Sustainable recovery for digital entrepreneurs with shared resources: enablers, challenges and solutions
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-05-2021-0214 |
| Published date | 03 November 2021 |
| Date | 03 November 2021 |
| Pages | 515-537 |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,International business |
| Author | Ajay Jha,Rohit Sindhwani,Ashish Dwivedi,Venkataramanaiah Saddikuti |
Sustainable recovery for digital
entrepreneurs with shared resources:
enablers, challenges and solutions
Ajay Jha, Rohit Sindhwani, Ashish Dwivedi and Venkataramanaiah Saddikuti
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is to identify important criteria for sustainable recovery of digital
entrepreneurship from distress situation using shared resources. During pandemic disruption, the
importanceof sharing economy in managing businessefficiency is reflected through thisresearch.
Design/methodology/approach –The present study advancesthe knowledge on shared resources in
business by integratingcase study approach with multi criteria decision-making(MCDM) model. A fuzzy
analytic hierarchy processapproach is adopted to compute criteria weights, and a fuzzy technique for
order performanceby similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)technique is used to rank the sharing economy
entrepreneurialventures during COVID-19 pandemicin the context of emerging economy.
Findings –The present study identified five most important enablers (technological innovation,
technologyexpertise, convergence of virtual and physicalspaces, collaboration rather than competition,
and benefits to underservedgroups through transparency) for sustainablerecovery of sharing economy
ventures in emergingeconomy. For example, the study highlights online tutoringthrough shared intellect
as the most soughtafter sharing economy venture during pandemicdisruption, which fulfills the identified
enablers.
Practical implications –The proposed framework providesan accurate decision support tool to rank
the various identifiedpotential enablers of sharing economyduring disruptions. Further, the approachis
practically relevant to sharing economy entrepreneurs in selecting the best approach to recover
sustainabilityduring pandemic.
Originality/value –The study is unique in addressing the need of sustainabilityfor digital ventures via
sharing economy approach in emerging economy (India). To develop a conceptual framework, the
present study incorporatesa case based approach together with the hybrid MCDMmodel. Further, the
extant literature on disruptions is enhanced by prioritizing the enablers for sharing economy during
pandemic.
Keywords Sharing economy, Entrepreneurship. Sustainability. COVID-19. Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The 21st century is the era of digitalization and globalization. Information Technology (IT) is
regulating almost every aspect of human life from the birth to grave. IT has simplified the
assignments that were time consuming and provides a vast quantity of information in a
comprehensible space (Sarkis et al.,2021). The software packages, external hard drives
and cloud storage devices assist in effective management of the business credentials and
contributes toward the digital economy (Haddud and Khare, 2020). The products,
distribution and workplace have transitioned toward digitalization. One of the effective
consequences of digitized economy is the occurrence of various digital startups. These
entrepreneurs have transformed the business management approaches through innovative
digital platforms and gave birth to unique business models (Hair et al.,2012). The modern
Ajay Jha is based at
Department of Operations
Management, Jaipuria
Institute of Management
Lucknow, Lucknow, India.
Rohit Sindhwani is based at
Department of Operations
Management Group, IIM
Lucknow, Lucknow, India
and UPES, Dehradun,
India. Ashish Dwivedi is
based at Jindal Global
Business School, OP Jindal
Global University, Sonipat,
India. Venkataramanaiah
Saddikuti is based at
Department of Operations
Management, IIM Lucknow,
Lucknow, India.
Received 30 May 2021
Revised 25 July 2021
22 September 2021
Accepted 18 October 2021
DOI 10.1108/JABS-05-2021-0214 VOL. 16 NO. 3 2022, pp. 515-537, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1558-7894 jJOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES jPAGE 515
digital tools such as advanced analytics, big data and artificial intelligence(AI) are explored
by the promising startups. The captured consumer dimensions such as age, demographics,
gender and buying behavior are significantly spreading the perspectives of digital
entrepreneurship (Sussan and Acs, 2017). During the presen t pandemic circumstances,
contribution of digitized economy and information sharing to mitigate the supply chain
disruptions provides enough evidence about the efficacy of these business models
(Katsaliaki et al., 2021). Therefore, it becomes imperative to explore the challenges faced by
the digital entrepreneurs and the solutions proposed by the startups to recover from the
supply chain disruptions.
The digital entrepreneurs trust on the features of digital media and IT infrastructure to
practice the business prospectswithout owning any physical resources and products. They
bring together the distributed resources via sharing platform that provide a match-making
to the service provider and consumer (Battisti and Brem, 2020;Leick et al., 2020). Digital
entrepreneurship makes use of the resources not possessed by a single individual but
distributed worldwide with the potential to serve the customers. Sharing economy has
systematically addressed the concern of businesses and consumers where the resources
are scarce. The impact of sharing, advances the capacity utilization and encourages the
future demand for the resources (Yeganeh,2021).
The digitalization of business activitiesnot only brings better utilization of resources but also
provides opportunities for sustainable innovations. Sustainable entrepreneurship in sharing
economy has assisted in the development of environmental conscious platforms. Thus,
these firms are contributing toward reduction of the wastage of resources (Grinevich et al.,
2019). Further, the environmental potential of sharing economy is enriched with economic
and social advantages (Nakamura et al,. 2021). However, there are associated challenges
with the digital entrepreneurship (Zhanget al.,2021). In the past decade, several promising
startups could not sustain because they were unable to cater to the challenges associated
with the adoption of digital business models, especially during uncertainties. Most of these
startups are operational on investor’s fund and construct economies of scale by
collaborating with more service providers. Despite the increase in revenues, a majority of
startups currently in operationin the sharing economy mode are still to reflect profits.
Therefore, this study based on the existing literature and existing frame of convenient
knowledge aims to:
䊏identify the challenges for digital entrepreneurship during disruptions in sharing
economy;
䊏suggest solutions through identification of enabling criteria for digital entrepreneurship
during disruptions in sharing economy;
䊏prioritize the identified enablers of sharing economy to sustain digital entrepreneurship
during disruptions using hybrid fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP)–technique for
order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) approach; and
䊏recommend the managerial and policy implications of sustainable recovery of digital
entrepreneurship in sharing economy.
To attain the above-mentioned objectives, significant literature is appraised to establish
potential enabling criteria for digital entrepreneurship during disruptions in sharing economy. A
series of brainstorming meetings were conducted with Indian digital entrepreneurs and other
experts’ relevant to the field for verification of the identified potential enabling criteria and sub-
criteria. Further, the incorporation of fuzzy theory in AHP-TOPSIS technique was performed to
avoid the vague and inaccurate information featured in human decisions. The fuzzy AHP-
TOPSIS approach is a well-known popular deci sion-making tool which is adopted in past
studies such as stakeholder perception in flood risk evaluation (Ekmekcio
glu et al.,2021),
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