Organizational Competitive Advantage Research Articles

Internal core Competencies and Competitive Advantage in Telecommu-nication Industry. A case of Mobile Telecommunication Network Rwanda

In the current demanding economic landscape, organizations must consistently reassess and innovate to stay pertinent in their operational sphere, particularly in highly competitive environments. This study aimed to investigate the influence of internal core competencies on organizational competitive advantage, focusing specifically on MTN Rwanda. Guided by three specific objectives, this research assessed the influence of management qualifications, the perception of innovation, and intellectual capital on the organizational competitive advantage of MTN Rwanda PLC. The study employed a descriptive and correlational research design, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires. Key findings indicated that management capabilities, including education level, experience, training, leadership, and decision-making skills, significantly influence MTN Rwanda’s competitive advantage, with means ranging from 3.17 to 3.85 and standard deviations from 0.54 to 0.78. Attitudes towards risk-taking, willingness to adopt new technologies, creativity, problem-solving skills, culture of innovation, and implementation of innovative ideas are crucial factors in MTN Rwanda’s competitive advantage, with mean scores ranging from 4.45 to 4.48 and low standard deviations of 0.70 to 0.71. Intellectual capital, encompassing human, structural, and relational capital, plays a key role in MTN Rwanda’s competitive advantage, with means ranging from 4.55 to 4.58 and standard deviations from 0.63 to 0.64. An ANOVA test revealed a significant difference in competitive advantage between groups (F(0.12) = 474.605, p = .000). Additionally, strong positive correlations were found between management capabilities and competitive advantage (rs = .752, p = .000), innovation capacity and competitive advantage (rs = .904, p = .000), and intellectual capital and competitive advantage (rs = .876, p = .000). The findings emphasize the critical role of internal core competencies in driving competitive advantage. Management capabilities, a proactive approach to risk-taking, innovation, and leveraging intellectual capital are pivotal in shaping MTN Rwanda’s competitive position in the telecommunication industry. Internal core competencies, including management capabilities, innovation, and intellectual capital, significantly influence MTN Rwanda’s competitive advantage. It is recommended that the company prioritize education, training, leadership, risk-taking, and technology adoption while fostering a culture of innovation and leveraging intellectual capital.

Exploring the Role of HR Analytics in Enhancing Talent Acquisition Strategies

Hiring and selecting the right candidate is a critical business process in today’s cutthroat competition. HR Analytics, also known as Human Resource Analytics, provides unique insights into talent acquisition and helps organisations to improve their strategies based on fact. This research paper aims to establish the use of the HR Analytics in improving the talent acquisition practices since this will help in identifying the different candidates sourcing, screening, selection, and onboarding processes. In doing so, the work employs the study of different techniques of HR Analytics including but not limited to the predictive analytics, data mining, and talent market analysis with the main view of understanding how different techniques can be used to give the organizations competitive advantage in talent management and attraction. The research will focus on a few real-world solutions such as the use of HR Analytics for social media talent acquisition, the use of prediction models for screening and the use of data analytics for selection. Also, the paper will discuss the problems and drawbacks that may be encountered while adopting HR Analytics in recruiting. In it, we will highlight the data quality issue, the privacy issue, and the need that HR professionals must have skills and knowledge to use the HR Analytics tools. Lastly, this research aims at contributing to the existing body of knowledge that seeks to help organizations that aim at increasing on their Strategic Human Resources Management Talent Acquisition approach based on the design and use of HR Analytics. Day by day organizations are becoming more rational and by using this technique organizations can arrive to better decisions about employer branding and, consequently, about attracting and retaining the best talent in today’s job market.

