Mapping Digital Responsibility: From Theory to Practice

ABSTRACT:
THE GLOBAL IMPERATIVE FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION HAS EVOLVED TOWARD A RESPONSIBLE PARADIGM INTEGRATING
ETHICAL, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS. THIS PAPER ADDRESSES CRITICAL GAPS IN DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY, WHERE A
PERSISTENT RESEARCH-PRACTICE DIVIDE EXISTS AND EMPIRICAL STUDIES REMAIN RARE. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE SCARCITY OF RESEARCH IN
PRACTICE AND THE UNDERUTILIZATION OF DESIGN SCIENCE RESEARCH (DSR) FOR BUILDING ACTIONABLE SOLUTIONS. EMPLOYING A DSR
APPROACH, THIS PAPER DEVELOPS, PRESENTS, AND EMPIRICALLY EVALUATES PASSEE, A STRATEGIC MAPPING FRAMEWORK THAT
INTEGRATES SIX DIMENSIONS—DATA PRIVACY, ANALYTICS, SECURITY, AND SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS—TO ALIGN
DIGITAL AND SUSTAINABLE OBJECTIVES. THE FRAMEWORK WAS INITIALLY DEVELOPED THROUGH AN EXPLORATORY LITERATURE REVIEW AND
IS PILOT-TESTED IN 13 WORKSHOPS WITH STUDENT STARTUPS. THIS RESEARCH MAKES THREE CONTRIBUTIONS. FIRST, IT PROVIDES A
METHODOLOGICAL EXEMPLAR BY APPLYING DSR TO DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY, DEMONSTRATING ITS UTILITY IN BRIDGING THE RESEARCH
PRACTICE GAP. SECOND, IT INTRODUCES PASSEE AS A STRATEGIC MAPPING FRAMEWORK. THIRD, EMPIRICAL TESTING REVEALS THAT
PASSEE ENHANCED STUDENT START-UP CONCEPTS AND ENABLED IDENTIFICATION OF FUTURE COMPETITIVE GAPS THROUGH THE LENS OF
DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Keywords:
Digital Responsibility, Strategic framework, Design Science Research, Case study