Deterrents to Digital Sustainability in MSMEs

Abstract

Introduction: Sustainability and Industry 4.0 have recently influenced the global economy. With the Industrial Revolution 4.0, there has been a significant focus on digital sustainability in enterprises. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the most vulnerable sections regarding new transformations.

Purpose: Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when all businesses had no option other than to adopt digitisation, MSMEs faced tremendous issues to make this shift. Despite the immense focus on digital sustainability, some deterrents exist to its adoption in MSMEs. Contemporary research focuses on determining the critical deterrents to digital sustainability in MSMEs.

Methodology: This chapter employs the interpretive structural modelling technique, and Matrice impacts Croises Multiplication Appliqué a classement (MICMAC) analysis to identify and further classify the deterrents to digital sustainability in MSMEs.

Findings: Legal barriers and firms’ economic conditions are identified as the major deterrents. Eliminating these deterrents would help minimise the minor ones too. To deliver global sustainability goals, digital sustainability must be duly adopted everywhere.

Citation

Dhingra, K. and Sardana, K.D. (2024), "Deterrents to Digital Sustainability in MSMEs", Sharma, R., Bhardwaj, I., Grima, S., Sachdeva, T., Sood, K. and Özen, E. (Ed.) Sustainable Development Goals: The Impact of Sustainability Measures on Wellbeing (Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis, Vol. 113B), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 43-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1569-37592024000113B004