Effect of E-Recruitment on Employee Performance: A Case of Kajiado County Government

Purpose: The widespread use of information systems in a variety of activities and departments for organizational competitive advantage and success has been aided by businesses' widespread acceptance of technology. Despite this, the Kajiado county government has been facing inadequate service delivery, which is exacerbated by personnel performance that falls short of deadlines or timeframes in reaching targets. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of e-recruitment on employee performance in Kenya's Kajiado County Government. The technological acceptability model supported the study. Methodology: This study utilized a descriptive research design. A total of 1689 employees, including supervisors and unionized workers, were part of the study's target demographic. A sample size of 313 was chosen by stratified random sampling. Questionnaires were used to compile data. Quantitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis, while qualitative data was analyzed using statistical analysis. The data was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Regression of coefficients showed that e-recruitment had a positive and significant effect on employee performance in Kajiado county (β=0.287, p=0.000). Conclusion: The study concluded that e-recruitment had a positive and significant effect on employee performance in Kajiado County. The government of Kenya should encourage all the counties to embrace the e-recruitment process. This is because e-recruitment minimizes paperwork recruitment and also minimizes costs. Counties should also use digital databases for their employees to minimize forgery and also for easier tracking of the applicants.

STRATEGIC VIGILANCE: AN EFFECTIVE MECHANISM IN ENHANCING SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE - A STUDY OF A SAMPLE OF ALGERIAN INSTITUTIONS

Purpose: This article addresses the role of strategic vigilance in building and enhancing competitive advantage and sustainability in organizations; In order to monitor its external environment and predict future changes to strategic decision-making and achieving its objectives, the article aims to research the reality of the implementation of strategic vigilance and its role in sustaining the competitive advantage in the organization. Methodology: A comprehensive review of the literature and the analysis of studies that dealt with the subject of strategic vigilance and competitive advantage, and the analytical descriptive approach to familiarity with the subject, and the SPSS statistical program were used, by studying a sample of Algerian institutions. Results: The results indicate the need to adopt the strategic vigilance system to monitor and analyse strategic information to exploit opportunities and confront threats, and that achieving sustainable competitive advantage is an important strategic direction for organizations that seek leadership and success, which are achieved through knowledge and capabilities of human resources. Practical Implication: The study proposes several practical measures for the decision-makers in the institutions, through which it can enhance the competitive advantages of it, including the creation of an independent structure that performs the function of strategic vigilance in the organization, and the attention to the external environment of the institution by following all the transformations in it. To study it, then adapt and coexist with it, as well as the continuous encouragement of individuals to be creative and to provide the appropriate conditions that allow the establishment of continuous competitive advantages for the institution. The recommendations aim to create a suitable environment for activating the strategic vigilance system. Originality/Value: This article contributes to highlighting the growing need to adopt a strategic vigilance system that maintains an institution's position and contributes to its competitiveness, in addition to revealing the level or indicators of the practice of strategic vigilance, and guidance. The attention of decision-makers in Algerian institutions is the importance of investing in building a strategic vigilance system as ways to build sustainable competitive advantages.

The impact of AI-enabled CRM systems on organizational competitive advantage: A mixed-method approach using BERTopic and PLS-SEM

The recent advances in machine learning and deep learning algorithms, along with the advent of generative AI, have led AI to become the “new normal” in organizations. This trend has extended to CRM, resulting in the development of AI-enabled CRM systems, or AI-CRM. Despite the growing adoption of AI as part of competitive strategies, many firms report minimal or no positive effect of AI on performance. This study addresses the research questions: “What are the critical features of AI-CRM systems?” and “How do these features impact organizational competitive advantage?” To explore this, we aim to identify key characteristics of AI-CRM and assess their impact on organizational performance. In Study 1, we utilize BERTopic topic modeling to extract critical features of AI-CRM from user reviews. Study 2 employs PLS-SEM to examine how these features influence organizational competitive advantage. Study 1 reveals four main characteristics of AI-CRM (general, marketing, sales, and service/support), each comprising distinct features. Study 2 shows that these characteristics differentially impact CRM capability, significantly affecting performance and competitive advantage. The findings offer valuable insights for both theory and practice regarding the effective use of AI in organizations.

