Data Platforms in Biointelligent Value Creation Systems - Towards a Biointelligence Metaverse

Although sustainability marketing is gaining popularity, a comprehensive understanding of how green marketing practices affect consumers’ overall well-being remains lacking. Existing studies focus on firm-level sustainability actions or isolated consumer responses. Their mechanisms linking marketing practices, value creation, and life satisfaction are not sufficiently theorized. To bridge the gap, this study develops an integrative conceptual framework that explains how sustainable value creation mediates the enhancement of consumer life satisfaction through the implementation of green marketing practices. The study employs a two-phase integrative review design. Three core constructs, green marketing practices, sustainable value creation, and consumer life satisfaction, are identified in a synthesis of sustainability marketing, consumer value, and well-being literature. Secondly, the initial framework is systematically rooted and refined by drawing on influential empirical research published in marketing and sustainability journals from 2016 to 2025. Analytically constructed tables organize this synthesis by assessing the dominant empirical patterns related to marketing practices, multidimensional value creation, and pathways to life satisfaction. The research advances sustainability marketing theory by reconceptualizing green marketing as a system of consumption-shaping practices and by positioning sustainable value creation as the central mechanism linking firm actions to consumer life satisfaction.

Over the last decades, there has been growing awareness of the collective impact of human society on the planetary boundaries (Rockström et al., 2009). Consumers become more conscious about and competent in buying environmentally-friendly products (Thogersen & Olander, 2002; Waddock et al., 2002). Subsequently, businesses experience an increasing pressure to become more sustainable (Elkington, 1997; Nidumolu et al., 2009; Waddock et al., 2002). It is therefore not sufficient to study business models from an economic perspective alone, but also from a social and environmental perspective (Boons & Lüdeke-Freund, 2013; Elkington, 1997).The objective of this dissertation is to integrate sustainability considerations into management research on customized and collaborative value creation (CVC). Concepts of CVC, such as mass customization (MC), contrast traditional management views, in which companies are the ones who create value and customers those who consume it (Moeller et al., 2013; Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004). Instead, business models in which customers and other external actors play an active role in the creation of value, in order to improve the satisfaction of customer needs, become widespread (Etgar, 2008; Franke & Piller, 2004; Nenonen & Storbacka, 2010; Payne et al., 2008). In today’s management practice, CVC initiatives are predominantly separated from sustainability management (Arnold, 2017). In this dissertation I use a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods to address the integration of sustainability considerations into CVC in general and MC in particular in a series of four independent research papers. The first paper examines the landscape of research on customized value creation. Applying recent advances in natural language processing, namely the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm for topic modeling, I systematically structure the body of literature that studies the idea of providing customized goods and services according to individual customer needs. I find that 60 topics disclose the field of MC. Using regression analysis, I reveal how each topic has evolved over time. Relying on network analysis, I explore the links between the topics and the role of the various management disciplines in shaping the research field. Based on these generalized findings, I put forward an agenda for future interdisciplinary research on MC. The second paper explores the social, environmental, and economic potentials of an MC business models, which aimed at fostering sustainability in the consumer electronics industry. Using a qualitative case-study approach, I show how modularity enables continuous customization during the usage phase, while enabling longer life times of products through upgradability and reparability. Moreover, I reveal that MC can have positive social effects at the long tail of a market, enhancing access to special applications such as health diagnostics in the specific context of modular and customizable smartphones. In the third paper I shed light on the co-creation phase of MC and its potential to contribute to the promotion of sustainable consumption. I theoretically derive and empirically test a number of opportunities for companies to improve corporate sustainability in a joint effort with consumers. By portraying a simulated online buying process of a customizable TV with a realistic web-based product configurator, I conduct two consumer choice experiments embedded in a large-scale online survey. I find that offering goods with customizable attributes of different sustainability levels gives consumers the opportunity to customize products reflecting their individual sustainability consciousness. Moreover, the results suggest that sustainable default settings can play a significant role in promoting sustainable consumption. The fourth paper conceptually explores how CVC concepts and technologies are assessed from the perspective of the degrowth concept. I argue that CVC might not only be relevant for businesses within economies that are set to grow, but also for none-profit and alternative organizations. In the search for strategies to really manage the pressing transition towards a sustainable society within planetary boundaries, those research lines that demand more radical changes than what is discussed today in business practice receive increasing attention. Paper IV explores how CVC can contribute to research on such alternative concepts. I outline five areas, in which CVC could contribute to the objectives of degrowth. The conceptual analysis reveals that several elements of CVC and its enabling technologies coincide with degrowth objectives but as such do not lead to their attainment. Thereby, a starting point for future (empirical) work in this area is generated.

