Title: Is open access publishing a case of disruptive innovation?

Authors: Haven Allahar

Addresses: Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, University of the West Indies, Max Richards Drive, Uriah Butler Highway North West, Mount Hope, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

Abstract: Open access journal publishing is a recent phenomenon that challenges the established system of print journals and viewed by some researchers as a form of disruptive innovation that has implications for stakeholders in both developed and developing countries. The research approach involved collection of data from the major full-text aggregator databases and other secondary sources, and conduct of a thematic analysis to identify the main issues involved in open access publishing and the question of its disruptive impact on the industry. The main finding was that, while the publishing of open access journals was growing, widespread acceptance by academia was slow. Further, while there were signs of the open access model disrupting the publishing business, it was premature to label it a disruptive innovation.

Keywords: journal publishing; open access journals; OAJ; disruptive innovation; DI; open access business models; open access in developing countries; open access in the Caribbean.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2018.093322

International Journal of Business Environment, 2018 Vol.10 No.1, pp.35 - 51

Received: 20 Jan 2018
Accepted: 11 Apr 2018
Published online: 24 Jul 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article