Despite potentially tremendous benefits, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lag in the digital transformation. Emerging technologies, as diverse as they are, offer a range of applications for them to improve performance and overcome the size-related limitations they face in doing business. However, SMEs must be better prepared, and stakes are high. SMEs make the most of the industrial fabric in many countries and regions, they create jobs (most jobs sometimes) and are the cement of inclusive and sustainable societies.

What do vehicle manufacturers like Rosenbauer, logistics companies like DB Schenker, a compressor manufacturer such as Bauer, an elevator manufacturer such as ThyssenKrupp, and a hygiene goods manufacturer like Hagleitner all have in common? They all use the potential of digitization to offer smarter and faster services to customers and to actively shape the digital transformation of their business models. This book provides valuable insights with concise and established guidelines for the successful digital transformation of business models. Professionals in management, strategic planning, business development, as well as researchers and students from the fields of innovation/technology management, strategic management, and entrepreneurship would particularly benefit from this book.

In order to increase the economic opportunities available, enterprise development plays a crucial role in the progression of socio-economic development for small and medium enterprises. Enterprise Development in SMEs and Entrepreneurial Firms: Dynamic Processes explores the process of enterprise development and its reconstruction of entrepreneurial identities, critical competencies as well as market turnaround for SMEs. This book aims to be a critical resource in the understanding of enterprise strategies adopted and lessons learned for management development. It is a successful resource for students, researchers and professionals interested in the growth SMEs.

This book presents a rich compilation of real-world cases on digitalization, the goal being to share first-hand insights from respected organizations and to make digitalization more tangible. As virtually every economic and societal sector is now being challenged by emerging technologies, the digital economy is a highly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous place - and one that holds substantial challenges and opportunities for established organizations. Against this backdrop, this book reports on best practices and lessons learned from organizations that have succeeded in overcoming the challenges and seizing the opportunities of the digital economy. It illustrates how twenty-one organizations have leveraged their capabilities to create disruptive innovations, to develop digital business models, and to digitally transform themselves. These cases stem from various industries (e.g. automotive, insurance, consulting, and public services) and countries, reflecting the many facets of digitalization. As all case descriptions follow a uniform schema, they are easily accessible, and provide insightful examples for practitioners as well as interesting cases for researchers, teachers and students. Digitalization is reshaping business on a global scale, and it is evident that organizations must transform to thrive in the digital economy. Digitalization Cases provides first-hand insights into the efforts of renowned companies. The presented actions, results, and lessons learned are a great inspiration for managers, students, and academics. Anna Kopp, Head of IT Germany, Microsoft Understanding digitalization in all its facets requires knowledge about its opportunities and challenges in different contexts. Providing 21 cases from different companies all around the world, Digitalization Cases makes an important contribution toward the comprehensibility of digitalization - from a practical and a scientific point of view. Dorothy Leidner, Ferguson Professor of Information Systems, Baylor University This book is a great source of inspiration and insight on how to drive digitalization. It shows easy to understand good practice examples which illustrate opportunities, and at the same time helps to learn what needs to be done to realize them. I consider this book a must-read for every practitioner who cares about digitalization. Martin Petry, Chief Information Officer and Head of Business Excellence, Hilti .

This volume explores the ways in which knowledge and innovation impact business and economic sustainability, offering a wide-ranging and richly illustrated study of knowledge, innovation and sustainability of organizations from a dynamic capabilities perspective. In organizational theory, dynamic capability is defined as an organization’s ability to react and adapt adequately and rapidly to external change. In today’s global economy, pursuing sustainable strategies and practices is critical to organizational success. Complying with externally and internally imposed sustainability targets might initially appear as a restriction for organizations; however, they can be transformed into a new set of opportunities. This means that the classic ways in which management absorbs the experiences associated with evolving conditions, organizational frameworks and markets must be reconsidered in light of the preservation of the technological, environmental and social ecosystems. Featuring research and case studies from sectors such as NGOs, SMEs, education and agriculture, this book offers students, academics, practitioners and policymakers a multi-faceted understanding of how and why knowledge, innovation and sustainability are intricately linked—and offers insight into best practices that balance organizational and societal needs.

This open access book explores the concept of Industry 4.0, which presents a considerable challenge for the production and service sectors. While digitization initiatives are usually integrated into the central corporate strategy of larger companies, smaller firms often have problems putting Industry 4.0 paradigms into practice. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) possess neither the human nor financial resources to systematically investigate the potential and risks of introducing Industry 4.0. Addressing this obstacle, the international team of authors focuses on the development of smart manufacturing concepts, logistics solutions and managerial models specifically for SMEs. Aiming to provide methodological frameworks and pilot solutions for SMEs during their digital transformation, this innovative and timely book will be of great use to scholars researching technology management, digitization and small business, as well as practitioners within manufacturing companies.

This book provides practising executives and academics with the theories and best practices to plan and implement the digital transformation successfully. Key benefits: an overview on how leading companies plan and implement digital transformation interviews with chief executive officers and chief digital officers of leading companies – Bulgari, Deutsche Bahn, Henkel, Lanxess, L’Oréal, Unilever, Thales and others – explore lessons learnt and roadmaps to successful implementation research and case studies on the digitalization of small and medium-sized companies cutting-edge academic research on business models, organizational capabilities and performance implications of the digital transformation tools and insights into how to overcome internal resistance, build digital capabilities, align the organization, develop the ecosystem and create customer value to implement digital strategies that increase profits Managing Digital Transformation is unique in its approach, combining rigorous academic theory with practical insights and contributions from companies that are, according to leading academic thinkers, at the forefront of global best practice in the digital transformation. It is a recommended reading both for practitioners looking to implement digital strategies within their own organisations, as well as for academics and postgraduate students studying digital transformation, strategy and marketing.

Das Buch bringt die digitale Transformation in KMU auf den Punkt. Sie unterstützt Wissenschaftler, Unternehmer und politische Entscheider gleichermaßen, indem sie eine strukturierte, logische Diskussion ermöglicht. Das Buch besteht aus drei Teilen. Teil I entwickelt einen Rahmen für eine Strategie in der digitalen Transformation entlang der vier Kategorien Technologienutzung, Veränderungen in der Wertschöpfung, organisatorische Aspekte und finanzielle Aspekte. Teil II identifiziert Komponenten eines digitalen Transformationskontrollsystems, das kulturelle, planerische, administrative und auf Leistungsindikatoren basierende Kontrollen umfasst. In Teil III werden 11 generische Typen von Innovationsnetzwerken herausgearbeitet.

This book explores three interwoven and challenging areas of research and development for future ICT-enabled applications: software intensive systems, complex systems and intelligent systems. Software intensive systems are systems that extensively interact with other systems, sensors, actuators, devices and users. More and more domains are now employing software intensive systems, e.g. the automotive sector, telecommunication systems, embedded systems in general, industrial automation systems and business applications. Moreover, the outcome of web services offers a new platform for enabling software intensive systems. Complex systems research is focused on the overall understanding of systems rather than their components. Complex systems are very much characterized by the changing environments in which they operate through their multiple internal and external interactions. They evolve and adapt through (internal and external) dynamic interactions. The development of intelligent systems and agents, which is increasingly characterized by the use of ontologies, can be beneficial for software intensive systems and complex systems alike. Accordingly, recent research in the areas of intelligent systems, robotics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and the cognitive sciences is essential to the future development of software intensive and complex systems.