Search Results (18)

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

This study investigates the role of Modern Management Accounting (MMA)—which integrates Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) and Strategic Customer Knowledge (SCK)—in driving Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) and Business Sustainability (BS) in Thai green hotels. Business Sustainability is conceptualized as the achievement of balanced outcomes across economic performance, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. It addresses a theoretical debate by testing two competing SCA models: a disaggregated model (which separates SCA into Customer Experience Advantage (CEA) and Operational Efficiency Advantage (OEA)) and a holistic model (which treats SCA as a unified construct). Data from 115 certified green hotels were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed a critical distinction between the models. In the disaggregated model, SMA and SCK contributed to both CEA and OEA, but only OEA directly enhanced BS and served as a partial mediator in the relationships from both SMA and SCK to BS, whereas CEA showed no significant mediating effects. Conversely, the holistic model demonstrated that overall SCA served as a partial mediator in the relationships from both SMA and SCK to BS, while also exerting a strong direct effect on BS. The study concludes that achieving business sustainability requires a holistic SCA that integrates both operational efficiency and customer experience, offering a comprehensive framework for strategic management in the hotel industry. These findings underscore the strategic imperative for hotel managers to cultivate an integrated competitive advantage, where superior customer experiences and operational excellence are synergistically managed, to ensure long-term business sustainability. Full article

A significant portion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are usually allocated to the construction sector, which plays a vital role in many economies. SMEs currently face serious concerns regarding the pursuit of sustainability. Limited financial resources (FRs) frequently prevent SMEs from implementing sustainable practices. Therefore, these enterprises should mitigate expenses to invest in environmentally friendly initiatives. Enhancing resources and developing ways to accelerate Turkish SMEs’ shift toward sustainability is vital. Moreover, adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and green innovation strategies (GISs) can boost sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) and lead them to success. This study utilized the natural resource-based view theory (NRBV), developed to compensate for the RBV’s shortcomings by incorporating the natural environment into the RBV’s framework. This study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the causal effect between the study variables based on the responses received from 228 executives within SMEs in Turkey’s construction sector. The findings of this study reveal that FRs significantly impact the SCA among SMEs, while GIS serves as a mediator in the relationship. Additionally, the moderating impact of AI adoption promotes sustainability development in this industry. This study is significant because it contributes to the body of knowledge regarding the relationship between the study’s constructs that align with Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), presented by the United Nations in 2015. This goal promotes robust infrastructure, encourages sustainable and inclusive industrialization, and stimulates innovation in the SME construction industry. Although these variables have been studied individually in previous studies, this study integrates them into a thorough framework that emphasizes the function of GIS as a mediator in the relationship between FRs and SCA, and the interaction effect of AI adoption. This study offers useful information to managers, stakeholders, politicians, and SME leaders, enabling them to make well-informed decisions about sustainable practices. Full article

Global supply chains are facing many changes after the COVID-19 pandemic. This change impacts the way each supply chain measures its key performance indicators and determinants for its competitiveness. Aquaculture supply chains (SCA) play an essential role in global trading and fluctuated significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic when many aquaculture supply chains from emerging countries faced disruption. Therefore, after the COVID-19 pandemic, these supply chains have changed their measures and determinants to improve global competitiveness. This paper examines the change in this measure and determinants of the aquaculture supply chain in Vietnam, one of the world’s top 10 biggest exporting countries of aquaculture products. The paper reviews the list of measures and determinants of the aquaculture supply chain before and after the COVID-19 pandemic from the literature. It forms the framework under the shade of Resource-Based View theory. A total of 38 interviews with managers and CEOs of 36 enterprises and two government agencies in the aquaculture supply chain in Vietnam were conducted to explore the strategic changes in the measures of determinants to cope with the new circumstances of current global trade. The findings contribute to enriching the theory in the new VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) business environment after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, SCA should be defined by supply chain virtues that are associated with the new business environment, such as SC resilience, SC sustainability, SC reliability, SC integration, etc. This finding implies a new horizon for RBV applications, highlighting their adaptability. It suggests that the measures defining competitive advantage in the new business environment should extend beyond the traditional tangible and intangible resources under business certainty. They should also encompass those that differentiate the firms and their supply chain during business turbulence. Full article

Amidst rapid technological progress and increasing regulatory demands, the Chinese video game industry has undergone rapid changes that have provided a fruitful context for examining corporate competencies. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capability View (DCV) theories, this study investigates how firm capabilities (FC) and firm resources (FR) contribute to value creation (VC), which subsequently influences firm performance (FP) and sustainable competitive advantage (SCA). A quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing the data collected from a questionnaire survey of 241 video game firms. The data analysis was conducted using SmartPLS4 software, revealing that FC/FR has a significant effect on VC, which, in turn, mediates the relationship between FC/FR and FP. This study identifies three dimensions of VC—customer value (CV), employee value (EV), and shareholder value (SV)—with EV showing stronger mediating effects than CV and SV. It then uses the BSC framework to assess FP’s intermediary role in bridging VC with SCA through the integration of both financial and non-financial performance indicators relevant to the dynamic video game industry. These results have strong theoretical and practical implications, offering valuable guidance for fostering sustainable development. Specifically, they provide actionable insights for managers to enhance value creation and firm performance while also offering policy recommendations to support regulatory compliance and promote sustainable practices in China’s dynamic video game industry. Full article