Integrating agile methodologies into data governance: Achieving flexibility and control simultaneously

This review paper explores integrating agile methodologies into data governance to achieve flexibility and control. Agile methodologies, known for their iterative development, collaboration, and responsiveness to change, can enhance the adaptability of data governance frameworks. This paper analyzes the alignment of agile principles with data governance, discusses strategies for integration, such as adaptive data governance and incremental implementation, and examines how to balance flexibility with the necessary controls for effective data governance. Key practices, challenges, and potential solutions focus on fostering a collaborative culture and leveraging appropriate tools and technologies. The paper also suggests future research directions, emphasizing the role of emerging technologies and evolving regulatory requirements. Ultimately, this integration enhances decision-making, operational efficiency, and organizational competitive advantage.

Relationship between Leadership, Intangible and Tangible Resources, and Sustained Competitive Advantage in selected Adventist institutions in Zimbabwe

Abstract We investigated the effects of leadership and tangible and intangible resources on sustainable competitive advantage. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Seventh-day Adventist Church Institutions in Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was administered to 341 respondents. The results of the correlation analysis show that leadership (r = .57; p<.01), tangible resources (r =. 53; p< .0l), and intangible resources (r =. 43; p< .05) significantly correlate with sustainable competitive advantage. Furthermore, the regression analysis showed that all three variables combined had a significant effect on sustainable competitive advantage (adjusted R-square = .359) (F (3, 327) =62.61, p<0.05). Additionally, the analysis shows that leadership (β = .370; p < 0.05) and tangible resources (β = .273; p < 0.05) contributed the most to the institutions’ sustainable competitive advantage. However intangible resources, singly, do not significantly affect the competitive advantage. The results confirm the key role of leadership in creating a competitive advantage in organizations. Thus, the study highlights that without leaders’ willingness and effective engagement, those institutions cannot effectively compete in the marketplace despite the presence of resources.

The role of organizational culture and structure in implementing sustainability initiatives

AbstractTo address the multiple grand challenges facing humanity, there is an urgent need for businesses to become more sustainable. This study explores the implementation of sustainability initiatives through an interview‐based single case study of an organization in the food and beverage industry. Specifically, this study adopts a Natural‐Resource‐Based View of the firm to examine the role of organizational culture and structure in the implementation process. It argues that to successfully implement sustainability initiatives, a flexible structure and a green organizational culture grounded in a shared sustainability vision are essential. The findings reveal that, despite the in‐practice flat organizational structure of the case organization, there was limited knowledge of the organization's sustainability vision among organizational members across all organizational levels. This could be attributed to a lack of internal communication within the organization, which constitutes a barrier to the successful dissemination of green values throughout the organization's family‐like, inclusive, and diverse work environment. This study proposes a three‐part approach for practitioners attempting to implement sustainability initiatives: (1) enhance organizational awareness and communication of the sustainability vision; (2) cultivate a green organizational culture; and (3) advocate for a collaborative, inclusive and decentralized approach to fostering sustainability. This approach is vital not only for sustaining the organization's competitive advantage but also for achieving improved environmental and social outcomes.

Digital wind of changes: navigating competitiveness in the maritime sector through the transformation in human resource development

PurposeThe maritime industry, a linchpin of global trade, has embarked on a transformative journey catalysed by the relentless advance of digitalisation. There is a discernible gap in the literature concerning the specific consequences of digitalisation within the maritime sector. This research aims to examine the current body of literature on the influence of digitalisation in human resource development (HRD) on the competitive advantage of organisations and its potential within the maritime industry.Design/methodology/approachThis research paper conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis.FindingsThe findings of this research explore the literature landscape encompassing digitalisation in HRD, its influence on HR operations, learning and development, performance management, employee experience and strategic alignment within maritime organisations.Originality/valueThis research provides valuable recommendations for maritime organisations and HRD practitioners seeking to leverage digitalisation to gain a competitive edge. Thus, the maritime industry can adopt digital HRD practices to streamline operations, improve performance and align HR strategies with broader organisational goals.

