Search Results (600)

As China has increased implementation of its opening-up strategy and the “Belt and Road” initiative, Chinese enterprises have encountered significant historical opportunities to expand their outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). However, international organizations and major nations are increasingly focusing on nonfinancial indicators for multinational corporations; as a result, enterprises frequently encounter social responsibility crises in cross-border investments. Consequently, Chinese firms must enhance their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices to bolster their comprehensive competitiveness, which is crucial for promoting successful international engagement and sustainability. This research explores the U-shaped relationship between ESG performance and OFDI, examining how different stages of the corporate lifecycle affect OFDI. The findings indicate that ESG investments compete with OFDI for internal resources during the introduction, growth, and decline phases, thereby inhibiting OFDI activities. In contrast, strong ESG performance in the maturity phase provides a competitive advantage in international markets, facilitating OFDI. The empirical analysis uses a fixed-effects model on a sample of Chinese A-share-listed companies from 2009 to 2022 and employs the PSM, 2SLS, and System GMM methods to test for endogeneity. The results reveal that (1) a positive U-shape relationship between ESG performance and corporate OFDI, and the inflection point occurs when the ESG score equals 69.04. Moreover, (2) the corporate lifecycle intensifies this nonlinear relationship, with growth-phase firms showing a significant inhibitory effect and mature-phase firms showing a pronounced promotional effect. Finally, (3) the U-shaped relationship between ESG performance and corporate OFDI is more pronounced in nonstate-owned enterprises. Based on these findings, this paper provides targeted policy recommendations for enterprises and governments. Full article

In complex wireless communication environments, automatic modulation classification (AMC) faces two critical challenges: the lack of robustness under low-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions and the inefficiency of integrating multi-scale feature representations. To address these issues, this paper proposes CAIC-Net, a robust modulation classification network that integrates a dynamic cross-attention mechanism with a cross-SNR contrastive learning strategy. CAIC-Net employs a dual-stream feature extractor composed of ConvLSTM2D and Transformer blocks to capture local temporal dependencies and global contextual relationships, respectively. To enhance fusion effectiveness, we design a Dynamic Cross-Attention Unit (CAU) that enables deep bidirectional interaction between the two branches while incorporating an SNR-aware mechanism to adaptively adjust the fusion strategy under varying channel conditions. In addition, a Cross-SNR Contrastive Learning (CSCL) module is introduced as an auxiliary task, where positive and negative sample pairs are constructed across different SNR levels and optimized using InfoNCE loss. This design significantly strengthens the intrinsic noise-invariant properties of the learned representations. Extensive experiments conducted on two standard datasets demonstrate that CAIC-Net achieves competitive classification performance at moderate-to-high SNRs and exhibits clear advantages in extremely low-SNR scenarios, validating the effectiveness and strong generalization capability of the proposed approach. Full article

New ventures operating in volatile and unpredictable environments must rely on rapid adaptation and decisive action, making improvisation a critical entrepreneurial capability. This study examines how improvisation enhances new venture performance by uncovering the psychological and learning-based mechanisms through which its effects unfold. Drawing on the Knowledge-Based View (KBV) and Social Learning Theory (SLT), the model proposes that improvisation strengthens entrepreneurial self-efficacy, enabling entrepreneurs to approach uncertainty with greater confidence and adaptive judgment. Using a two-wave survey of 322 startup founders in Turkey and analyses conducted through PROCESS and complementary SEM estimation, the findings show that improvisation significantly boosts both entrepreneurial self-efficacy and new venture performance. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy emerges as a key mediating mechanism, indicating that improvisational experiences help entrepreneurs develop mastery, reinforce capability beliefs, and translate spontaneous action into improved outcomes. The results further suggest that improvisational episodes provide immediate learning cues that enhance situational awareness and decision-making agility, deepening the psychological pathway that links spontaneous behavior to venture performance. Additionally, relative explorative learning significantly moderates the relationship between improvisation and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, demonstrating that entrepreneurs benefit more from improvisation when they actively pursue new knowledge, experiment with unfamiliar approaches, and challenge routine assumptions. This moderating role clarifies when improvisation produces its strongest effects, while the mediating mechanism explains how performance improvements materialize through confidence-building processes. By integrating these mechanisms into a unified explanation, the study advances understanding of the improvisation–performance relationship and highlights the importance of learning-oriented behavior in converting spontaneous action into sustained entrepreneurial advantage. The findings offer theoretical contributions and actionable insights for entrepreneurs seeking to strengthen adaptability, resilience, and competitiveness in fast-changing environments. Full article