Intellectual capital has become a prominent driver of organizational and societal performance and wellbeing. However, the role of intellectual capital in the context of sustainable organizational value and wealth creation—that is, how organizations can simultaneously create customer value while also satisfying their internal stakeholders—has been virtually unexplored so far. Hence, this chapter examines the role of intellectual capital as a driver of organizational-level economic and social sustainability. It focuses on examining the effect of intellectual capital on customer value creation and the moderating role of job satisfaction in this relationship. We utilize survey data collected from 259 Finnish companies to empirically examine the research model. We find that both intellectual capital and job satisfaction are positively associated with customer value creation and that job satisfaction moderates the relationship between intra-firm relational capital and customer value creation. This shows that organizational social sustainability (measured by job satisfaction) is integrally linked with value creation in end-customer markets. Overall, our results contribute to the understanding of the role of intellectual capital as an important driver of sustainable value creation in organizations.

Value creation processes differentiate firms and provide enduring advantages. Central to this process is managing stakeholder relationships, especially when negotiating, co-creating and distributing value, an endeavour with significant challenges, such as optimization of value creation without trade-offs amid complex and interdependent relationships. While stakeholder relationships are often recognized as crucial, existing theories inadequately address how interconnected exchanges influence the value created. To this end, we propose a framework that integrates stakeholder theory with systems theory, focusing on primary stakeholders. Our aim is to: (a) identify key stakeholder value concepts, (b) describe relationship dynamics initiated by stakeholders and (c) outline systemic processes that enable value creation. Stakeholder-driven value creation involves several interconnected activities and practices that reflect an organizational commitment to stakeholder well-being, for example, through employee-focused initiatives such as training, healthcare and the recognition of human capital. Furthermore, we suggest that collaborative value creation can be framed more clearly by emphasizing how organizations navigate interdependent stakeholder expectations through routines that promote fairness and mutual gain. This integrated approach advances stakeholder and systems theories by clarifying how relational dynamics enable value creation. For managers, these insights offer strategic guidance for developing stakeholder-oriented practices that align ethical commitments with performance.

The article analyses aspects of the cross-sector partnership of NGO and business actualizing the context of the governance dimension and collaborative value creation. The theoretical part of this article revealed the formal (contractual) and informal (relational) governance mechanisms, which influence the behaviour of partners in the cross-sector partnership. Moreover, the research presented organizational and partnership perspectives of the governance in cross-sector partnerships. The case study strategy was applied to conduct empirical research in Lithuania. It was found out that value creation based on collaboration in cross-sector partnership is influenced by partnership context that consists of macro and mezzo stimulating and limiting factors, characteristics of NGO and business organization, selection of a proper partner as well as formal and informal mechanisms of partnership governance.

Primary objective of businesses have solely been improving financial performance specifically maximizing the wealth of shareholders. While measures employed in performance evaluation have the ability to reveal performance, numerical values may lack indication with regard to value creation. Over time, materialistic focus of businesses has shifted towards a more value-creation oriented bundle of factors. Today’s competitive environment challenges businesses with so many threats one which is to be sustainable. The aim of this paper is to thoroughly analyze the use of Integrated Reporting as a strategic tool to achieve sustainability and sustainable value creation.

Purpose Intellectual capital (IC) is an increasingly important strategic asset for sustainable value creation in organisations. This paper aims to provide a conceptual perspective on the university’s role as a catalyst for IC creation and development within the dynamic landscape of organisations, exploring the nexus to capture its essence. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a conceptual framework development approach, key concepts were cohesively and coherently synthesised from various theoretical underpinnings, namely, the multiple capitals approach to maximising corporate value creation, the evolved triple bottom line approach to corporate sustainability, the triple helix innovation model and its subsequent extensions, the upper echelons theory and the social licence construct linked to stakeholder, legitimacy and institutional theories. Findings A comprehensive conceptual framework was developed that outlines universities’ role in catalysing four corporate IC forms crucial to sustainable organisational value creation: human capital, governance capital, social/relational capital and structural/organisational capital. The framework interprets this role of universities as dynamic IC reservoirs serving regional ecosystems for sustainable development. It highlights the synergistic sustainable value creation between universities and organisations in host communities and broader society, with university governance acting as a key driver. Originality/value This paper offers a theoretically grounded interpretation of universities’ pivotal role in catalysing essential forms of IC to support contemporary organisations’ sustainable value-creation processes. The proposed framework has the potential to ignite conversations on the crucial connection between universities and corporate IC development relevant to sustainable organisations, inspiring future empirical research, reflection and discussion.

This paper aims at investigating empirical study of the dynamic relationship between sustainable entrepreneurship (economic and technology performances) and value creation (product development, quality improvement) by small and medium enterprises in Agege local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. This paper develops and solve the problems of research gap on relationship between sustainable entrepreneurship and value creation. Data were collected from 50 SMEs owner (respondents). Chi-square analysis was used to test the hypotheses, and there is a positive relationship between sustainable entrepreneurship and value creation which resolve the ongoing debate between the sustainable entrepreneurship and value creation controversy.

