Marikka Heikkilä

Sustainability transitions in freight transport increasingly depend on coordinated changes across entire logistics networks, not just within individual firms. This study investigates how business‐model change unfolds across a multimodal European logistics chain engaged in reducing transport‐related emissions. Drawing on 10 semistructured interviews and five multistakeholder workshops, the analysis identifies seven chain‐level business‐model patterns that structure how value is proposed, created and captured during the green transition. These patterns encompass beyond‐compliance decarbonisation commitments, the integration of digital and physical services, fleet‐level carbon‐attribute allocation, collaborative value sharing practices, risk‐sharing arrangements, green‐tier service differentiation and cost‐balancing mechanisms. Together, they demonstrate that environmental performance improvements emerge not from isolated organisational initiatives but from coordinated, networked business‐model configurations grounded in verified emissions data and chain‐level alignment. The results highlight the strategic importance of ecosystem collaboration, demonstrating how firms can coshape the transition to climate‐neutral logistics through network‐level business‐model innovation.

This paper examines the transformation of business models in green transport through a case study involving cargo owners, land transport operators, and shipping companies. The study identifies four key themes driving green transport: commitment, collaboration, technology, and customer value, and examines how these themes shape emerging business models in the logistics sector. The findings reveal that leading companies are committing to better-than-regulation-standards. The study highlights the critical role of stakeholder collaboration in sharing infrastructure investments and risks, particularly in developing charging networks and renewable fuel supply chains. While market demand for green logistics is growing, especially among larger customers, the significant price premium for sustainable solutions remains a key challenge. The research indicates that business model transformation requires both technological innovation and new pricing strategies that balance cost with market acceptance. However, challenges such as inconsistent definitions of “green logistics” persist. This study contributes to the understanding of how logistics companies can effectively transition to sustainable operations while maintaining economic viability.

This study evaluates the costs and benefits of a digital timestamping service implemented in Finland for commercial maritime traffic. Using qualitative interviews and procurement document analysis, we examine its impact on various stakeholders, including ports, ship operators, and regulators. Our findings reveal that while the service's acquisition cost was relatively modest, the total cost across the stakeholder network was approximately ten times higher due to connected investments required to fully leverage the service. Benefits clustered around three primary areas: improved coordination among maritime stakeholders, enhanced data quality, and better system integration. Unforeseen consequences include a shift in balance between participants and ancillary actors. The study provides insights for cost-benefit analysis methodologies for public digital infrastructure investments by making positive network effects visible for multiple stakeholders.

Creating, sharing, and using data are expected to lead to the development of new innovative business models. This study investigates the interplay between business model change, ethical data practices, and participation in data ecosystems in fostering data-driven innovation. Using survey data from 1200 European companies, analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the findings reveal that while firms recognize the potential benefits of data, business model change alone is insufficient to drive innovation. Instead, active engagement in data ecosystems and adherence to ethical data practices together have a significant positive impact on data-driven innovation. This research contributes to the business model innovation literature by highlighting the role of ecosystems and ethical governance in shaping sustainable data-driven innovations. This study also provides practical insights for firms seeking to transition toward more collaborative and ethically grounded data-driven business models.

This paper explores how smart city is defined by citizens in the context of a port city, and which aspects are prominent due to the significant role of a ferry port in such cities. Through a case study of a port city comprising a survey of its citizens, this research investigates citizens’ perceptions of a smart city, contextualised in the actual use of the area close to the port and expectations towards the development of this area. Utilizing thematic analysis of survey data, key themes identified include traffic, environmental sustainability, technology and digitalization, and the importance of focusing on people, their wellbeing and quality of life. The findings emphasise the citizens’ wish for prioritising environmental sustainability and wellbeing in the development of the smart city in a context of a port city and show that improvements in traffic around the port area and urban planning are seen as most topical.

