risks stemming from the connectivity and cognitive capabilities of smart systems throughout their lifecycle stages, encompassing data input, processing and output. We emphasised that effective risk management demands a multifaceted orchestration of proactive (push) and reactive (pull) measures to mitigate harm. Furthermore, we indicate that smart technology's transformative potential has the capacity to revolutionise competition across industries, redefining innovation. However, this transformation introduces substantial risks that extend beyond corporate boundaries, affecting individual well-being and safety. Consequently, responsible innovation and mitigation strategies are imperative. Finally, we highlighted that global consumer decisions about smart technology adoption tend to be influenced less by geopolitical factors and more by complex motivations that weigh technological promises against perceived risks. The pursuit of socially responsible smart technology represents a multilayered effort tackling challenges that transcend conventional boundaries while empowering technology developers to embrace innovation.

Although many scholars have investigated different aspects of the notion of innovation ambidexterity, the conceptualization of examining this concept in a technological setting remained unclear, as no serious attempts have been made to figure out the core concept of innovation ambidexterity in a technological context, which is a critical concept for high-tech firms.

This chapter explores how perceived product innovation influences brand loyalty among UK Apple users, extending the technology acceptance model. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 101 respondents via an online survey and analysed using SPSS. Objectives included examining the mediating role of perceived product usefulness and ease of use, exploring the relationship between product/brand attitudes and brand loyalty and assessing gender's impact on loyalty perceptions. Findings reveal a significant positive relationship among variables, with perceived product usefulness and ease of use jointly mediating the link between product innovation and attitude, affecting brand loyalty. Gender was found to have no moderating effect. The research contributes by highlighting these mediating effects and deepening understanding of product innovation's impact on loyalty. Managerially, prioritising innovation, usefulness and ease of use can enhance satisfaction and loyalty. Future research could explore additional variables to enrich understanding further.

The appearance of social media in small and medium enterprise (SME) business operations seems to be increasing in recent years. SME owners have started to understand that digital marketing tools can benefit their businesses significantly. Hence, in this study, we explore further the relationship between organisations and customers, and how SMEs use social media as an opportunity to develop their enterprises. We report the results by relying on qualitative methods to explore the insights from a wider stakeholder perspective. The findings contribute to the existing literature in agreement with the latest theories that SMEs in Greece are aware of the hidden opportunities and try to apply branding with the combination of social media. This study explores further the role of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in a business transition, customers' experience and competitive business advantage.

In this article, the authors try to determine why and under what conditions consumers intend to buy green and what the consequences are. Relying on theories of reasoned action and theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the authors offer that the green purchase intention (GPI) is impressed by environmental and personality components. Provide statements about the determinants and key implications of such market identification.

This chapter reviews Internet of Things (IoT) as a concept with bibliometric analysis using data selected from the Scopus database. The cited references included two clusters. Also, co-occurrence keyword analysis found four groups. The first cluster shows IoT adoption in agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain management. The second cluster includes behavioral models of IoT technology acceptance. The third cluster refers to the adoption of IoT and automation technology in intelligent buildings, smart homes, smart cities, and health care. Finally, the fourth cluster contains information management.

With the global market for advanced technology-driven customer service set to soar, understanding the complicated relationship between advanced technology and customer purchase behaviour is paramount. While prior research has touched upon the impact of technology on purchase processes in some aspects, this study investigates the specific features of advanced technology that shape customer purchase intention in greater depth. By investigating when and under what conditions customers choose advanced technology-based purchases, this research sheds light on the evolving landscape of consumer decision-making and it seeks to quantify the transformative power of advanced technology in driving customer purchase intentions.

This chapter investigates the relationship between sustainable human resource (HR) practices and employee intentions to engage in sustainable behavior within an eco-friendly hotel. Specifically, we examine the influence of internal sustainability orientation, supervisory support, training, and rewards, as well as the mediating role of employees' knowledge of the resort's sustainability practices.

The retail industry has experienced significant transformations driven by digitalization and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter aims to explore the impact of digitalization on retail business models and understand consumer purchasing habits during emergencies. This chapter will examine the influence of scarcity and competitive arousal on consumer choices, the effects of stock-outs on brand and store preferences, price sensitivity, waiting times and the shift towards online shopping. Additionally, it will address concerns about social exclusion in digital channels and the potential for bridging the gap between offline and online shopping experiences.

