Showing papers on "Competitive advantage published in 2022"

Green recovery in the mature manufacturing industry: The role of the green-circular premium and sustainability certification in innovative efforts

Abstract: Sustainability is an essential goal for companies to pursue alongside their efforts to cope with a period of economic crisis and uncertainty. Technologically mature manufacturing sectors need to preserve their competitiveness, and process and product innovation may no longer be sufficient to stimulate demand. Strategic innovation is one possible option to address this challenge. However, methods to implement this new paradigm are still underexplored. This paper analyzes the Italian and Spanish ceramic tile industries as a prime example of process digitalization and environmental practices in the European manufacturing context. Through the application of multi-criteria analysis, this study aims to investigate the possibilities provided by strategic innovation to companies in this sector, in order to be able to compete with producers in emerging countries who use price strategies as the only lever of their competitiveness. To this end, dimensions relating to operations, market, economy, society and the environment are considered herein. Our results show that the multidimensionality of industrial organizations should stimulate manufacturing firms not only to look at customer needs from a price point of view, but to commit to including social and environmental attributes in their products, such as the green-circular premium and sustainability certification. These two practices represent strategic innovation. This presents a complex challenge involving widespread change that concerns entrepreneurship, management and industrial policies. • Industrial districts enrich socially industrial organization. • Sustainability is an enabler of competitive advantage in manufacturing. • Competitive advantage requires recognition a green-circular premium. • Recognition is based on a sustainability certification by performance classes. • Differential product taxation is a policy to be implemented.

A conceptual model for the adoption of autonomous robots in supply chain and logistics industry

Abstract: The arrival of the era of robots and autonomous machines is undisputable. It is anticipated that the future business environment will be characterized by a variety of intelligent systems and autonomous robots. In 2017, the International Federation of Robotics reported that momentum gained by robotic technologies is strong and that the sales volumes of both service and industrial robots is expected to grow. Building on this projection, the present study proposes a set of prerequisites or key determinants for the adoption of autonomous robots in the supply chain and logistics industry: technological context (i.e., relative advantage, complexity, and cost), organizational context (i.e., management support, financial support and employee competence) and environmental context (i.e., competitive pressure, customer pressure and vendor support). The study adapts a quantitative research design and uses an online survey to collect the needed data to test the conceptual framework and hypotheses proposed. Part of the study results confirms the association between the cost of digital technologies and the adoption of autonomous robots. However, the study found no evidence that the perceived relative advantage positively impacts supply chain and logistics firms’ adoption of autonomous robots. The study offers some managerial advices to supply chain mangers and marketers of the digital technologies and tools that can be applied in the supply chain setting.

How do green knowledge management and green technology innovation impact corporate environmental performance? Understanding the role of green knowledge acquisition

Abstract: Increasing regulatory obligations to adapt and execute environmentally friendly operations make it critical for businesses to pursue strategies that can strengthen their competitive edge in the market. Academics and practitioners alike have recently gravitated toward exploring how knowledge acquisition activities might improve business outcomes. To address this growing research interest, this study investigates the critical roles of green knowledge acquisition in enhancing green knowledge management and green technology innovation activities in improving corporate environmental performance, positioning resource commitment as a moderator. The research model has been assessed using structural equation modeling with survey data from 283 Indian manufacturers, demonstrating that green knowledge acquisition significantly impacts green knowledge management and green technology innovation. The statistical findings also show that green technology innovation acts catalyzes the translation of green knowledge management into improved corporate environmental performance. The results demonstrate that resource commitment moderates green knowledge acquisition's interaction with green knowledge management and green technology innovation, providing practical insights enabling managers to focus on planning, allocating, and budgeting resources for effective green practices that can contribute to improving corporate environmental performance.

Knowledge hiding in organizational crisis: The moderating role of leadership

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused organizational crises leading to shutdowns, mergers, downsizing or restructuring to minimize survival costs. In such organizational crises, employees tend to experience a loss or lack of resources, and they are more likely to engage in knowledge hiding to maintain their resources and competitive advantage. Knowledge hiding has often caused significant adverse consequences, and the research on knowledge hiding is limited. Drawing upon the Conservation of Resources and Transformational Leadership theories, a conceptual framework was developed to examine knowledge hiding behavior and its antecedents and consequences. We collected data from 281 Vietnamese employees working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results show that role conflict, job insecurity, and cynicism positively impact knowledge hiding behavior. Knowledge hiding behavior negatively affects job performance and mediates the antecedents of knowledge hiding on job performance. Transformational leadership moderated the impact of role conflict on knowledge hiding.

