Measuring sustainable business model innovation in the fashion industry
Date
2019
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop a set of measures that can be used to assess sustainable business model innovation (SBMI) in fashion apparel companies. The study included two phases. In Phase I, the researcher interviewed 12 experts to obtain their broad insights about SBMI. In Phase II, the researcher analyzed the interview transcripts and identified nine concepts for which to develop measures. These concepts were translated into 32 measures after an iterative grading process to refine the measures. Once developed, the researcher sent a questionnaire to the 12 experts from Phase I to obtain their feedback on the measures. Nine completed surveys were returned. ☐ The study found that each of the nine concepts were, in fact, relevant for measuring SBMI. The experts believed that the measures were important, useful, and applicable to both small and large companies. Based on the experts’ feedback, the nine concepts were successfully operationalized and translated into a business-relevant language. The experts agreed that the measures would be useful for companies conducting a self-assessment of their sustainability innovation strategies and for investors attempting to understand whether SBMI is occurring within a company. The feedback provided by the experts can be used in future research to further refine and ultimately test the measures.