Open Access

Artificial intelligence is an essential key competence for cost reduction in companies. For this reason, the German government is promoting its use and hopes that it will lead to a digital transformation of companies. We investigated whether small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) also participate in this transformation by examining AI-related vacancies for their fields of activity. In particular, we observe whether the required skills of potential applicants suggest that enterprises also require artificial intelligence at an advanced stage and that quality factors such as fairness and ethics play a role. We found that the need for more advanced AI-related jobs has started increasing but still plays a minor role compared to traditional data science roles. Notably, only large companies require some of these additional skills. Moreover, many vacancies even state that a deep AI understanding is not necessarily a prerequisite.

Digital ecosystems are a highly relevant phenomenon in contemporary practice, offering unprecedented value creation opportunities for both companies and consumers. However, the success of these ecosystems hinges on their ability to establish the appropriate incentive systems that attract and engage diverse actors. Following the notion that setting “the right” incentives is essential for forming and growing digital ecosystems, this article presents an integrated framework that supports scholars and practitioners in identifying and orchestrating incentives into powerful incentive systems that encourage active participation and engagement. This framework emphasizes the importance of understanding how individuals and groups are motivated to engage in the ecosystem to incentivize them effectively. To demonstrate its applicability and value, we show its application in the context of an emergent digital ecosystem within the Smart Living domain.

This article explores the impact of different advertising disclosure strategies (i.e., explicit sponsorship disclosure, concealing disclosure, impartiality disclosure, and no disclosure) in influencer marketing on influencer-related outcomes (user engagement, user sentiment, and influencer credibility) and marketer-related outcomes (user attitude towards the brand and users’ intention to purchase). We conducted two field experiments and an online survey with an experimental design in collaboration with an active micro-influencer on Instagram. The results of the studies indicate that from a marketers’ perspective, it is best when influencers promote products as genuine recommendations and use impartiality disclosure. From an influencer’s perspective, the optimal disclosure strategy depends on whether the influencer seeks to improve engagement with their content or their levels of credibility. When influencers’ primary focus is to increase engagement, if they provide information on sponsorship or non-sponsorship, they do not have to worry about decreasing engagement rates due to the employed disclosure strategy. Suppose influencers’ goal is to increase their credibility. In that case, it depends on their content (whether it is rich in genuine recommendations or sponsored content) and the group they want to target—i.e., if they seek to target followers versus non-followers.

While digitalization offers numerous new possibilities for value creation, managers have to overcome a number of threats and obstacles that it harbors. In this context, the concept of Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) is of increasing interest to practitioners. Drawing on the well-established paradigm of Corporate Social Responsibility, CDR comprises a set of principles designed to encourage the ethical and conscientious development, adoption, and utilization of digital technologies. This work aims at contributing to the evolving research base by empirically assessing consumer preferences and a consumer segmentation approach with regard to companies’ concrete CDR activities, thus supporting the operationalization of CDR. Hence, this work provides concrete guidance for firms’ CDR activities in practice. To this end, a series of Best–Worst Scaling and dual response studies with a representative sample of 663 German-speaking participants assesses consumers’ perspectives on firms’ concrete (possible) activities within several CDR dimensions. Both DURE studies reveal the potential halo effect of data privacy and security activities on the perception of the CDR engagement at large, suggesting a more holistic approach to digital responsibilities. Besides, the findings reveal that in case of CDR one size does not fit all. Especially in terms of informational approaches, consumer preferences are rather heterogeneous suggesting that consumer segmentation is beneficial for companies. Additionally, the high importance of price for the consumers’ evaluation shows that it can be useful to offer a slimmed-down version in terms of CDR activities for more price-conscious consumers.

SAFE's monthly Manager Sentiment Index is constructed by extracting sentiment from corporate financial disclosures of listed companies in Germany, offering significant insights into top management’s perspectives. This white paper outlines the methodology behind the index and its financial implications. Information about managers’ assessment of firms’ performance and financial conditions is material to investors but, at the same time, hard to observe. The SAFE Manager Sentiment Index quantifies managers’ beliefs using textual analysis of financial reports and earnings conference call transcripts. We show that the index is a strong predictor of future stock market returns. In summary, the SAFE Manager Sentiment Index provides a practical tool for key stakeholders such as investors, analysts, and policymakers seeking timely signals of corporate sentiment.