Circular economy and digital capabilities of SMEs for providing value to customers: Combined resource-based view and ambidexterity perspective

Abstract: Some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are involved in recycling plastic waste to produce innovative products. These SMEs have adopted digital technologies, such as 3D printing and blockchain, to gain competitive advantage from their circular economy (CE)-based business models. However, the specific capabilities needed to create value for customers and to generate a competitive advantage for such SMEs are not known. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with four SMEs engaged in the CE to identify the specific resources and capabilities needed to provide value to customers. Our findings reveal that SMEs focusing on circular economy initiatives demonstrate exploitation and adaptive capabilities in utilising their CE resources followed by exploration and adaptive capabilities while implementing digital technologies. Our study extends the resource-based view by combining it with ambidexterity to explain the role of specific circular and digital resources and capabilities that SMEs need to provide value to their customers.

Relationships among knowledge-oriented leadership, customer knowledge management, innovation quality and firm performance in SMEs

Abstract: Drawing upon the literature on knowledge management, leadership, and innovation, this study investigates the possible associations among customer knowledge management, knowledge-oriented leadership, innovation quality, and firm performance in 283 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand. The mediating roles of customer knowledge management and knowledge-oriented leadership among these relationships are highlighted in the SMEs, wherein human resources and invested capital are limited. Therefore, the findings contribute to the extant literature by providing empirical evidence to support that customer knowledge management mediates in the relationship between knowledge-oriented leadership and innovation quality. In addition, innovation quality mediates the relationship between customer knowledge management and firm performance. Furthermore, the result supports the moderating effect of competitive intensity on the relationship between customer knowledge management and innovation quality. Finally, the theoretical implications for academics and managerial implications for SMEs’ managers are discussed.

Determinants of SME’s Social Media Marketing Adoption: Competitive Industry as a Moderator

Abstract: In light of the growing role of social media marketing in the success of businesses and its low adoption rate among small and medium enterprises (SMEs), this study aims to identify determinants of SMEs’ social media marketing adoption by considering the competitive industry as a moderator. Data were collected from 214 SMEs in Malaysia. Unlike extant literature, this study proposed a dual-stage analysis involving partial least squares (PLS) technique and artificial intelligence named deep artificial neural network (ANN). The application of deep ANN architecture is used to predict 91% of accuracy for the proposed model. The results showed that perceived relative advantage, perceived cost, top management support, perceived competitor pressure, and perceived vendor pressure have a significant impact on social media marketing adoption. Furthermore, the competitive industry moderates the effects of competitive pressure and customer pressure on social media marketing adoption. The results of the study extend the literature on social media marketing by illustrating the influence of technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) factors on social media marketing adoption among SMEs concerning the extent of industry competition. The results of the study enable policymakers and managers of SMEs to understand the factors that influence social media marketing adoption in both competitive and non-competitive industries and invest effectively in digital marketing.

Big data analytics capability and market performance: The roles of disruptive business models and competitive intensity

Abstract: Research shows that big data analytics capability (BDAC) is a major determinant of firm performance. However, scant research has theoretically articulated and empirically tested the mechanisms and conditions under which BDAC influences performance. This study advances existing knowledge on the BDAC–performance relationship by drawing on the knowledge-based view and contingency theory to argue that how and when BDAC influences market performance is dependent on the intervening role of disruptive business models and the contingency role of competitive intensity. We empirically test this argument on primary data from 360 firms in the United Kingdom. The results show that disruptive business models partially mediate the positive effect of BDAC on market performance, and this indirect positive effect is strengthened when competitive intensity increases. These findings provide new perspectives on the business model processes and competitive conditions under which firms maximize marketplace value from investments in BDACs.

Role of big data analytics capabilities to improve sustainable competitive advantage of MSME service firms during COVID-19 – A multi-theoretical approach

Abstract: The extant literature suggests that digital technologies (big data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain) help firms gain a competitive advantage. However, the studies do not focus on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector. Moreover, MSMEs face various challenges, including significant supply chain disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, there was an urgent requirement to shift to digital technologies to survive during this difficult time. In the context of MSME, various positive changes are discussed in the recent literature. However, a dearth of studies discusses the role of big data analytics capabilities (BDAC) to gain sustainable competitive advantage (SCA). Our study aims to fill this gap and answer this question – How do BDAC help MSMEs gain SCA? To understand the phenomenon, we receive theoretical support from organizational information processing theory (OIPT) and institutional theory (IT). We develop a conceptual framework that links BDAC and SCA through supply chain coordination, swift trust, and supply chain risk. Additionally, the age and size of the firm are used as control variables. The data is collected from Indian service sector employees of MSMEs, resulting in 497 usable responses. We use PLS-SEM using Warp PLS 7.0 to test the hypotheses. A critical finding is that the BDAC indirectly impacts the SCA. Finally, the other findings, limitations, and scope for future research are discussed.