This study investigates the readiness and challenges European companies face in embracing a data-driven economy. By conducting a comprehensive survey of 1,200 European companies spanning various industries and sizes, we reveal a mixed outlook on the data economy's potential to offer a competitive advantage. We find that 20% have already leveraged data to gain competitive advantage, a majority see potential benefits, while 19% perceive no advantage. Importantly, our findings highlight the need for substantial business model transformations to capitalize on data-driven opportunities. The paper also identifies the obstacles faced by companies in adopting a data-driven approach, including legal complexity, lack of data, competence in data-driven business models and technological competence. Challenges are most pronounced among micro-sized businesses and sectors like arts, entertainment, leisure, and international NGOs. Overall, the research suggests that if the company has the skills, a data economy has the potential to drive innovation and growth. By identifying the disparities in readiness and perception across different sectors and company sizes, this study contributes to a more informed discourse on fostering a conducive environment for all companies to thrive in the data-driven economy.

The maritime industry is rapidly evolving with digital technologies, aiming to enhance efficiency, safety, and sustainability. Recent interest has focused on autonomous vessels and the digitalization of ports, yet fairway development has lagged behind. To effectively support the growing digital and autonomous marine traffic, it is essential that fairways are also upgraded and modernized. Addressing this need, this study examines key elements of Smart Fairways, with a particular focus on Finland’s maritime infrastructure. This research contributes to the development of the Smart Fairways concept by identifying five foundational and ten advanced Smart Fairway service elements. The main finding highlights the foundational role of communication systems in the development of more advanced Smart Fairway services such as Enhanced Vessel Traffic Service, Port just-in-time Service, Remote Pilotage, and Digital Twin of the Physical Fairway.

36. mednarodna Blejska eKonferenca: Digitalna ekonomija in družba: Vloga digitalnih inovacij v času nestabilnosti: 25. - 28. junij 2023, Bled, Slovenija, zbornik konference. Druga izdaja. Blejska eKonferenca, ki jo organizira Univerza v Mariboru, Fakulteta za organizacijske vede, že od leta 1988 sooblikuje razvoj elektronskega, danes digitalnega poslovanja in digitalne družbe. Tema 36. konference je »Digitalna ekonomija in družba: Vloga digitalnih inovacij v času nestabilnosti«. V času nestabilnosti, ki vključuje politične, gospodarske, zdravstvene in okoljske izzive ter izzive pomanjkanja virov na eni strani ter hitre in prebojne tehnološke inovacije na drugi strani, je ključnega pomena zagotoviti, da digitalne inovacije še naprej vodijo do pravih in trajnostnih rešitev, ki so prilagojene potrebam vseh ljudi, organizacij in celotne družbe. Zelo pomembno je, da ne pozabimo na zaščito našega planeta, vključno z živalstvom in rastlinstvom. Ta prizadevanja vključujejo sprejetje ustreznih regulativnih okvirov, spodbujanje digitalne pismenosti in razvoja digitalnih kompetenc, spodbujanje vključujočega dostopa do digitalnih tehnologij ter obravnavanje etičnih, družbenih in okoljskih vplivov digitalne preobrazbe. Prispevki v zborniku konference obravnavajo digitalno preobrazbo organizacij, umetno inteligenco in podatkovno znanost, sisteme za podporo odločanju o poslovnih in družbenih izzivih, nove, digitalne in podatkovno vodene poslovne modele, digitalnega potrošnika, digitalno izobraževanje, digitalno zdravstvo, digitalno etiko, prestrukturirano delo ter rešitve za pametna in trajnostna mesta. Še naprej zagotavljamo odprt forum za akademske kroge, vključno s študenti, industrijo in oblikovalci politik, kjer lahko vsak prispeva k ustvarjanju boljšega sveta.

This article explores digitalisation’s potential to change traditional business models in the context of RoPax (roll-on, roll-off passenger vessels) ports in four Northern European countries. The study examines digitalisation’s role in addressing business model change drivers, focusing on the perspective of port authorities (PAs). While digitalisation slowly affects operations at RoPax ports and PAs’ business models, the research data exhibits no radical business model innovation. Instead, the findings indicate that PAs introduce new digitalisation and business activities, potentially leading to business model renewal. However, the current digitalisation is inefficient, as technology providers lack an in-depth understanding of the port business and its ecosystem, and PAs have scarce knowledge of digitalisation’s business impact. The article concludes that connecting digitalisation strongly to the business model and strategic renewal is the way to overcome this challenge.