This study examines how digital transformational leadership (DTL) drives superior and enduring organizational performance through the mediating roles of organizational agility (OA) and digital transformation (DT) while assessing the contingent moderating role of digital culture (DC). Anchored in the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study conceptualizes DTL as a strategic intangible capability that enables the orchestration of digital and agile resources into sustained performance outcomes in digitally turbulent environments. Data were collected from 284 senior and middle managers across 13 Palestinian commercial banks—a highly regulated sector undergoing intensive digital pressure in an emerging-economy context—using an online survey. The proposed relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The results reveal that DTL significantly enhances both OA and DT, which in turn contribute positively to organizational performance. OA and DT operate as both independent and sequential mediators, uncovering a multistage capability-building pathway through which leadership fosters long-term adaptability and resilience. The findings further indicate that digital culture conditions the effectiveness of leadership-driven transformation, shaping how digital initiatives consolidate into enduring organizational routines rather than short-term efficiency gains. By reframing sustainable transformation as the continuity of organizational performance through agility, digital renewal, and cultural alignment—rather than as an ESG outcome alone—this study refines RBV boundary conditions in digital contexts. The study contributes theoretically by clarifying how leadership-enabled capabilities generate sustainable competitive advantage and offers actionable managerial insights for cultivating agility, embedding digital transformation, and strengthening cultural readiness to support long-term organizational resilience. Full article

Firms globally are transforming digitally to enhance performance through building differentiated organizational capabilities within their digital ecosystem to maximize value. Drawing from the dynamic capability theory, this study aims to investigate the sources of sustainable competitive advantage, based on data from the UAE, by examining the impact of strategic orientations on firms’ survival through integrated strategic capabilities, adaptive marketing capability, and market ambidexterity. The choice of the UAE was based on two rational reasons. First, the adoption of new technologies is excelling in the UAE’s competitive environment especially AI, cloud, and data solutions across services industries, e.g., ICT, Telecom, Aviation, etc. Second, the government drives the digital economy to enhance the country’s positioning globally. Following a quantitative approach with a sample size of 185 service firms operating in the UAE, the study identifies how strategic orientations enable service firms’ long-term survival. Moreover, it assesses the moderating role of digital transformation between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage through integrated strategic capabilities. Thus, it provides a better understanding of the dynamic capabilities of firms transforming digitally. The study revealed that strategic orientations positively enable the development of integrated strategic capabilities. The latter mediate significantly between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage. It confirms that digital transformation is strengthening the relationship between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage through the integrated strategic capabilities. The study contributes to evolving new forms of integrated strategic capabilities as sources for sustainable competitive advantage. It confirms the adaptive marketing capability and market ambidexterity integration and thus enriches the dynamic capability theory and ambidexterity theory body of knowledge. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s economic transformation and the transition towards sustainable industrial systems, optimizing ownership structures to enhance the resilience and bargaining power of manufacturing suppliers has become crucial for building sustainable supply chains. This study empirically examines the impact of ownership concentration on supplier bargaining power using data from manufacturing companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share markets from 2008 to 2022, integrating insights from principal-agent theory and industrial dynamics within a sustainability-oriented framework. The findings reveal: (1) Ownership concentration significantly strengthens the bargaining power of supplier enterprises, contributing to more stable and equitable supply chain relationships. (2) R&D investment plays a partial mediating role between ownership concentration and supplier bargaining power, suggesting that innovation efforts—often aligned with green and sustainable technologies—can reshape dependency dynamics. (3) Industry competitiveness negatively moderates the relationship between ownership concentration and supplier bargaining power, indicating that intense competition may undermine the governance advantages of concentrated ownership in sustainable value creation. (4) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive effect of ownership concentration is more pronounced in central and western regions, state-owned enterprises, and large firms, highlighting contextual factors in achieving sustainable supply chain governance. Full article