The resource‐based view, stakeholder capitalism, ESG, and sustainable competitive advantage: The firm's embeddedness into ecology, society, and governance

Abstract: The main research question of the study is this: Is the firm embedded into ecology, society, and governance (ESG), or vice versa? Using the resource-based view as a theoretical lens, and stakeholder capitalism as a paradigm anchored in the Dashgupat Review, we demonstrate in a panel data over 26 years that at the firm level, the relationship between sustained competitive advantage and the ESG footprint is concave shaped, and the impact inequality multiple gaps of the ESG footprint are 4.75 times the providing capacity of the natural and business environment. To solve the common method variance, endogeneity, and unobserved heterogeneity, system GMM is used as a method in a dataset of US manufacturing firms from 1992 to 2019. At the end, we argue that extant attributes of a resource base for sustained competitive advantage have an inherent flaw anchored in the resource-based view, as they ignore the “environmental, social, and governance (ESG) friendliness” attribute of a resource. Managers need to rethink the objective of their firms if they want to survive in the new ESG-friendly economy with stakeholder supremacy.

The Mediating Role of Firm Strategy in the Relationship between Green Entrepreneurship, Green Innovation, and Competitive Advantage: The Case of Medium and Large-Sized Firms in Greece

Abstract: The present research examines both the relationship between green innovation and green entrepreneurship and the mediating role of firm strategies in the relationship between green entrepreneurship, green innovation, and competitive advantage. A total of 225 managers responsible for the environmental strategy of medium and large-sized firms operating in Greece were used as a sample for the study. To measure the research variables, a structured questionnaire was used. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inductive statistics, including principal components analysis, correlation analysis, a multivariate generalized linear model, and a structural equations model. The empirical results indicate a positive influence of green entrepreneurship in green product innovation and green process innovation. Furthermore, the mediating role of firm strategies in the relationship between green entrepreneurship, green innovation, and competitive advantage is confirmed.

The Effect of Knowledge Management on the Sustainability of Technology-Driven Businesses in Emerging Markets: The Mediating Role of Social Media

Abstract: Sustainability is a fundamental principle for human resource management worldwide. This study aimed to examine the effect of knowledge management components on the sustainability of technology-driven businesses mediated by social media in emerging markets. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in April 2022. The statistical population comprised 537 businesses, and the sample size (estimated using Cochran’s formula) was 224 research and development employees. A 25-item questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert scale was administered to collect data, which were analyzed in SmartPLS 3. The findings showed that for technology-driven businesses to be in a sustainable environment, knowledge management components must be applied in all parts of the company. The application of knowledge management creates value and a sustainable competitive advantage in a dynamic environment. Furthermore, effective participation in the organizational social network can activate knowledge management and create value. Thus, knowledge acquisition through social media optimizes learning and ideation, and for technology-driven companies that lack resources, this acquisition enables development and sustainability in a dynamic environment.

Does Big Data Drive Innovation In E-Commerce: A Global Perspective?

Abstract: Objective: Literature indicates big data is a competitive edge, which boasts a firm’s overall performance. With the rise of big data (BD), e-commerce firms are using the tools to engage more with customers, offer better products, and innovate more to gain a competitive advantage. Nevertheless, past empirical studies have shown conflicting results. Design: Building on the capital-based perspective and the firm’s inertia concept, we created a model to explore how BD and BD analytics capability impact innovation results in e-commerce businesses. We carried out a two-year empirical investigation project to secure empirical data on 1703 data-driven innovation tasks from USA and Asia. Findings: We showed that there is a tradeoff between BD and BD analytics capability, in which the optimum balance of BD depends on the amount of BD analytics ability. BD analytics ability exerts a good moderating impact, that is, the better this capability is, the higher the effect of BD on gross margin and sales growth. For U.S. innovation tasks, BD has an inverted U-shaped relationship with sales innovation. For Asian innovation tasks, when major data capital is minimal, promoting big data analytics capability improves sales innovation and disgusting margin up to a specific point. Policy Implications: Establishing BD analytics capability over that time could prevent innovation efficiency. Our findings offer guidance to e-commerce firms on producing strategic choices about source allocations for BD and BD analytics ability. Originality: A limited research has been carried out to show the impact of using BD analytics tools to drive innovation. This is one of the first articles that dive into using BD to foster innovation in the e-commerce business.

