The convergence of digital transformation, sustainability, and internationalization is redefining the foundations of global competitiveness. As firms navigate accelerating technological disruption, environmental urgency, and geopolitical complexity, their ability to properly integrate digital and sustainable strategies across borders has become an important source of competitive advantage. Yet, despite the growing attention to each of these dimensions independently, research remains fragmented and lacks a unified understanding of how they interact with one another. This dissertation addresses this gap through a multilevel investigation that connects conceptual synthesis, qualitative inquiry, and quantitative testing to explain how firms leverage the digital and green transitions to strengthen their international competitiveness. The work is organized into three interconnected essays, each offering a distinct yet complementary contribution to this overarching theme. The first essay systematizes the field through a comprehensive review of the literature, revealing five main research streams and exposing critical blind spots in the intersection of digitalization, sustainability, and internationalization. The second essay explores these dynamics empirically through multiple case studies of Italian manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), identifying four distinct strategic configurations – digital transformation-led, sustainability-led, parallel and integrated – that represent the contingent pathways through which resource alignment and contextual fit drive international performance. The third essay quantitatively tests the relationship among these three strategies using survey data from 239 exporting manufacturers, demonstrating that Industry 4.0 adoption and sustainability practices are mutually reinforcing, with sustainability partially mediating the relationship between digitalization and international performance. Together, the research advances an integrative framework linking digital and sustainable transformations with firms’ international strategies. The dissertation contributes to the fields of international business, strategic management, and sustainability studies by clarifying the strategic and competitive implications of pursuing digitalization and sustainability in an international context. It offers both theoretical synthesis and actionable insights for managers and policymakers seeking to transform twin transitions into enduring sources of global competitiveness.
Linking Digital Transformation, Sustainability, and Internationalization: A Multilevel Investigation of Firm Competitiveness
TOMASETIG, Martina
2026-01-01
Abstract
The convergence of digital transformation, sustainability, and internationalization is redefining the foundations of global competitiveness. As firms navigate accelerating technological disruption, environmental urgency, and geopolitical complexity, their ability to properly integrate digital and sustainable strategies across borders has become an important source of competitive advantage. Yet, despite the growing attention to each of these dimensions independently, research remains fragmented and lacks a unified understanding of how they interact with one another. This dissertation addresses this gap through a multilevel investigation that connects conceptual synthesis, qualitative inquiry, and quantitative testing to explain how firms leverage the digital and green transitions to strengthen their international competitiveness. The work is organized into three interconnected essays, each offering a distinct yet complementary contribution to this overarching theme. The first essay systematizes the field through a comprehensive review of the literature, revealing five main research streams and exposing critical blind spots in the intersection of digitalization, sustainability, and internationalization. The second essay explores these dynamics empirically through multiple case studies of Italian manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), identifying four distinct strategic configurations – digital transformation-led, sustainability-led, parallel and integrated – that represent the contingent pathways through which resource alignment and contextual fit drive international performance. The third essay quantitatively tests the relationship among these three strategies using survey data from 239 exporting manufacturers, demonstrating that Industry 4.0 adoption and sustainability practices are mutually reinforcing, with sustainability partially mediating the relationship between digitalization and international performance. Together, the research advances an integrative framework linking digital and sustainable transformations with firms’ international strategies. The dissertation contributes to the fields of international business, strategic management, and sustainability studies by clarifying the strategic and competitive implications of pursuing digitalization and sustainability in an international context. It offers both theoretical synthesis and actionable insights for managers and policymakers seeking to transform twin transitions into enduring sources of global competitiveness.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