This chapter recognizes and ranks the factors that impact the adoption of mobile commerce (MC) by users. The results showed that compatibility, perceived usefulness (PU), perceived risk (PR), mobility, and perceived cost (PC) have a significant effect on the adoption of MC by users. The results of multilayer perceptron (MLP) showed that mobility, among other model variables, had the greatest impact on the adoption of MC, and PC had the lowest effect on the adoption of MC. The comparison of the MLP model with linear regression illustrates that the predictive power of MLP outperforms the linear regression model in predicting MC adoption.

The factors involved in and obstacles to sharing economy adoption have been studied with several methods, and several models have occurred to clarify the underlying procedure of sharing economy (SE) adoption, which provide contradictory and scattered findings. This chapter seeks to offer a scientific outline of the academic structure of the SE adoption domain.

As a result of COVID-19 outbreak, the rapid digital transformation has drastically changed the way we work as individuals as well as the organisations. Our constant engagement online has become a natural phenomenon. Whenever we go online, we leave a trail of digital data behind us either actively or passively. For a common customer, employee or even an employer, issues regarding data protection and data security are challenging. For instance, who owns the Digital Footprint Data? Do the employees have the skills to protect customers' data online? How are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) handling the ethical issues around digital footprints? These are some primary questions SMEs are currently facing in the transition of digital transformation. These questions have profound ethical implications for SMEs' digital footprints during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond, which have been explored further in this study.

The transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and technological advancements has captured the attention of various stakeholders, from researchers to policymakers and the general public. Despite the promise of AI's benefits, concerns persist regarding its ethical, privacy, security, and societal implications. Public trust in AI remains low, with fears surrounding its future use and governance growing among scholars and the public. These anxieties are fueled by media narratives raising scenarios such as the “AI revolution” or “AI apocalypse.” Moreover, the prospect of technology-driven unemployment adds to this climate of anxiety. Meanwhile, AI's increasing geopolitical influence has shifted its focus from innovation to dominance, with national governments viewing it as a tool for competitive repositioning. However, AI also poses threats to democracy, as it facilitates the spread of misinformation and undermines electoral integrity. In this chapter, we explore further the challenges AI presents to modern society and democracy, focusing on political practices and electoral risks. Our analysis focuses on the political and social dimensions of AI, arguing that its impacts are shaped by specific political decisions rather than abstract technological dynamics. We emphasize the need to acknowledge and address the political implications of AI to foster a more informed discourse surrounding its deployment and regulation.

This research investigates the role of trust and social capital in shaping consumer behaviour in collaborative consumption (CC) platforms. By integrating system quality, social referral and shared goals, this study aims to develop a comprehensive framework that explains how these factors influence social trust, self-efficacy and ultimately drive consumers' intention to adopt CC.

In today's rapidly evolving digital era, the focus on Customer Knowledge Management (CKM) has emerged as a critical endeavor for businesses aiming to enhance the customer experience, strengthen customer relationships, and secure future engagement, particularly as they navigate the complex landscape of digital transformation. The integration of innovative and ethical digital transitions has the potential to significantly influence the CKM process, ultimately reshaping the very essence of the business model in terms of performance, productivity, and sustainability within the market. The core objective of this chapter is to explore further the complex domain of digitalization and its profound impact on businesses, with a specific emphasis on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Through the lens of CKM, we will explore how leveraging digital tools and strategies can empower businesses, especially SMEs, to foster digital innovation within their CKM initiatives and subsequently attain and sustain a competitive advantage in an increasingly dynamic and competitive marketplace.

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the ethical governance of digital footprint data has emerged as a critical domain, influencing privacy, trust, transparency, accountability and overall digital well-being. Here we provide an overview of key considerations and challenges in this realm, emphasising the need for a robust ethical framework to guide the responsible use of digital footprint data. We explore the interconnected dimensions of trust, transparency, accountability and digital well-being in the context of digital footprint data. Trust is paramount in the digital age, and individuals entrust vast amounts of personal data to online platforms. Establishing and maintaining trust necessitates ethical practices in handling digital footprints, ensuring that individuals feel secure in their online interactions. On the other hand, transparency becomes a cornerstone in fostering trust, as individuals demand clarity regarding data collection, usage and sharing practices. An ethically governed approach involves providing users with accessible and comprehensible information about how their digital footprints are utilised, empowering them to make informed decisions about their online engagement.

It is inevitable that there is an urgent need for a comprehensive ethical framework such as Digital Footprint Ethical Regulation that addresses trust, transparency, accountability and digital well-being collectively. By emphasising the local and global dimensions of ethical governance, the abstract underscores the importance of education, training, support, resources and a regulatory framework to efficiently and ethically manage digital data, ensuring a harmonious coexistence with evolving technologies.