Does corporate social responsibility and green product innovation boost organizational performance? a moderated mediation model of competitive advantage and green trust

Abstract: The study contemplates the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green product innovation on organizational performance while considering the moderating role of competitive advantage and mediating role of green trust. Data have been accumulated through a structured questionnaire while distributing 259 questionnaires among employees working in the Pakistani small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) companies. In this study, we have conducted reliability, validity, discriminant validity, and structural modeling analysis by using SPSS and Smart PLS for data analysis. The results have identified a significant and positive impact of CSR and green product innovation on organizational performance. Remarkably, green product innovation positively influences competitive advantage. Competitive advantage mediates the relationship between corporate social responsibility, green product innovation, and organizational performance. Further, this study has filled the lacuna of extant literature while analyzing the green trust moderating role between product innovation and organizational performance.

E-HRM practices and sustainable competitive advantage from HR practitioner’s perspective: A mediated moderation analysi

Abstract: This paper seeks to investigate the impact of Electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM) practices on attaining Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) in the context of the Jordanian Industrial Sector (JIS) and identify the mediating role of e-HRM Perceived Usefulness (PU) and e-HRM Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU). Furthermore, it investigates the moderating role of User Satisfaction and e-HRM Continuance Usage Intention. To achieve the paper objectives, a Mediated-Moderation Model was designed. The researchers distributed (750) questionnaires, (615) questionnaires were returned and validated for analysis in HRM and development divisions and based on a Census method with the response rate was about (82%). The ‘Structural Equation Modeling’ (SEM) methodology was used, and for analysis, SPSS and Amos were applied. The results indicated that e-HRM practices had significant influence on SCA. The paper also demonstrated that there was a significant mediate effect of TAM constructs on the relationship between e-HRM practices and SCA. Finally, the findings indicated that the user satisfaction and e-HRM continuance usage intention did not moderate the relationship between e-HRM-PEOU and PU and SCA path.

Fostering green service innovation perceptions through green entrepreneurial orientation: the roles of employee green creativity and customer involvement

Abstract: Purpose Developing new green services is critical to a hospitality organization’s achievement of sustainable goals as well as competitive advantage. This study aims to unravel the mechanisms through which organizations with green entrepreneurial orientation (green EO) can foster green service innovation. Design/methodology/approach The data set for testing these mechanisms was garnered from employees and managers who worked in hotels based in an Asia-Pacific market. A multilevel analysis was conducted on this data set. Findings The results revealed the positive nexus between organizational green EO and green service innovation perceptions. The results of the study further lent credence to employee green creativity as a mediation path for such a relationship. Furthermore, customer involvement was found to fortify the linkage of green EO with employee green creativity and the linkage of employee green creativity with green service innovation perceptions. Practical implications The results suggest to hotel organizations how to optimally translate their green entrepreneurial strategy into new green services that meet customer preferences and societal expectations. Originality/value This inquiry extends the hospitality management literature by linking green EO to green service innovation of hospitality organizations as well as identifying the mediation and moderation mechanisms underlying this link.

Does better environmental, social, and governance induce better corporate green innovation: The mediating role of financing constraints

Abstract: Green innovation is a key way for firms to establish competitive advantage and contribute to sustainable development, but it often suffers from financing constraints. In this regard, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices allow firms to have a wider investor base, face lower risk, and generate positive market reactions, ultimately leading to a lower cost of capital, which may potentially alleviate financing constraints and provide strong motivation for green innovation. Combining stakeholder theory with the resource-based view (RBV), this study investigated how ESG substantially affects corporate green innovation. Based on a zero-inflated Poisson regression analysis of 1577 listed Chinese manufacturing firms, we found that better ESG could significantly induce better corporate green innovation, and financing constraints acted as a mediator in the relationship between ESG and green innovation. Our findings contribute to a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which corporate pro-social decision-makings initiate and boost green innovation.

