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Previous literature shows that there are different environmental factors with different impacts on the adoption of technologies in a supply chain context. Thus, the adoption of technologies in supply chains may vary according to different environmental factors. Despite the existence of several studies about adoption of technologies in supply chain contexts that include environmental factors, there is a gap in identifying which environmental factors influence the adoption of digitalization technologies in supply chains. The purpose of this study is therefore to identify and analyze the environmental factors that influence the adoption of digitalization technologies in the supply chain. An exploratory qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured interviews with Portuguese managers of companies at several tiers of the automotive supply chain. Environmental factors were pointed as particularly critical drivers to promote the adoption of digitalization technologies in the automotive supply chain. Such adoption is mainly driven by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), through coercive and normative pressures over the other tiers of the supply chain. Relevant factors identified are: compliance with standards and legislation, market and industry pressures, and benchmark the evolution of supply chain partners. This study contributes to the literature with new knowledge concerning new specificities of the environmental factors that showed an important influence on the adoption decision.

The Business Model is recognized as a valuable tool that helps companies leverage their competitive advantage while dealing with market uncertainty. It enables startups to organize in an efficient way, helping them to rapidly adapt to the different challenges they might face.By using a multiple case study this research aims at understanding how and why startups commercializing technology-based products that support healthcare providing activities changed their business model in the path to a sustainable growth. Based on the Business Model Canvas (BMC), it was possible to analyze different approaches used by those startups to face the challenges encountered. Three main challenges were identified that drove change in the business models: lack of knowledge about the customers’ needs, lack of knowledge about the best fitting configuration of a standard product to the market, and lack of knowledge about configuration and interests of the different players. Moreover, even though the literature argues that business model evolution is driven by market and technology conditions, the business models of the startups included in this study changed exclusively due to market conditions.