Unlocking employee flourishing in the hospitality industry: role of high-performance work systems, psychological capital and work passion

PurposeThe present study investigates the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and employee flourishing-at-work (FAW) through psychological capital (PsyCap) and employee work passion (EWP).Design/methodology/approachA three-path serial mediation model was constructed to explore the proposed relationships. The hypotheses were empirically tested using SPSS 25 and AMOS 21.0. The study was conducted in India and included a total of 357 hotel employees as participants.FindingsThe study revealed that PsyCap and EWP were significant independent mediators between HPWS and FAW. Moreover, PsyCap and EWP were identified as serial mediators in the relationship between HPWS and FAW. Additionally, a direct relationship between HPWS and FAW was also found.Practical implicationsImplementing HPWS in hospitality organizations can foster PsyCap of the employees and foster EWP among their workforce. This approach not only increases the organization's competitive advantage but also enhances employees' holistic well-being, i.e. FAW.Originality/valueThis study marks a pioneering effort to establish a distinct relationship between HPWS and FAW. Moreover, the study introduces an innovative approach by employing EWP to delve into the influence of both HPWS and PsyCap on FAW.

Big Data's Future Potential as an Innovation in Competitive Advantage and Decision-Making Techniques

This research highlights the challenges of big data integration in organisational decision-making processes, illustrating the gap between big data capabilities and their effective utilisation. An analytical descriptive qualitative method was used to study the use of big data in supporting sustainable innovation and competitive advantage of organisations in Indonesia. The results show that big data can improve the effectiveness of decision-making strategies by understanding market trends and consumer behaviour, which contributes to improving organisational performance and competitive advantage. These results are expected to contribute to the strategic management and innovation literature and encourage business practices in designing effective big data strategies to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Keywords: Big Data; Technological Innovation; Strategic Decision Making; Competitive Advantage; Sustainable Innovation

Empowerment of Islamic-Based Human Resources in Increasing Organizational Competitive Advantage; A Strategic Management Approach

The aim to be achieved in this research is to find out what is related to empowering human resources to increase competitive advantage in an organization. The method used in this research is qualitative by conducting various interviews with several informants. The results of this research show that the human resource management cycle with the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle contains four parts, including planning, implementation, evaluation and follow-up. According to past views, HR empowerment aimed at competitive advantage is something valid where in the modern era humans are required to be able to think and develop in a better direction

Corporate sustainability and performance: a bibliometric review for two decades

PurposeOver the past years, business strategies have been designed to improve ‘firms' financial and non-financial performances and achieve sustainable development, leading to corporate sustainability. This article is a bibliometric analysis of two decades of the relationship between corporate sustainability and firm performance, identifying the research focus and the gaps for future research.Design/methodology/approachThe bibliometric review of corporate sustainability and performance research is between January 2004 and June 2023. As per the Web of Science database, the theme's research commenced around 2004, growing gradually till 2023. Five hundred thirty-nine published articles by peer-reviewed ABDC-indexed A and A* journals in English have been reviewed. The bibliometrix package in R software is used with VOSviewer for the bibliometric analysis.FindingsThe study's findings indicate a lack of research on the theme from developed and underdeveloped nations. Further, the analysis reveals five clusters of research: (1) business sustainability, (2) corporate sustainability reporting, (3) corporate sustainability, strategy, and innovation, (4) stakeholder and corporate sustainability, and e) corporate sustainability assessment.Originality/valueThe future research areas proposed are on two major themes, namely, corporate sustainability and organizational competitive advantage, including sub-themes such as “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and financial performance” and “greenhouse-gas emissions” and “market orientations,” respectively. There is a need for more research in developing markets, a comprehensive definition of corporate sustainability, and further exploration of the theme linking strategy and innovation.

