Hotspots and Trends in Sustainable Business Operations: A Bibliometric Analysis Using CiteSpace

Amid the deepening process of global economic integration and increasing constraints on environmental and resource availability, corporate business models are undergoing a critical transition toward sustainable development.However, current research on business sustainability still reveals a notable disconnect between theoretical construction and practical application, with a lack of systematic and actionable strategic frameworks.To address this research gap, this study employs CiteSpace visualization tools and bibliometric methods to conduct a comprehensive analysis of 333 core articles related to business sustainability published in the Web of Science database between 1997 and 2025.The study identifies research hotspots and evolutionary trends in the field.The analysis includes keyword co-occurrence and clustering, as well as analysis of author and institutional collaboration networks.Results indicate that corporate social responsibility, green innovation, environmental management, and corporate performance are currently the core research themes.The number of publications has grown from a slow initial stage to rapid expansion in recent years, closely aligned with global sustainability policies and corporate practices.Meanwhile, collaboration networks among authors and institutions remain relatively fragmented and lack key intermediary nodes, underscoring the need for greater international cooperation and interdisciplinary integration.Methodologically, this study integrates visualization technology with data mining approaches to systematically reveal the structural landscape and future development directions of the field, providing data-driven insights and theoretical foundations for corporate managers in planning green transformation strategies and for policymakers in promoting sustainable business mechanisms.Future research should further explore topics such as green innovation and the circular economy, integrate multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks, and develop more comprehensive evaluation systems.