Our research aims to understand how strategic stakeholder management drives a competitive advantage. The thesis objectives are (1) to understand how companies develop a value creation system for multiple stakeholders, (2) to understand the micro-foundations of a stakeholder management capability, and (3) to understand how stakeholder management drives a new business strategic positioning. For that, we aim to cover the main elements of a business competitive advantage model: value creation and appropriation mechanisms, resources and capabilities, and positioning. For that, we applied qualitative, exploratory multiple case study. We interviewed 55 people from 11 different companies. We designed our research into three papers. Paper 1, Stakeholder Value Creation System: Understanding the Process, aimed to understand how companies develop a value creation system for multiple stakeholders. Paper 2, Micro-foundations of Stakeholder Management Capability, aimed to investigate how top managers develop and coordinate specific capabilities to create value with multiple stakeholders simultaneously and achieve performance. Paper 3, Stakeholder Positioning Strategy: A New Strategic Positioning, aimed to understand how strategic stakeholder management drives a new strategic positioning. Our data revealed that strategic stakeholder management is changing companies competitive advantage model. The Strategic Stakeholder Management Model embraces the development of a Stakeholder Value Creation System, Stakeholder Management Capability, and Stakeholder Strategic Positioning. The model suggests an ongoing process. We contribute to Stakeholder Theory and Resource-based Theory by explaining how combining both theories may help managers manage their companies facing societal grand challenges.

The Impact of Openness on Value Co-creation in Production Networks

In this second of a two-part focused review of the nonprofit business and corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature, the authors present the third and fourth components of the collaborative value creation (CVC) framework: the partnering processes that unpack the value creation dynamics and the collaboration outcomes that examine the benefits and costs on multiple levels. The authors suggest that greater value is created at all levels of analysis, micro, meso, and macro, as collaboration moves from sole creation to co-creation of value. The CVC framework assigns equal importance to all forms of value (economic, social, and environmental), types of actors (individuals, organizations, and societies), and time scales (short/long term), providing the analytical paths for assessing value creation holistically. Examining systematically the processes and the outcomes of value co-creation allows for greater specificity, dimensionality, and inclusivity. The article concludes by delineating the contribution of the CVC framework and offering recommendations for future research.

This paper addresses crowd-based dynamics of value creation in participatory culture. Based on a corpus of 114,931 tweets associated with One Direction and similar boy bands, we draw on recent theories of crowd-based organization in digital media as well as classical crowd theory to build a theoretical model of collective value creation. In our model, the achievement of value in the form of trending and individual microcelebrity is based on affectively driven processes of imitation, rather than on rational evaluation and deliberation. We contrast this model with established accounts of microcelebrity and draw out implications for theories of crowd-based organization in digital media and for theories of participatory culture and collaborative value creation in general.

Box 5.1: Chapter 5 at a GlanceThe offering is the core unit of analysis in this book. It is a rich construct, both conceptually and in terms of practice, and it is also paradoxical. The offering manifests the relationship of co-creation between actors, and in joining them, distinguishes them from each other in terms of roles and — typically — also in terms of values. In the value creating systems (VCSs) approach to strategy, strategists design, create or change offerings that act as the organising “links” that manifest how interacting actors co-create value. With an offering, an actor is linked to another, and they act together in concert to mobilise resources in ways that enable the creation of both value and values. In VCSs, there are two kinds of offerings; configuring offerings that organise the VCS, and support offerings between two actors within the system. Offerings can be static or more dynamic and open to change by their co-creators. In a networked world, this frame poses challenges (and also new offering design tasks) for strategists. We describe five elements required to be designed into an offering: people, process, technology, information, and a risk-sharing formula. This chapter is centrally concerned with defining, describing, and analysing how offerings work and the choices involved in designing them.

The prevailing paradigm describes Sustainable Impact Accelerators (SIA) as supporting organizations that select sustainable new ventures and focus on scaling them. We find that SIAs go beyond selection and actively engage with their portfolio companies in managing the tensions that arise from integrating three logics: sustainable value creation, commercial viability, and rapid scaling. We draw on qualitative and quantitative data from fifteen early-stage new venture cases in an SIA context to build a theory of blended value acceleration. Our theory describes a process that aims to find logic compatibility at selection, improve logic centrality by treatment, and create accountability to avoid the vicious cycles that could derail a sustainable new venture from its mission of blending sustainability and commercial value creation. By providing insights into the SIA’s operation, our theory offers clarity and conceptualization of the impact acceleration process, creating future research pathways on the managerial improvement of sustainable impact accelerator programs.

The paper offers a theoretical advancement on sustainable port development strategies adopting a relational perspective, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and stakeholder interaction in achieving sustainable value creation. It provides a comprehensive overview of the concept of value creation, highlighting its evolution and the different perspectives of analysis in business model research: the conventional value creation perspective, where customers and suppliers are considered key stakeholders in the supply chain, and the sustainability-oriented one, which extends value creation processes to other stakeholders, such as civil society, policy makers, financial stakeholders, and employees. Based on the main gaps of the literature review and drawing on the previous progress on the sustainable business model, this paper develops a theoretical framework, which structures the relationships between the port business operator and its stakeholders at two interconnected levels: the supply chain and the institutional environment. These levels identify core value creation activities and resources, relational governance models, and the value created with and for different stakeholders. However, its implementation opens new avenues for future research that are currently lacking in port research.