EFFECT OF MANAGEMENT'S COMPETENCIES AND DIGITAL SKILLS ON DIGITAL BUSINESS MODEL MATURITY FOR SMEs

The uptake of digital business models has been distinctly evident over recent years, causing profound changes across industries. Even though various scholarly papers attempt to investigate those developments, empirical studies of factors that influence digital business models' maturity are still scarce. This research article aims to address this literature gap, achieved by empirically testing the relationship between relevant managerial factors and digital business models' maturity. Through a multi-national study with 162 participating companies operating within the sector of yachting tourism, followed by a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the obtained primary results, it has been found that managerial competencies, including management education and their digital skills, positively affect digital business model maturity of the respective companies.