Prof. Kayvan Lavassani on Leading the Journal of Business Ecosystems, an Open Access Publication with IGI Global

Dr. Lavassani: The transformational shift in the dynamics of competition and cooperation, evolving beyond the traditional focus on individuals, products, firms, and operations to a landscape defined by the influence of intertwined networks of actors, served as the pivotal inspiration for my colleagues and me to establish JBE. JBE was conceived to provide a platform for the dissemination of knowledge among academics and practitioners and to create a space for in-depth exploration of how this transformation is shaping the business and organizational realms.

The landscape of business competition and collaboration has undergone several transformations over the past century. Consider the competition between two hardware stores in a small to medium-sized town in America in the 1950s. These stores, most probably family-owned businesses, engaged in direct competition. Suppliers held more power in the marketplace than the retailers. However, businesses and the business environment evolved over the next few decades.

By the 1990s, retailers were gaining more influence than the manufacturers and wholesale distributors of products. Imagine the two successful hardware stores had grown into nationwide chains e.g., Lowe's and Home Depot. Simultaneously, it became evident that competition was no longer limited to the "retailer" level; it also occurred between their "supply chains." In recent decades, we have observed a new business environment—one that extends beyond individual businesses and their direct supply chains, encompassing business ecosystems and platforms that are formed and compete with each other. For example, consider the considerable growth of the multisided platforms and third-party actors' role in retail activity, which has reshaped several industries. JBE is positioned to bring together researchers and studies dedicated to this era of business competition, cooperation, and operation.

Dr. Lavassani: JBE stands as a distinctive journal with a dedicated focus on exploring business ecosystems and platforms. What truly sets our journal apart is its foundation, shaped by the collaborative efforts of renowned researchers active in the study of business ecosystems and platforms from across the globe who actively contribute to the JBR. JBE provides a platform for a comprehensive spectrum of empirical and conceptual research. JBE aims to promote a holistic understanding of business ecosystems and platforms, where individuals, processes, technology, organizational structures, and firms together form the business ecosystem. I believe JBE’s amalgamation of global expertise, business generalist orientation, and dedication to open-access principles make it a distinct publication as a pioneering resource in exploring business ecosystems and platforms.

Dr. Lavassani: The publishing industry is in the midst of changes and significant transformations driven by technological advancements and evolving funding mechanisms. Open access to knowledge naturally promotes the dissemination of knowledge, and it aligns with our goals to promote the study and application of business ecosystems and platforms. Publishers are essentially platforms that engage with various stakeholders in the research and publishing ecosystems, including researchers, journal editors, reviewers, libraries, and public agencies.

Dr. Lavassani: Both researchers and practitioners can benefit from the open access to the JBE publications. By removing financial barriers, open access enables a broader audience to engage with scholarly content, fostering knowledge dissemination and exchange. Open access promotes democratizing access to knowledge and information, which is particularly important for emerging domains like business ecosystems and platforms. Consider that open access will make previous research more accessible to researchers and empower them to build upon existing work more effectively and efficiently.

Dr. Lavassani: I believe there are notable changes and evolutions ahead of us regarding open-access publication. It is difficult to predict how the new business models will precisely shape up; however, I believe changes in the publishers’ value proposition and funding strategies are evident. I have observed more journals elect open-source access, and it can be anticipated that these changes will further shape the academic publishing landscape.

Dr. Lavassani: The significance of business ecosystems and platforms is attracting increasing attention from scholars and practitioners. There is a notable upsurge in the application of network science in the study of business ecosystems and platforms. Notably, there is a growing interest in studying firms’ centrality (influence) within their business ecosystems. Furthermore, there is an increasing recognition of the multi-layer perspective of business ecosystems; one example is analyzing the firms’ business ecosystems with respect to their supply chain network, strategic alliance network, and licensing network across multiple interconnected network layers. It is noteworthy to mention that business ecosystems can be studied at different scales, such as individuals, firms, industries, and countries. Post-COVID-19, several researchers started to explore the role of firms within the business ecosystem and the business ecosystem structure on the resilience and recovery capabilities when faced with large-scale disruptions. The latest trend that we have noticed is the studies into the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on business ecosystems and platforms. Additionally, these studies explore the impact of AI on the interactions of people, processes, and technology., organizational structures, and technology. I foresee more research in these over the next few years.

Dr. Lavassani: The first step is to select the right journal. JBE is a vibrant journal that welcomes submissions encompassing notable innovative and novel views. When in doubt, I suggest authors contact the editors to ensure their paper is a good fit with the journal and can find a good home in the target journals. Most editors are receptive to providing constructive feedback. Alongside the research substance, the authors must present their research clearly and concisely. Additionally, attention to proofreading and English language editing is crucial. IGI Global extends editorial support, a service we recommend our authors consider utilizing.

Dr. Lavassani: The availability of free journal access provides a valuable opportunity for researchers to stay abreast of the latest advancements in their respective fields. Furthermore, researchers can consider the authors of these articles as potential collaborators for their forthcoming research initiatives. We consistently incorporate open-access resources into c classroom settings, consulting projects, and professional development workshops.

Please visit the Call for Papers page for all IGI Global journals seeking submissions. Published under Gold Open Access, these journals offer research that is freely accessible to all members of the research community. Please utilize these resources by browsing all Open Access Articles and Chapters.

Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA with a subsidiary office (IGI Science and Technology, Ltd.) operating out of Beijing, China, IGI Global is a leading medium-sized independent international academic publisher of cutting-edge, high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly reference publications in the three major academic subject areas of Business & Management, Scientific, Technical, & Medical (STM), and Education. With a commitment to facilitating the discovery of pioneering scientific research, this publishing house has empowered over 200,000+ expert researchers from leading institutions globally to bring advanced research books from conceptualization to completion in an impressive 6-9 months from proposal acceptance to publication. IGI Global journal articles have a rapid turnaround, on average taking 2-4 weeks, and are then added to a significant portfolio of nearly 200 journals within IGI Global’s Open Access Journal Program. Through traditional and open access publishing workflows, this unique proprietary process makes tomorrow’s research, which enhances and expands the body of knowledge, available to the research community today.