Assessing Relations between Sustainable Business Models and Digital Transformation: A Bibliometric Analysis

Almost every industry is facing a real risk of disruption from cutting-edge technologies. New technologies drive the Digital Transformation (DT), which induces significant changes in the business landscape. This reality forces companies to change and adapt their business models to remain competitive. While transforming digitally, companies also face the challenge of complying with sustainability aspects. There is a growing understanding by politicians, managers, investors, and scholars that it is not enough for companies to be concerned with short-term profits because natural disasters, social unrest, and economic inequality can affect long-term prosperity. This paper explores publications related to sustainable business models (SBM) and digital transformation (DT) to uncover common ground between the underlying concepts of sustainability and digitalization. A science mapping approach is applied to review Scopus indexed articles and conference papers related to SBM and DT. This paper aims to reveal the size, growth path, and geographic distribution of the knowledge base and trends in the common SBM and DT literature. It is the first attempt of a bibliometric review for this merged research field and shall guide practical implications and future research possibilities.