This study explores the influence of digital leadership (DL) on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in tourism and hospitality businesses, focusing on green absorptive capability (GAC) and eco-innovation (EI) as mediators. This study focused on middle-line management in travel agencies and hotels in Saudi Arabia. A total of 323 valid responses were collected and analyzed using WarpPLS 7.0, a PLS-SEM analysis tool. DL positively affected SCA, GAC, and EI. In addition, SCA was positively impacted by GAC and EI. Furthermore, this study found that GAC and EI significantly mediated the DL→SCA relationship. This study enhances the Dynamic Capabilities Theory, offering valuable insights for tourism and hospitality managers to utilize digital strategies and environmental initiatives for eco-conscious market competitiveness. Full article

Global environmental concerns necessitate a heightened focus on green practices by businesses to balance sustainability and profitability. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of green ambidexterity (GA), green organizational identity (GOI), and green internal marketing (GIM) on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in travel agencies and hotels. The PLS-SEM approach was used to test the proposed model of the study. In total, 317 valid responses were gathered from full-time middle- and upper-management personnel of travel agencies category A and five-star hotels operating in Egypt. The findings revealed that GA positively impacts GOI, GIM, and SCA. Also, GOI and GIM positively impact SCA. In addition, GOI and GIM mediate the relationship between GA and SCA. The study advanced dynamic capability theory by emphasizing the importance of internal processes in harnessing sustainability-oriented dynamic capabilities. The study recognized the relationship between SCA, GOI, GIM, and GA and provided insightful implications on how businesses might develop and use their sustainability-related strengths. Full article

This study attempts to examine the impact of electronic human resource management (E-HRM) systems on achieving a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in the tourism and hospitality industry by incorporating sustainable innovation (SI) and organizational agility (OA) as mediators. To survive, tourist and hospitality organizations must embrace digital transformation by using E-HRM practices such as digital recruiting, online training, and performance management tools. Organizations may improve their HR departments’ efficiency, effectiveness, and decision making, enhancing the overall organizational performance and preserving a sustainable competitive edge. Middle and first-line management of the five-star hotels and travel agencies in category A operating in Egypt were investigated. A PLS-SEM analysis was performed on 313 valid responses, gathered using WarpPLS 7.0. The findings revealed that E-HRM is positively associated with SCA, SI, and OA. Furthermore, there were positive associations between SI and OA and SCA. SI and OA were also shown to be mediators in the relationship between E-HRM and SCA. The study adds to the existing literature on how E-HRM impacts SI, OA, and SCA. The relationship between these components in hotels and travel agencies has not been the subject of any empirical research. The current study has addressed gaps by empirically analyzing these relationships in the context of Egyptian hotels and travel agencies. It integrates E-HRM, innovation, organizational agility, and competitive advantage within the context of sustainability in tourism and hospitality. Full article

This study examines the impact of innovation at the strategy level on innovation at the process and system levels, which are considered to be forms of function-level innovation, based on the strategy implantation approach. The study also reveals the effect of process and system innovation on the sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) of young firms in Vietnam. The research used primary data from a survey of 289 young firms’ leaders in Vietnam. PLS-SEM using SmartPLS software was employed to assess the ability of the measurement model and structural model to test hypotheses. The findings indicated that the four hypotheses about the effects of strategy innovation on process and system innovation and the effects of process and system innovation on the SCA of young firms in Vietnam were all confirmed. These crucial results fill the research gap of innovation in young firms, especially the gap in the context of developing countries. The current study addresses an important implication for the use of innovation practices in young firms to sustain the firm’s SCA. Accordingly, young firms are able to significantly strengthen their sustainable competitive advantage through innovation practices at both strategy and function levels. Full article

This study aims to develop four conceptual higher order models for assessing the causal relationship between the environmental turbulence (ET), sustainable competitive advantage (SCA), business model innovation (BMI), and sustainable performance (SP) of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The conceptual models were developed through literature review and tested with 91 entrepreneurs and managers from processed marine food product SMEs in Thailand. The higher order models were tested with partial least square structural equation modeling using seminr package in R. The results reveal that SCA mediates the relationship between BMI and SP. Further, the study found a serial mediation effect of BMI and SCA in the relationship between ET and SP. Thus, this study is novel in its approach of using ET as an antecedent and moderator and SCA as a mediator in assessing the relationship between BMI and SP. The study also found that the effects of ET are balanced when the SMEs incorporate BMI, which further leads to the achievement of SCA and SP. Thus, the findings extend an increasingly complex literature in the assessment of SCA’s role in SMEs’ SP. Further, the scale and the models can be used to assess how the SMEs respond to ET and modify their BMI to attain SCA and SP. Full article