This study investigates how financial constraints influence environmental innovation and how such innovation contributes to business sustainability and competitive advantage. Existing research has primarily examined financial constraints in isolation, leaving a gap in understanding how firms can transform financial challenges into a strategic opportunity through environmental innovation. Drawing on data from 280 firms across six countries (2012–2024), this study employed a quantitative panel regression approach to test the mediating role of environmental innovation and the moderating effects of management quality and institutional pressures. The analysis revealed that financial constraints significantly hinder environmental innovation, while environmental innovation strongly enhances business sustainability and competitiveness. Furthermore, both management quality and institutional pressures weakened the negative impact of financial constraints, and environmental innovation partially mediates the relationship between financial constraints and business sustainability. The findings demonstrate that firms can achieve sustainability-driven competitive advantage even under financial stress through effective leadership and supportive institutional environments. This study contributes to theory by integrating the Resource-Based View, Institutional Theory, and Stakeholder Theory to explain innovation resilience under constraint. The study offers novel insights into the financial–sustainability interface. Full article

This study examines the role of green information technology capital (GITC) and knowledge source on firms’ green competitive advantage (GCA), with the mediating role of ambidextrous green innovation strategy (AGIS), and the moderating role of technological orientation (TO). Research employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze data gathered from 367 respondents from Chinese manufacturing firms. The results revealed a significant direct effect of GITC and knowledge sources on GCA, whereas AGIS partially mediated the relationships. Moreover, TO significantly moderates the impact of GITC on AGIS, whereas it does not moderate the relationship between knowledge sources and AGIS. fsQCA results revealed that a varied combination of GITC, knowledge sources, and AGIS dimensions, along with TO, can lead to high GCA. This study advances the literature by offering insightful perspectives on enhancing GCA by leveraging organizational resources to stimulate AGIS. Full article

As the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development gains popularity, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have come to acknowledge green product innovation (GPI) as essential to sustaining competitive advantage, embedding it within their strategic frameworks. However, most SMEs heavily rely on the continued support of stakeholders, unaware that organisational learning, such as perceived relative advantage (PRA) and innovation capabilities, is the core competitive strategy for achieving green transformation. Drawing on institutional theory and organisational learning theory, this study examines how institutional pressures influence innovation capability and PRA, which in turn drive GPI and corporate reputation. This study analyses data from a survey of 330 Chinese construction SMEs using structural equation modelling. The results show that GPI significantly enhances corporate reputation. Innovation capability and PRA act as mediators in the relationship between institutional pressure and GPI. These findings highlight the importance of organisational learning and explain the critical role of the institutional environment in promoting GPI and thus enhancing corporate reputation. This research provides pathways for SMEs in the construction industry to enhance sustainability while gaining a long-term competitive advantage, contributing to the building of ecological civilisation and a community with a shared future for mankind. Full article

In today’s volatile business environment, securing a sustainable competitive advantage hinges on retaining and effectively managing talent. While talent turnover is inevitable, strategic internal human resource (HR) transfers offer a solution to prevent talent outflow and supplement skill gaps. However, previous models for identifying internal substitutes often focus solely on individual work capabilities, neglecting the critical role of group interactions and collaborative structure. Drawing on social network theory, transactive memory systems, and person–group fit, this study proposes a graph-based analytical approach that models the organization as a complex system. Our methodology provides a holistic framework that integrates both (1) individual capabilities and (2) group-level characteristics (e.g., work-relationship networks and cluster-level similarity) to identify the most suitable substitutes. At the macroscopic level, we use an inductive graph neural network (GraphSAGE) to learn node embeddings from a work relationship network constructed from process event logs and to quantify group-level similarity. At the microscopic level, we compute dynamic collaboration intensity, frequency, and task similarity between employees over time. To validate the approach, we develop four simulation scenarios using an enriched incident management process event log and implement them in a SimPy-based simulator, benchmarking against an existing method that considers only individual factors. Across all scenarios, the proposed dual-factor model significantly outperforms the baseline in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and suitability. This research provides a practical, validated algorithm that supports evidence-based workforce management and more effective internal talent allocation. Full article

Background: The extraordinary disturbances faced by the hotel industry, ranging from worldwide health problems to political instability and climate change, have highlighted the insistent need for more resilient and agile supply chain (SC) systems. This study explored how artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities can generate competitive advantage (CA) through supply chain agility (SCA) and supply chain resilience (SCR) as mediators and competitive pressure (CP) as a moderator. Methods: Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) framework, we suggested and empirically tested the study model. Using data collected from 432 hotel managers and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (SEM-PLS). Results: the results reveal that AI-driven SC can significantly strengthen SCA and SCR. Furthermore, SCA and SCR can act as powerful mediators, and CP can strengthen the tested relationships (the links from AI adoption and CA) as a moderator. Conclusions: The study made several theoretical and practical contributions by integrating AI capabilities into SCR and SCA frameworks in the hotel and tourism context, and by providing practical evidence for professionals aiming to leverage AI-driven SC tools to navigate uncertainty and create sustainable CA. Full article

