Entrepreneurship in the Digital Era: Case Studies, Approaches, and Tools for Ecosystems, Business Models, and Technologies

The digital era is characterized by the fast development of new digital technologies facilitating change in many areas of organizational value creation. Processes in almost all business areas, from manufacturing to HR and even strategic decisionmaking, can be augmented with or fully automated by digital technologies. Digitalization
creates better interfaces across divisions, subsidiaries, and even organizational boundaries and thus enables cooperation between different previously decoupled actors. Furthermore, digital technologies can substantially improve the value creation for customers by either digitally enhancing traditional products and services (e.g., through data dashboards) or even entirely substituting traditional solutions (e.g., automized service operations).
This fast-changing environment creates substantial opportunities and threats for entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. Several factors enable startups and established firms to develop new innovative business models with significant competitive advantages over traditional ones. (1) Better market access: Digitalization has
demolished traditional barriers to entry, providing entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with unprecedented access to global markets. Through online platforms and e-commerce, ventures can reach customers worldwide, overcoming geographical limitations and expanding their customer base. (2) Cost reduction: Digital tools and technologies have significantly reduced the costs of starting and scaling businesses. Cloud computing, automation, and digital marketing enable entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and achieve economies of scale more rapidly. (3) Innovation opportunities: Digitalization empowers entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to develop disruptive products, services, and business models. Technology-driven disruptions have revolutionized various industries, creating opportunities for those leveraging digital advancements to challenge
established
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