Structural Dimensions and Model Construction of Platform Enterprises’ Digital Responsibility: A Grounded Study Based on Organizational Identity Theory

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 17; no. 2; p. 405
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiao-Su, Huang, Hui-Dan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2025
• Subjects: Compliance; Computer services industry; Digital technology; Environmental aspects; Information ethics; Monopolies; Research methodology; Social aspects; Social responsibility; Stockholders; Sustainable development; Values; China
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su17020405

With the development of new, high-quality productive forces, platform enterprises (PEs) are beginning to play a crucial role in shaping economic patterns, ecological environments, and social structures. These enterprises have significant social responsibilities when handling issues such as algorithmic discrimination, user data breaches, and market monopolies. Herein, we adopt the grounded theory method, selecting three unique types of PEs as research subjects. Through in-depth interviews with stakeholders and a three-level coding analysis, we build a “triple” responsibility model of PEs’ digital responsibility (DR). This model is based on the PEs’ triple organizational identity and is framed by three dimensions: product responsibility, technological responsibility, and application responsibility. The model also summarizes three dimensions and contents of responsibility: digital self-regulation, the digital regulation of others, and digital foresight. The concept of PEs’ DR is clarified and the structure and dimensions of PEs’ DR are delineated. This study holds significant theoretical and practical value for perfecting the social responsibility system in the platform economy. The triple DR model fills the research gap on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate DR and overcomes the limitations of the traditional CSR paradigm, providing a theoretical foundation for PEs’ sustainable development in the digital era.