Purpose Small businesses are facing evolving environments, with a resulting need to shift their traditional approaches toward new business models (BMs). Many face difficulties within this transition process due to their specific resource constraints. Based on this, incremental changes to the BM – business model transition (BMT) – are proposed as comprising a suitable framework for entrepreneurial small businesses. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) to cover a broad range of relevant literature within a final sample of 89 articles. The SLR method was chosen to integrate research in a systematic, transparent and reproducible way. For qualitative analysis and framework derivation, the study draws on a thematic ontological analysis. Findings The broad search criteria, focusing on BM, incremental BM changes and small businesses, pave the way for a comprehensive overview of multiple research streams of BM concepts (e.g. digital and sustainable BM). The main contribution of this work is the resulting holistic BMT framework, comprising the main parts BM innovation, external antecedents (transition of environment, entrepreneurial ecosystem), internal antecedents (dynamic capabilities, entrepreneurial orientation, resilience, strategy) and output (firm performance). Practical implications The framework provides guidance for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial managers to implement and complete BMT in small businesses. Furthermore, the presented paper sets a future research agenda focusing on small businesses structured according to the derived framework. Originality/value This study provides the first SLR of existing BM concepts with a small-business specific perspective on BMI and a focus on various incremental BM changes.

Recent years have seen a surge in research on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven business model innovation (BMI), reflecting its profound impact across industries. However, the field’s current state remains fragmented due to varied conceptual lenses and units of analysis. Existing literature predominantly emphasizes the technological aspects of AI implementation in business models (BMs), treating BMI as a byproduct. Additionally, there is a lack of coherent understanding regarding the scope of BMI propelled by AI. To address these gaps, our study systematically reviews 180 articles, offering two key contributions: (1) a structured analysis of evolving research dimensions in AI-driven BMI, differentiating between static and dynamic views of BMI, and (2) a framework presenting distinct research perspectives on AI-driven BMI, each addressing specific managerial focuses. This synthesis facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the field, enabling the identification of research gaps and proposing future avenues for advancing knowledge on the management of AI-driven BMI.

Purpose Literature on entrepreneurial resourcefulness (ER) has grown constantly in the last two decades. ER is a construct that describes the specific behavior of entrepreneurs, focusing on the generation and deployment of resources to pursue an opportunity. Since the ER literature has expanded and diversified, the purpose of this study is to integrate its findings with existing knowledge about the construct. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a systematic literature review approach, following the methodology of Tranfield et al. (2003). The authors identify and synthesize 31 studies focusing on ER. Findings The literature on ER can function on four different levels: (1) individual, (2) organizational, (3) contextual, and (4) effectual level. Studies on ER concentrate on either the individual or the organizational level, with the contextual and effectual levels appearing as additional study categories for the studies. Behind this categorization, research views ER either as an antecedent influencing a specific effect or as an outcome resulting from a particular context. Originality/value This paper is the first of its nature, structuring the existing ER research and proposing a research agenda on ER with seven concrete research avenues and their research questions. Based on the systematic literature review, the authors develop a framework consolidating the interrelations of the different levels.

This study identifies six dynamic capabilities (DCs), which enable corporates' strategic change toward resilience in today's increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) business environment. In this context, pertinent research has proven DCs' conduciveness for corporates to enhance their levels of resilience. Yet, there remain dispersed definitions of such DCs across research fields and a comprehensive synthesis has been missing. The present study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review of 71 articles published in peer-reviewed journals. It synthesizes six fundamental DCs and their underlying microfoundations fostering resilience, which are mediated by the corporates' idiosyncratic social capital. Our findings thus contribute to the extant literature by providing a synthesis of relevant DCs into an integrated theoretical framework, answering multiple calls in previous research for a better understanding of the corporate resilience-building process. By doing so, this study paves the way for future research to investigate the effects of DCs on the sustained competitive advantage of corporates in VUCA environments.

Digital Transformation (DT) has become a challenge and opportunity for firms competing in dynamic and volatile markets. Especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face difficulties within the digitalization process based on their limited resources and capabilities. It is essential to understand which factors influence this process to enable the success of DT in SMEs. However, there is fragmented research on DT in SMEs. To close this gap this paper aims to identify and categorize the influencing factors of DT in SMEs by building on the Attention Based View (ABV). Therefore, a systematic literature review was conducted with a total of 75 papers published from January 2012 to January 2022. 354 factors were identified. With the help of Gioia-Method a taxonomy was created. The main finding of the research is a taxonomy, which consist of three main categories and 17 sub-categories, which organize the factors identified from the sample. The taxonomy answers the calls in research for a comprehensive and tangible picture on the influencing factors of DT in SME independent from disciplines or industries. For practitioners the taxonomy allows to understand and approach what specific factors influence their digital transformation journey and where to put attention.