The Impact of New Human Resource Management Practices on Innovation Performance during the COVID 19 Crisis: A New Perception on Enhancing the Educational Sector

Abstract: The study aims to investigate the impact of New Human Resource Management Practices (NHRM) on innovation performance mediating by organizational innovation and innovative work behavior in the educational sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, experiential proof to determine this relationship is inadequate. Consequently, quantitative statistical tools were implemented in the study. Using data gathered from 450 employees in the Ministry of Education in Amman-Jordan who participated in the online survey the present results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship linking NHRM practices and innovation performance. Additionally, a mediating role of organizational innovation and innovative work behavior was found. Moreover, the results identified that the relation increases more by organizational innovation mediator. Therefore, based on the results, boosting NHRM practices in the Ministry of Education will reinforce managerial implementation, fostering innovative performance. During the COVID 19 pandemic, the cruel challenges obliged the educational sector to use organizational strategies to achieve innovation within the crucial and unpredictable period, which needs practical, swifter technological practices, making it unbeatable, creative, and motivational competitive. Therefore, applying NHRM can present solutions, resolve problems, and enhance innovation among employees during the response time of a crisis. Form, execution and improved environmental sustainability within organizations that rely on permanent innovation are associated with HR practices.

Influence of Digital Accounting System Usage on SMEs Performance: The Moderating Effect of COVID-19

Abstract: In the literature, studies have evidenced the efforts adopted by firms to develop digital technology with the hope of achieving sustainable decisions and competitive performance. However, studies have yet to provide an extensive explanation of the mechanisms used by firms in their digital technology adoption to impact and enhance value, particularly among small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In this regard, accounting information has served as a fundamental basis for business decision-making and the extensive use of digital technology has paved the way for the efficiency and effectiveness of accounting functions in modifying information relating to such functions. More specifically, a digital accounting system (DAS) enables the reporting and processing of large transaction amounts and generates the data required for analysis. However, despite these advantages, SMEs have been slow in their adoption and usage of DASs. Accordingly, this study drew upon resource-based view theory and the technology-organization-environment framework to propose an integrated model for examining the determinants and impact of using DAS among SMEs. The proposed model encapsulates the use and performance aspect of DAS. The study utilized a self-administered survey questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument. Data from 183 SMEs in Jordan were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that compatibility, organizational readiness, top management support and government support all had significant effects on DAS usage, which, in turn, had a positive and significant effect on DAS performance. With regard to the moderating effects, COVID-19 was found to have a moderating role on the DAS usage–DAS performance relationship. The study findings explain the way firms can enhance their DAS use to obtain optimum performance, thereby contributing to the literature on the antecedents and effects of using current information technology/information systems. The study recommends that the government of Jordan prepare and carry out a campaign concerning the importance of DASs for SMEs.

Business Models in the Industry 4.0 Environment—Results of Web of Science Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract: The Fourth Industrial Revolution affects the operations of companies and results in new strategic thinking. The changes resulting from the requirements of Industry 4.0 force restructuring in many areas of management or the building of new business models. The aim of this article was to indicate the pillars that will form the basis for building business models of enterprises functioning in the era of Industry 4.0. The research methods used in this article were bibliometric analysis and analysis of the content of sophisticated publications. The results of this research are the analysis of the dynamics of publications in the area of business models in the era of Industry 4.0, an indication of the research areas undertaken in these publications and the identification of the pillars that will constitute the basis for building business models in the era of Industry 4.0. Business models in the era of Industry 4.0 are to be a method of increasing and using the company’s resources in order to achieve a competitive advantage through personalization of products and their new quality; their key competitive advantage will be a structure based on a network of cyber-physical cooperation. This article is dedicated to scientists and business practitioners looking for tips for building modern business models.

Sustainable organizational performance through blockchain technology adoption and knowledge management in China

Abstract: Global competition encourages all industries to attain cutting-edge performance by continuously developing their goods and processes; knowledge is the most effective and powerful weapon for long-term sustainability and growth. Effective blockchain adoption (BCA) and better supply chain visibility (SCV) via organizational and production knowledge management (KM) have emerged as the most powerful instruments for improving sustainable organizational performance (SOP). Therefore, drawing on the resource-based view and technology acceptance model, this study seeks to underline the empirical relationships among KM, BCA, SCV, and SOP in a developing country context of Chinese manufacturing, as research in this sector is still nascent encompassing these constructs. Data were collected from 289 respondents (senior, middle, and junior) level staff members from manufacturing industries and analyzed by a novel approach; partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The empirical analyses indicated that KM significantly impacts BCA. BCA also positively affects SCV. Besides BCA, the KM also positively impacts SOP. The mediation effect analysis revealed the significant serial mediating impact of BCA and SCV on the relationship of KM to SOP. This study enriches the inadequate literature and throws light on BCA from an organizational resource perspective. The study deepens our understanding and delivers valued insights to the managers and policymakers of manufacturing industries concerning the role of KM, BCA, and SCV in achieving SOP.