The Role of Strategic Planning and Productivity in Predicting Competitive Advantage

Studies have been conducted to determine the nature of the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage, with some studies presenting that strategic planning has an impact on the organisation's competitive advantage, while other studies present that strategic planning has no impact on competitive advantage. Therefore, this research was conducted to settle this existing inconclusive debate by including a contingency variable as a mediator of this relationship using data collected from management employees of TAZARA. The research study contributes to the literature by determining the mediating effect of productivity on the relationship between strategic planning (SP) and competitive advantage. Reliability, model fit and validity were tested using factor analysis, principal component analysis and regression analysis using Jamovi software. The results of the study show that there is a positive significant relationship between strategic planning (SP) and competitive advantage, and also between productivity and competitive advantage. Productivity was found to partially mediate the relationship between strategic planning and competitive advantage. The results of this study would help decision makers to focus more on productivity when implementing strategic planning in order to survive this tense, fierce competition of the 21st century. Replication of this study in other industries is recommended. Future studies should also include other moderating and/or mediating variables.

A Features Based Machine Learning Prediction Model for Sentiment Analysis on Social Media

Sentiment analysis is discovering the current ideology opinion of a group of people and their thoughts. The Sentiment analysis based onthe natural reaction of people on social media platform to reflect their mantel status and state. The main poupose of sentiment analysis is to dealing with society's environment and its impact effects towards the media world and surrounding environment. However, this is the key task of understanding every part of the world. The evolution of feeling simulates the sentiment behaviours to shows different direction of reactions and feeling across time. It can help users obtain a more advanced and detailed understanding of the views and attitudes represented in the content provided by users. The development of social media platforms, such as journals, forums, blogs, micro-blogs, Twitter, and social networks, has fostered sentiment analysis. Competitive advantages for organizations are collecting corporate social media and implementing machine learning algorithms to get valuable insights. In this study, our tasks are to show Bag of Words (BoW) and Term-Frequency-Inverse-Document-Frequency (tf_idf) feature-based machine learning prediction models that can help with sentiment analysis and figure out what their customers need and want from company items. Market research is perhaps the most important field for sentiment analysis applications, aside from brand perception and customer opinion surveys and feedbacks. This study results analysis shows the crucial way of classifying social media tweets feedback into positive or negative categories via using the classifier as a baseline to demonstrate in what manner comments are important based on features for any business model and their result.

Sustainable Management Practices: Green Marketing as A Source for Organizational Competitive Advantage

Objective: The objective of this research was to analyze the contributions of green marketing as a source of competitive advantage for organizations. Methodology: The research adopted the systematic review methodology, following the PRISMA guidelines, to analyze articles on sustainable management practices, green marketing and competitive advantage. Search platforms such as Google Acadêmico and Scielo were used, with inclusion criteria for scientific articles in Portuguese published between 2018 and 2023. Exclusion criteria were applied to discard non-pertinent works, resulting in the selection of 7 articles. Results and data analysis: As a result, it was possible to see that the systematic review highlighted green marketing as a source of competitive advantage for organizations, by integrating environmental concerns into market strategies. This enables differentiation, operational efficiency, and more sustainable production processes. In addition, the adoption of sustainable practices attracts consumers engaged with sustainability, increasing the profitability of production models. Certifications such as ISO 14001 demonstrate a commitment to sustainability, giving competitive advantage. Thus, green marketing favors the company's image and, at the same time, engages consumers in sustainable practices, contributing to the positioning of the organization in the market as a socio-environmentally responsible company. Conclusion: It is concluded, therefore, that green marketing not only improves the competitiveness of companies, but also fosters a culture of sustainability and preservation of natural resources, representing a significant contribution to organization, society and the environment.

