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Sustainable Business Model Dissertation Titles
Info: 1557 words(1 pages) Sustainable Business Model Dissertation Titles Published: 24th January 2026 in Sustainable Business Model Dissertation Titles
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Introduction
Sustainable business models have turned out to be the main focus of business research, as companies adapt to the triple challenge of the environment, society, and economy in a globalising circular economy. According to Chabowski et al. (2025) in their paper published in the Journal of International Business Studies, the development of sustainable international business models is a must-have factor for rethinking the whole process of value creation, delivery, and capture through the different institutional contexts. Even though quite a number of companies are embracing the circular economy, very few if any, are really taking the eco-friendly path. outcomes differ among firms depending on international resource design, marketing targets and even the sociopolitical climate they are operating in. Previous studies have delved into the fragmentation issues and pointed out the necessity for comprehensive frameworks that will connect the dots between sustainable business model design, strategic capabilities and international performance, thus presenting significant areas for PhD research.
Sustainable Business Model Dissertation Titles
Proposed PhD Title 1: An Integrated Framework for Sustainable International Business Model Innovation: Linking Circular Economy Resource Design and Marketing Capabilities Adaptation
The global focus on sustainability and the transition towards a circular economy have strongly impacted the business model concepts and practices of companies all around the world. In their paper, Chabowski et al. (2025), published in the Journal of International Business Studies, argue that the development of sustainable international business models is the only way forward to overcome the triad of ecological, social, and economic problems that accompany the globalisation of a circular economy. They observe that even though a growing number of companies are transforming their business practices in accordance with the characteristics of a circular economy, the extent of this trend realisation in different regions is mainly determined by how well the international resource design and the marketing capacity of that area are aligned. The topic, however, is still not very much discussed in the literature, and firms are still finding it hard to incorporate these elements into a unified and coherent international business model strategy.
Problem Statement:
The circular economy-based business models have been extensively advertised as the leading sustainable development solutions, yet many companies are still facing difficulties with their consistent implementation across different countries. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of an organised framework that connects the international resource design with the adaptation of marketing capabilities, which hinders the firms’ ability to scale the sustainable business model innovations effectively. As a result, this misalignment leads to the fragmentation of sustainability initiatives, the emergence of inconsistent market outcomes, and the failure to meet the environmental and social goals.
Research Gap:
The current state of knowledge on sustainable business models, international business models, and circular economy practices has been developed mainly in isolation. The need for a unified framework that shows how the international resource design and marketing capabilities adaptation jointly facilitate the sustainable international business model innovation remains.
Research Question:
What is the unified framework that can incorporate the adaptation of international resource design and marketing capabilities in a way that it supports sustainable international business model innovation in the circular economy?
Outcome:
The research would come up with a conceptual framework that would be integrated, and that would depict the relationships between the adaptation of international resource design and marketing capabilities, and sustainable business model innovation, and at the same time, provide strategic guidance for the companies that operate in the circular economy contexts.
Reference:
Chabowski, B. R., Gabrielsson, P., Hult, G. T. M., & Morgeson, F. V., III. (2025). Sustainable international business model innovations for a globalizing circular economy: A review and synthesis, integrative framework, and opportunities for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 56(3), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00652-9
Proposed PhD Title 2. An Integrated Framework for Sustainable International Business Model Innovation: Examining Standardisation and Adaptation of Circular Economy Practices Across Countries
The global market is gradually accepting circular economies; firms no longer have to choose between either making their innovations in sustainable business models standard or through their local variant. Chabowski et al. (2025) in the Journal of International Business Studies argued that different countries’ institutional environments, market structures, and sustainability expectations necessitate a carefully-calibrated global consistency versus local responsiveness strategy. While previous international marketing studies have looked into the standardisation-adaptation trade-off, the sustainable international business model innovation area that focuses on the circular economy aspect is recognised as still very much under-researched.
Problem Statement:
The firms implement circular economy-based business models internationally without systematic guidance on how to manage the trade-offs of standardisation and adaptation, despite the decisions having strategic importance. Inappropriate standardisation may cause regulatory non-compliance and market resistance, while excessive adaptation can lead to increased costs and decreased strategic coherence. The lack of integrative frameworks prevents companies from being able to take full advantage of the sustainability and performance outcomes available to them in the different countries.
Research gap:
Standardisation–adaptation theory is firmly established in international marketing literature; on the other hand, it has not been properly integrated with sustainable international business model innovation in the context of the circular economy.
Research Question:
What is the impact of standardisation and adaptation strategies on the adoption of sustainable business model innovations based on circular economy principles in the international market?
Outcome:
The research will present an all-encompassing model that demonstrates the manner in which companies manage to strike a balance between their standardisation and adaptation strategies while implementing sustainable business model innovations in various international circular economy contexts.
Reference:
Chabowski, B. R., Gabrielsson, P., Hult, G. T. M., & Morgeson, F. V., III. (2025). Sustainable international business model innovations for a globalizing circular economy: A review and synthesis, integrative framework, and opportunities for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 56(3), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00652-9
Proposed PhD Title 3. An Integrated Framework for Sustainable International Business Model Innovation: The Role of Formal and Informal Institutions in Circular Economy Implementation
The sustainability strategies of firms and their innovations concerning international business models are considerably influenced by institutional environments. In their work published in the Journal of International Business Studies, Chabowski et al. (2025) review thoroughly and conclude that formal (e.g., regulations, policies) and informal institutions (e.g., cultural norms, societal expectations) have a major impact on the adoption and adaptation of circular economy–based business models in different countries. But even though this is acknowledged, the existing literature has not been able to offer a comprehensive account of the different ways that institutional settings together affect sustainable international business model innovation.
