key: cord-0051920-tmb71ssn authors: Denicolai, Stefano; Magnani, Giovanna; Alegre Vidal, Joaquín title: Competitive renaissance through digital transformation date: 2020-10-22 journal: nan DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2020.09.013 sha: 801404b8926f34ecf1758cfa6838af080299d543 doc_id: 51920 cord_uid: tmb71ssn nan Competitive renaissance through digital transformation The term Renaissance e 'rebirth' e refers to a period in Europe between the 14th and the 17th centuries that is well known for an extraordinary production of creativity, art and literature. Grounded in renewed attentiveness to human potential, it marked the emergence from the 'dark ages'. On the heels of one of the great 'disruptive innovations' of all time, the printing press, the Renaissance witnessed a renaissance of science, punctuated by the discovery and exploration of new continents, the growth of commerce, the Copernican Revolution and a renewed interest in science and discovery. A few centuries later, worldwide challenges posed by economic, environmental, societal and health-related conditions are calling governments and organizations to act with urgency. Companies and ecosystems need to rethink and re-build their competitiveness to address the enormous challenges they face (McKinsey, 2020) . While the Renaissance emphasized the magnificence of human potential, a 'new renaissance' of the European system must leverage digital technology to 'augment' human talent and organizational capabilities and to develop a synergistic 'Human þ Machine' interaction (Daugherty & Wilson, 2018) . At present, there is little research on how digital technology interacts with human capabilities to renew organizations' and ecosystems' competitiveness (i.e. the effect of digital transformation). In such a scenario, special attention goes to the interplay between technological innovation and environmental sustainability (Kiron & Unruh, 2018; Martin et al., 2018; Pinkse & Kolk, 2010; Rachinger et al., 2019) , because 'doing business through the sustainability lens empowered by digitalization will enable companies to create value for the business, society, and planet' (Aksin-Sivrikaya & Bhattacharya, 2017, p. 42). Doing business through digital and sustainable processes opens novel opportunities and poses additional challenges for firms who have an international presence and/or are part of complex value chains, often spanning national borders (Cassetta et al., 2019; Hannibal & Knight, 2018; Laplume et al., 2016; Martín-Tapia et al., 2010; Strange & Zucchella, 2017) . While the literature has made predictions at a theoretical level, few empirical studies have addressed the issue of the interplay between technological innovation, sustainability and international growth. This gap is even more relevant for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that are usually resource constrained and suffer from the liability of smallness (Stinchcombe, 1965) . This Management Focus will analyse the dynamics of digital transformation with respect to how digital technologies can enable a sustainable renaissance of organizations' competitiveness, considering both SMEs and larger corporations, as well as a new wave of entrepreneurs. The section will address a wide range of topics such as (but not limited to): -The ontology of digital resources, artefacts and technologies; -Digital technology as a driver for entrepreneurship and competitiveness in a post-COVID-19 world; -Emerging digital technology (e.g. artificial intelligence), new ventures and business model innovations; -Creation and appropriation of value in the algorithmic economy; -Competition in digital platforms and ecosystems; -The relationship between digital innovation, entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability; -The relationship between digital transformation and international business; -Industry 4.0, additive manufacturing and new configuration of global factories; -Digitalization of services, unified commerce and the 'rebirth' of retail. The University of Pavia has organized a conference for 18e19 February 2021, in Pavia, Italy (http://digitaltransfconference.unipv. it), and the proposed Management Focus will be one of the academic outputs. Nonetheless, this call is open to all scholars to ensure that those not involved in the conference can also submit papers. Full papers for consideration by the guest editors should be submitted to digitaltransformation@unipv.it by 30 March 2021. Every paper submitted to this Management Focus section of the European Management Journal (EMJ) must provide a clear scientific and practical contribution. Conceptual or review and empirical papers will be considered. All submissions will be subject to EMJ's usual double-blind peer-review process and should respect the journal's guidelines. Publication of the selected articles in EMJ's Management Focus section is planned for the end of 2021. You may direct any questions to the guest editors: digitaltransformation@unipv.it. Joaquín Alegre is Professor of Innovation Management at the University of Valencia. Both his teaching and his research focus on innovation from a strategic perspective. He has been a Visiting Professor at INSEAD (France), at the University of Paris Ouest, at BI Norwegian Business School and at the University of Sussex. Some of his publications have appeared in high impact factor journals such as Technovation, Research Policy and International Business Review. He has also served as an Associate Editor for the European Management Journal from 2013 to 2016. Where digitalization meets sustainability: Opportunities and challenges The relationship between digital technologies and internationalisation. Evidence from Italian SMEs. Industry & Innovation Humanþmachine: Reimagining work in the age of AI Additive manufacturing and the global factory: Disruptive technologies and the location of international business The convergence of digitalization and sustainability Environmental strategy and exports in medium, small and micro-enterprises Smart and sustainable? Five tensions in the visions and practices of the smart-sustainable city in Europe and North America From surviving to thriving: Reimagining the post-COVID-19 return Challenges and trade-offs in corporate innovation for climate change Digitalization and its influence on business model innovation Organizations and social structure Industry 4.0, global value chains and international business