The consequences of dishonesty—A mediation‐moderation praxis of greenwashing, tourists' green trust, and word‐of‐mouth: The role of connectedness to nature

AbstractThe relationship between greenwashing and visitors' green behavior remains an under‐researched topic in the tourism and hospitality literature, despite evidence of the harmful effect of greenwashing on the reputation and competitive advantage of organizations. This study extends attribution theory into the green context to develop a research framework for investigating the interrelationship between greenwashing, green trust, and green word‐of‐mouth (WOM), especially the roles of green trust and connectedness to nature. We conducted a survey of 289 visitors staying in four‐ and five‐star hotels in Vietnam. The findings indicated that hotels should avoid greenwashing due to its negative impact on visitors' green trust and green WOM. Moreover, the study found that greenwashing had an indirect and negative influence on green WOM based on visitors' green trust. Importantly, the research revealed the value of connectedness in moderating green attitudes and behaviors among visitors.

Do Internal Capabilities Affect Competitive Advantage? The Case of a Regional Owned Company

AbstractThis research aims to get an overview of the factors affecting organizational competitive advantage and to obtain insights into the most influential factors concerning organizational competitive advantage. This research used the Integrated Talent Management Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9, Employee Satisfaction Scale, Employee Performance Scale, and Competitive Advantage Scale. This research followed a quantitative approach. Then the data used in this research was primary data. The researchers gathered data without intervention. This research followed the variance-based structural equation modeling with partial least squares (SEM-PLS) and used SMART PLS as a tool. This research collected 108 types of data by distributing surveys and using the Likert scale. The sampling method in this research was done through non-random sampling and purposive sampling. The questionnaires were distributed to a Jakarta regional owned enterprise. This research found that employee engagement has no impact on employee satisfaction or employee performance in a regional owned company, and employee satisfaction has no impact on competitive advantage in a regional owned company. Keywords:organization, competitiveness, advantage, factors

The impact of multiple sources of employees’ capital on judgments regarding potential for career advancement

PurposeThe human resource and talent management fields have been increasingly focusing on the process and criteria to identify employees’ potential for career advancement due to their impact on the competitive advantage of organizations. This paper expands the extant theoretical and empirical evidence regarding these complex decisions, namely through the combined analysis of multidimensional sources of employees' capital.Design/methodology/approachThis is a cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 384 individuals assessed by their line managers. The research model and hypotheses were tested using structured equation modeling.FindingsThe results show a positive and significant influence of four employees’ capital sources, namely: human capital (what you know), social capital (whom you know), psychological capital (who you are) and reputational capital (how others perceive us) with regard to judgments of potential for career advancement. The model explains 52% of the total variance in those judgments.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected using a questionnaire at a single point in time and thus, not allowing cause-effect inferences.Practical implicationsThe results provide guidance to organizational leaders to improve the decision-making process regarding judgments of potential for career advancement.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this is the first study to examine managers’ judgments regarding the potential for career advancement using four sources of employees' capital: human, social, psychological and reputational capital. Furthermore, it considers that reputation plays a mediation role.

Not a single path to success: alternative HRM configurations for well-performing small and medium-sized hotels

PurposePrevious literature has identified human resources as a key source of competitive advantage in organizations of all sizes. However, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) face difficulty in comprehensively implementing all recommended Human Resource Management (HRM) functions. In this study, we shed light on the field of HRM in SMEs by focusing on the context of Greek Small and Medium-sized Hotels (SMHs), which represent a dominant private sector employer across the country.Design/methodology/approachUsing a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and 34 in-depth interviews with SMHs' owners/managers, we explore the HRM conditions leading to high levels of performance, while taking into consideration the influence of internal key determinants.FindingsWe uncover three alternative successful HRM strategies that maximize business performance, namely the Compensation-based performers, the HRM developers and the HRM investors. Each strategy fits discreet organizational characteristics related to company size, ownership type and organizational structure.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge this is among the first empirical studies that examine different and equifinal performance-enhancing configurations of HRM practices in SMHs.