Problem Statement:
Sustainable business model innovations, which are driven by the circular economy, are often met with institutional misalignment by international companies when they are trying to implement them in different countries. Not giving due regard to both the formal and informal institutional contexts may lead to challenges with compliance, legitimacy issues, and uneven sustainability results. Despite this, companies do not always have a structured way of dealing with the complexity of institutions in their circular economy–based business model innovation.
Research Gap:
The independent application of institutional theory to sustainability and international business research has been the case, but still, no comprehensive frameworks exist that elaborate on how the formal and informal institutional contexts mutually shape sustainable international business model innovation in the circular economy.
Research Question:
In what ways do formal and informal institutional settings impact the sustainability of international business model innovation in the circular economy?
Outcome:
An institutional framework will be created, which will describe the influence of regulatory, cultural, and social contexts in the development and alteration of sustainable international business models based on circular economy principles.
Reference:
Chabowski, B. R., Gabrielsson, P., Hult, G. T. M., & Morgeson, F. V., III. (2025). Sustainable international business model innovations for a globalizing circular economy: A review and synthesis, integrative framework, and opportunities for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 56(3), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00652-9
Proposed PhD Title 4. An Integrated Framework for Sustainable International Business Model Innovation: How Marketing Capabilities Enable Circular Economy–Based Value Creation and Delivery in International Markets
The sustainability strategies of firms and their innovations concerning international business models are considerably influenced by institutional environments. In their work published in the Journal of International Business Studies, Chabowski et al. (2025) review thoroughly and conclude that formal (e.g., regulations, policies) and informal institutions (e.g., cultural norms, societal expectations) have a major impact on the adoption and adaptation of circular economy–based business models in different countries. But even though this is acknowledged, the existing literature has not been able to offer a comprehensive account of the different ways that institutional settings together affect sustainable international business model innovation.
Problem Statement:
Although marketing capabilities have been acknowledged as crucial strategic assets, their contribution to sustainable international business model innovation still lacks a comprehensive understanding. The majority of companies have difficulties in bringing their marketing capabilities in line with circular economy–based business model designs. Consequently, this limitation hampers their capacity to efficiently create, deliver, and capture value in global markets.
Research gap:
Integration of marketing capabilities theory with sustainable international business model innovation has not been sufficient in earlier research, especially concerning the creation and delivery of value around borders that is based on circular economy principles.
Research Question:
In what ways do marketing capabilities contribute to the innovation of sustainable international business models and the generation of international value in the context of the circular economy?
Outcome:
The research will put forward a unified framework that reveals the role of marketing capabilities in the process of value creation and delivery in the case of circular economy-focused sustainable business models that are globalised and marketed.
Reference:
Chabowski, B. R., Gabrielsson, P., Hult, G. T. M., & Morgeson, F. V., III. (2025). Sustainable international business model innovations for a globalising circular economy: A review and synthesis, integrative framework, and opportunities for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 56(3), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00652-9
Proposed PhD Title 5. An Integrated Framework for Sustainable International Business Model Innovation: Connecting Circular Economy Business Model Design to Environmental, Social, and Economic Performance
Sustainable International Business Model Innovation is the way to go, and it generates value that is integrated in all three aspects: environmental, social, and economic, especially in the context of the circular economy. In the Journal of International Business Studies, the authors Chabowski et al. (2025) strongly support the idea that circular economy-based business models are the most important factor for getting triple-bottom-line performance in international markets. On the contrary, they point out that the majority of existing research analyses performance outcomes separately, which gives little understanding on the translation of specific business model design choices into integrated sustainability performance across different countries.
Problem Statement:
Circular economy initiatives, despite their promise of integrated sustainability benefits, still do not give the firms the proper insights into the specific business model design choices that would lead to environmental, social, and economic performance in the particular countries they’d like to go to. The lack of clear frameworks that would connect business model design to integrated performance outcomes is a great hindrance to strategic decision-making, and it also puts a limit on the scaling of sustainable business model innovations.
Research gap:
The current research typically studies sustainability performance dimensions separately and does not relate sustainable business model design to integrated performance outcomes in the context of international circular economy situations.
Research Question:
In what way does the design of a sustainable international business model in the circular economy impact the performance regarding the environment, society, and the economy?
Outcome:
The research will validate a model aimed at performance that integrates the circular economy–based business model design with the integrated outcomes of environment, society, and economy, and will thus contribute to the making of evidence-based strategic decisions for international companies.
Reference:
Chabowski, B. R., Gabrielsson, P., Hult, G. T. M., & Morgeson, F. V., III. (2025). Sustainable international business model innovations for a globalising circular economy: A review and synthesis, integrative framework, and opportunities for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 56(3), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-023-00652-9
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PhDAssistance, Food Security Dissertation Titles (PhDAssistance, n.d. January 24th accessed December 29th 2026.
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