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Digital Platform Ecosystems as Living Labs for Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation: A Conceptual Model Proposal

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  • Grzegorz Baran

    (Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, 30-348 Cracow, Poland)

  • Aleksandra Berkowicz

    (Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, 30-348 Cracow, Poland)

Abstract

The main idea of the paper is to combine modern research methods (as living labs that enable research in a real-life setting) with the new technological opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation development (as digital platforms) to search for innovative solutions, while addressing the sustainable development problems. Thus, the paper aims to explain how real value for society is created within digital platform ecosystems and how they employ to this end novel solutions that better address existing social problems. Consequently, it proposes a conceptual framework to research and develop sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation with the use of digital platforms. This research study takes a synthesizing conceptual approach that seeks to integrate the existing knowledge drawn on two major streams of research: living labs as a methodology and digital platform ecosystems to enrich the theory of sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation development. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge by proposing a novel conceptual model of digital platform ecosystems as living labs for sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation. The model depicts digital platform ecosystems examined as living labs and the implicit processes that include platform users in problem-solving and value-creation in real-life settings. The novelty of the model stems from framing these processes that capture the relationship between individuals and opportunities as the foundations of entrepreneurship and the relationship between the problem space and the solution space, where the opportunities occur.

Suggested Citation

  • Grzegorz Baran & Aleksandra Berkowicz, 2021. "Digital Platform Ecosystems as Living Labs for Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation: A Conceptual Model Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6494-:d:570374
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    2. Fumeng Li & Jiancheng Long, 2024. "Exploration and exploitation of multiple values: The dynamic evolution process of sustainable entrepreneurship in Chinese digital platform corporates," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2342-2357, June.
    3. Yan Chen & Zijin Wang & Jaime Ortiz, 2023. "A Sustainable Digital Ecosystem: Digital Servitization Transformation and Digital Infrastructure Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Sascha Fuerst & Odille Sanchez-Dominguez & Miguel Angel Rodriguez-Montes, 2023. "The Role of Digital Technology within the Business Model of Sustainable Entrepreneurship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-17, July.
    5. Guangping Xu & Guangyuan Hou & Jinshan Zhang, 2022. "Digital Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Digital Capability Perspective through Digital Innovation Orientation for Social and Environmental Value Creation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-24, September.

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