PurposeAcademics and practitioners are increasingly discussing the role of crowdsourcing initiatives in dealing with the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with their role in an emergency context in general. However, empirical evidence about the role of crowdsourcing initiatives in an emergency context is still scarce. This paper aims to address this gap in knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted an inductive approach to investigate how companies leveraged crowdsourcing initiatives to address the issues posed by COVID-19. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The selection of the interviewees was based on a purposive sampling strategy. Data were analysed through thematic analysis.FindingsThe analysis led to the identification and examination of drivers (e.g. preserving relationships with customers), advantages (e.g. increased demand for services) and disadvantages (e.g. increased platform cost) of implementing crowdsourcing initiatives during COVID-19. By leveraging the findings, this paper suggests future research opportunities. Relevant future research opportunities include: (1) quantitatively evaluating the economic impact of crowdsourcing initiatives during a disruptive event and (2) examining how the sector in which the company operates influences the beneficial and detrimental effects of crowdsourcing initiatives on company performance.Originality/valueThe involvement of crowds as innovation partners has provided unique opportunities for companies to innovate and address the challenging scenario. The scientific literature about the role of crowdsourcing during COVID-19 is growing. However, there is still a scarcity of empirical evidence about the mechanisms underpinning the use of crowdsourcing during the pandemic. By leveraging semi-structured interviews, this paper addresses this relevant gap in knowledge.

In this paper, a structured review was conducted to investigate the internationalisation process of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to define barriers and enablers and identify research gaps in this relevant field. Data were collected from two databases of scientific peer-reviewed articles (i.e., Scopus and Web of Science). After the selection process, 161 papers focusing on SMEs’ internalisation were analysed using both descriptive and content analysis. The analysis of the results highlights that SMEs’ internalisation is a growing research field, but different research gaps remain to be filled. These gaps concern barriers, impact on performance, models, and theories related to the different phases of the internationalisation process (e.g., start-up, early entrance, international growth). The future research directions identified interesting suggestions and guidelines for future researchers in the field of SMEs internationalisation.

To date, few researchers have linked open innovation approaches with triple bottom line corporate sustainability objectives in terms of economic, social, and environmental performance. A systematic review suggests that the businesses' collaborative relationships with external consultants or organizations can increase their competitive advantage, as external stakeholders could assist them in the development of sustainable innovations, diversification into different markets, and in the generation of new revenue streams. At the same time, they can support them in addressing numerous deficits in society. On the other hand, this contribution implies that an organizational culture that promotes open innovation approaches could expose practitioners to risks and uncertainties, like revealing sensitive information to outsiders, among others. In reality, it may prove difficult for the businesses to trust new partners, as they are not subject to their organizations' codes of conduct, rules, and regulations.