Business Agility and Competitive Advantage of SMEs in Makassar City, Indonesia

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper is good at its methodology, but hypotheses are not strong enough. Nearly everything "affects" everything else in a company and that is why these diverging concepts can fit together. That is why stronger hypotheses are needed to be formalized. From a theoretical point of view: the "dimensions" of CSR in the paper are not very well established: it is some dimensions but the reader cannot undertsand why these are pointed out. Please explain it based on the literature and international CSR and ESG standards.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thank you for the suggestion and input

Regards

Author

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The paper uses a methodologically correct approach. However, I perceive a certain 'sloppiness' of the study concerning also the lack of revision of the work before submission for review (e.g. repetition of words). More than 54% of the items are from the last 5 years (2018 and newer) which deserves to be highlighted. 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thank you for the suggestion and input

Regards

Author

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

This article proposes to study business agility and competitive advantage of Indonesian SME. In particular, it investigates how business innovation, CSR implementation, digital transformation improves business agility with competitive advantage as a mediating variable.

It distinguishes between concepts as digital transformation, CSR implementation, Business innovation, competitive advantage and business agility.

The figure 1 may be redone and improved. In it statement, H5 and H8, H6 and H9, and H7 and H10 are not clear and confused. You may also create a new figure in the results in order to show which model you validated.

The literature review addresses various interesting elements.

The authors collected data from a sample of 100 selected SMEs in Makassar City, Indonesia. They conducted Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach using a smart PLS application.

The results are very interesting as well and show that competitive advantage, digital transformation, business innovation have a significant effect on business agility, CSR implementation and digital transformation have a negative correlation with SME business agility. Digital transformation, CSR implementation and business innovation affect competitive advantage, and digital transformation, CSR implementation, and business innovation affect business agility through corporate image.

Nonetheless, I do not like the way you presented your results in “4.3 Inner Model Analysis”. Claiming each hypothesis as subtitle is not a scientific way to do this. Reread some previous articles in Sustainability.

The theoretical and managerial contributions are missing. Rewrite this part. Moreover, several limitations are highlighted but very limited.

I had a great interest and pleasure in reading this first version of the article, may the authors be thanked and encouraged.

I give this article a favorable opinion.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thank you for the suggestion and input

 

Regards

Author

Author Response File: Author Response.docx