https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32854 Sun, 18 Oct 2026 22:00:32 GMT 2026-10-18T22:00:32Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33988 Title: Design-logic alignment in digital transformation: A qualitative meta-analysis of Kodak Authors: Ashrafi, Amir; Constantinides, Panos; Thatcher, Jason Bennett; Mehandjiev, Nikolay Abstract: Why does an incumbent like Kodak, despite investing early in digital technology, still fail to create and capture value? We argue that Kodak’s fate exemplifies a canonical paradox of digital transformation (DT) because its organisational identity, strategy, and technology imperatives were not aligned. While research in information systems, strategy, and organisation theory has long emphasised these three imperatives independently, we lack a DT-specific synthesis that explains how they become aligned or drift into misalignment. To address this gap, we reframe DT as a Design-Logic Alignment (DLA) problem. Based on a comprehensive review of DT research, we first develop a DLA framework that conceptualises DT as an ongoing process of aligning technology, strategy, and identity. We then identify a set of causal mechanisms that account for when and how such alignment or misalignment occurs and consolidate them in a summary table as a mid-range theoretical lens on DT. Finally, we apply the DLA framework in a qualitative meta-analysis of the extensive literature on Kodak, tracing distinct transformation modes, entry points across the three imperatives, and how the mechanisms manifest across episodes of its trajectory. Together, these contributions offer an integrated, multi-imperative process analysis and a more actionable diagnostic for understanding and managing DT success or failure. Description: Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963868726000557?via%3Dihub#s0100 . Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33988 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33982 Title: Robot-based automation and new firm formation: the role of formal human capital development Authors: Kapetaniou, Chrystalla; Samdanis, Marios Abstract: Industrial robots are reshaping manufacturing, yet their role in new firm formation remains underexplored. Robot-based automation reinforces incumbent advantages while reconfiguring tasks in ways that may create opportunities for entrepreneurial entry. Formal human capital development can renew knowledge and skills to recognize and pursue opportunities. Drawing on the task-based theory of technological change and the Varieties of Capitalism framework, we examine how the intensity of robot-based automation relates to new firm formation and the moderating role of formal human capital development in this relationship. Using 2006–16 panel data for seven industries across thirteen European countries, we find that robot density is associated with lower new firm formation, while formal adult education and training relate positively to entry, though its moderating role varies across institutional and industry contexts. Entrepreneurial adjustment to automation depends not only on technology, but also on institutional and industry characteristics conditioning the role of formal human capital development. Description: JEL classification: O3; L26 Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33982 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33971 Title: Anticipating Family Automation: Public Imaginaries of Robotic Surrogacy and Co-Parenting Authors: Perez-Vega, Rodrigo; Merdin Uygur, Ezgi; Miguel, Cristina; Muravskaia, Snezhana Abstract: Humanoid robotics is moving from industrial and service settings into intimate domains of family life, making robotic surrogacy and robotic co-parenting plausible but morally contested futures. This paper examines how prospective users perceive the potential role of humanoid robots in reproduction and parenting, focusing on perceived barriers, anticipated consequences and ethical dilemmas. The study is based on a multi-method qualitative design, including 40 AI-assisted interviews and four face-to-face focus groups. Data were examined using thematic analysis grounded in ethics of care and attachment theory. Findings reveal a conditional openness to robots as functional assistants, such as offloading repetitive childcare tasks, contrasted with profound moral resistance to relational substitution. We identify a critical red line where automation transitions from supportive assistance to a human identity threat zone where the potential dehumanisation of foundational parent-child bonds leads to technology resistance. We propose that resistance is concentrated where robotic mediation is perceived to substitute for, rather than augment, primary human attachment relationships. We contribute an attachment-grounded framework by showing that adoption of intimate robotics depends not only on technical feasibility or perceived usefulness, but on whether future users locate robots within a utility zone or a relational substitution zone. Description: This is a pre-print version. It not been certified by peer review. Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33971 2026-05-20T00:00:00Z https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33839 Title: Greener labels, stronger bonds: driving engagement and value co-creation through retailers’ sustainability and sustainable development goals alignment Authors: Durmaz, Gulbin; Foroudi, Pantea; Melewar, TC; Dennis, Charles; Dilmperi, Athina Abstract: Purpose: This study aims to explore consumers’ perceptions of retailers’ corporate image, focusing on corporate social responsibility, climate change engagement and sustainability initiatives such as the adoption of recyclable packaging and efforts to reduce carbon footprints and CO2 emissions. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory research approach was used to gain deeper insights into consumers’ perceptions of retailers’ corporate image and sustainability practices. The study involved six focus group discussions conducted with a total of 33 private label brand (PLB) consumers. Findings: An exploratory research approach was used to gain deeper insights into consumers’ perceptions of retailers’ corporate image and sustainability practices. The study involved six focus group discussions conducted with a total of 33 PLB consumers. Originality/value: This study is among the first to qualitatively examine how retailers’ sustainability and alignment with UN SDG12 and SDG8 influence customer engagement and value co-creation in the PLB context. Unlike previous research that treated these concepts separately, it offers an integrated view of how sustainability narratives foster deeper consumer involvement. The findings show that sustainability cues prompt both active and passive co-creative behaviours, such as storytelling, feedback and eco-conscious participation. Based on these insights, a conceptual model is proposed to illustrate the dynamic relationship between sustainability and customer engagement, highlighting the cognitive, emotional and behavioural dimensions that shape value co-creation. Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33839 2025-12-31T00:00:00Z