In this study, we have examined talent management practices’ impact on achieving sustainable competitive advantage in five-star hotels located in the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) as well as the mediating effect of employee satisfaction. After the questionnaire was tested for validity and reliability, we used bootstrapping, Mplus and SPSS to conduct an analysis using data from 368 employees from 14 five-star hotels located in North Cyprus. The study’s hypotheses were verified through SEM (structural equation modelling). Our results revealed that talent development practices had no effect on the hotels’ SCA, whereas talent practices (identify, engage, manage performance and retain) had a significant and beneficial influence on the hotels’ SCA. Although in most hotels, talent management practices are the responsibility of the human resource management. The measured constructs specifically were employee responses. The findings of this study provide benefits for numerous stakeholders, including hotel and hospitality service industries and the government. Results can be used as a guideline for building more appealing workplaces for employees and to inform the management on how to encourage employees to be committed to a sustainable service in the hotel business. To acquire a better grasp of the organisational limits of talent management policies, it is crucial to further examine the perspectives of employers who may include hotel owners or top managers. Furthermore, future research may expand the sample and include three- and four-star hotels as well. Full article

The higher education sector faces considerable competition around the world. Accordingly, universities need to make more efforts to increase their competitive advantages. This study aimed to empirically investigate the effect of organizational innovation (OI), knowledge management (KM), and strategic human resource management (SHRM), with a dependent variable of sustainable competitive advantages (SCAs), at Jordanian Universities. For this aim, a specially designed questionnaire has been distributed to study a convenience sample of 400 academic and administrative staff at Jordanian private and public universities, to obtain the required quantitative data. The study’s hypotheses were verified by Baron and Kenny’s mediation regression approach using the software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results of the study demonstrate that there is a significant positive relationship between the following pairs of variables: KM and SCA; SHRM and SCA; SHRM and OI; KM and OI; and OI and SCA, whereas OI was found to have a partial and indirect significant mediation impact on the direct relationship between KM and SHRM and universities (organizations) gaining SCAs. Finally, it was concluded that more attention needs to be paid to the OI aspect in organizations and to integrate it with KM and SHRM in a way that promotes SCAs. In addition, we propose that similar studies should be conducted in industries other than education or the education sector in different countries in a way that obtains generalized and representative results. Full article

This study aims to investigate the impact of strategic agility on the relationship between Human Resources Management (HRM) strategies and Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA). A total of 227 large and medium-sized manufacturing companies were surveyed and studied. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), this study found a positive and direct impact of HRM strategies on SCA. The study revealed a mediating effect of strategic agility on the relationship between HRM strategies and SCA. This study provides practical guidance for Yemeni large and medium-sized manufacturing companies to maintain SCA by focusing more on strategic agility in a turbulent business environment. Full article

Gaining a competitive advantage assumes that a company should build a unique position, but this concept is related to a relatively stable environment. However, it is difficult to predict the consequences of the enterprises’ changes, leading to changes both in the business and natural environment. Therefore, this study’s authors asked a research question: Is it possible to restore a balance between durability and variability of the organization in terms of strategy? The answer to such a question was drawn upon the literature review and survey research. This paper presents a qualitative and quantitative model of competitive advantage in a changing business environment. This article uses an inductive inference method supported by a literature study and a deduction method supported by statistical calculations, based on a survey conducted among 150 Polish companies in different economic sectors. As a result of the research methods, a dualistic competitive advantage model in a changing environment was proposed and discussed. The article’s aim was achieved in the model combining a sustainable (SCA) and temporary competitive advantage (TCA). Understanding the conditions for gaining competitive advantage allowed to formulate general conditions under which sustainable strategic management can be built to consider sustainability objectives and contribute to the green economy. This research has confirmed that building a competitive advantage in unstable conditions requires finding a balance between implementing the planned development strategy and using new opportunities. Full article

Big data analytics (BDA) is one of the main pillars of Industry 4.0. It has become a promising tool for supporting the competitive advantages of firms by enhancing data-driven performance. Meanwhile, the scarcity of resources on a worldwide level has forced firms to consider sustainable-based performance as a critical issue. Additionally, the literature confirms that BDA and innovation can enhance firms’ performance, leading to competitive advantage. However, there is a lack of studies that examine whether or not BDA and innovation alone can sustain a firm’s competitive advantage. Drawing on previous studies and dynamic capability theory, this study proposes that big data analytics capabilities (BDAC), supported by a high level of data availability (DA), can improve innovation capabilities (IC) and, hence, lead to the development of a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA). This study examines the proposed hypotheses by surveying 117 manufacturing firms and analyzing responses via partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) statistical software. Findings reveal that BDAC relies significantly on the degree of DA and has a significant role in increasing IC. Furthermore, the analysis confirms that IC has a significant and direct effect on a firm’s SCA, while BDAC has no direct effect on SCA. This study provides valuable insights for manufacturing firms to improve their sustainable business performance and theoretical and practical insights into BDA implementation issues in attaining sustainability in processes. Full article