Uncertainties and changes significantly shape the path of the design process, requiring situation-specific strategies and methods. Literature and practice highlight the implementation of agility as a means for companies to achieve competitive advantages in a dynamic development environment through more robust costumer integration and improved responsiveness. From a design science perspective, a key challenge remains the development of a theoretical model that explains how agility can be operationalized to realize benefits such as enhanced adaptability. Drawing on a literature review and six empirical studies on agile development of mechatronic systems in the German-speaking context, we propose a novel conceptualization of agility. Using systems thinking, we conceptualize agility as a construct and establish its relationship to agility as an attribute. Thus, the article provides a new methodological perspective on agility by explicitly linking its structural elements to established outcome perspectives from multiple domains. This work advances the methodological understanding of agility and identifies future research directions for the development of mechatronic systems, aiming to enrich the theory for its utilization. Full article

Against the backdrop of economic recovery and ongoing market restructuring, China’s hotel industry is undergoing a significant shift from being service-based to becoming strategy-driven and competitive. This study aims to identify the key factors driving hotel competitiveness utilizing a multidimensional quantitative perspective. Based on a structured questionnaire survey administered to hotel managers across provinces and cities in China, primary data was collected from a total of 727 valid responses. As such, exploratory factor analysis, comprising 31 ranked items, and multiple regression analysis were performed using SPSS, identifying four dimensions that significantly affect hotel competitiveness: namely, operational characteristics, service quality, customer satisfaction, and competitive performance. The results show that operational characteristics are the primary determinants of hotel competitiveness. Specifically, sustainable development strategy, digital technology adoption, product and service innovation, and pricing strategies were the most significant factors leading to competitive advantage. Unlike previous studies that emphasized service quality and customer satisfaction as the dominant drivers of competitiveness, this study finds that a hotel’s competitive advantage relies heavily on developing strategic operational innovation and resource allocation capabilities. This study’s novelty lies in its use of national empirical data to validate the multidimensional composition and inherent logical relationships for competitive advantage. It also proposes a multidimensional framework for analyzing hotel competitiveness, specifically designed for the developmental characteristics of China’s hotel industry, highlighting the need to transform from a service-oriented to a strategy-driven operational approach. The findings of this paper offer empirical evidence for hotel enterprises to refine management structures, foster innovation, and thereby develop strong capabilities for a sustainable competitive advantage. Full article

The expansion of digital technologies has led to a digital transformation of the economy and society. E-commerce, driven by new digital technologies and the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, has increased its share in the overall trade of goods and services, influencing economic growth. This article examines the impact of emerging digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing (CC) on the e-commerce sector. Within this study, we explore the digital transformation of the EU economy, focusing on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing (CC) on e-commerce development and sustainable economic performance (GDP). The methodology employs a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network to model the non-linear, predictive relationship between digital adoption and e-commerce. Subsequently, hierarchical cluster analysis groups countries by digital maturity. The findings confirm that digital adoption is a significant and non-linear predictor of e-commerce, while the clustering reveals a pronounced regional heterogeneity in the capacity to translate technology into macro-economic performance. The research results show that by understanding and adopting these technologies, companies in the e-commerce field can gain a competitive advantage and better meet customer requirements and expectations. This adoption can lead to improved personalization of the shopping experience, increased operational efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction, ultimately resulting in better and sustainable economic performance. Full article

This study aims to investigate the impact of strategic drivers, specifically IT & Business Strategy Alignment (IT-BSA), Transglobal Leadership (TL), and Product Innovation (PI), on the adoption of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) and its subsequent effect on Sustainable Performance (SP). A key objective is to examine the moderating role of Risk Management (RM) in the relationship between these drivers and GSCM. This research employs a quantitative methodology, utilizing survey data collected from 216 middle and top Indonesian oil and gas managers. The hypothesized relationships were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that IT-BSA, TL, and PI are significant positive GSCM antecedents. Furthermore, GSCM has a strong, positive impact on SP. The results confirm that RM significantly and positively moderates the influence of all three strategic drivers on GSCM adoption. These findings provide a clear managerial roadmap, highlighting that an active risk management framework is critical for translating internal capabilities into effective sustainability practices, thereby enhancing a firm’s competitive advantage and long-term performance. Full article