Source Of Sustainable Competitive Advantage Research Articles

The Resource-Based View and Learning Theory: Overlaps, Differences, and a Shared Future

The resource-based view and learning theory have developed independently but still have important areas of theoretical overlap, especially in central assumptions, such as how organizational differences, path dependence, and complex social technologies shape strategy. In addition, they have divergent and complementary theory, with major differences stemming from organizational learning focusing on behaviors rather than resources and organizing its research based on the sources of learning and the triggers of learning. Two research streams in organizational learning with particular implications for the resource-based view are the work on problemistic search and the work on interorganizational imitation. Both are expected to develop quickly as a result of the necessary interaction between research based on organizational theory and strategic management. They are promising areas of investigation for the resource-based view of the firm that can help distinguish the sources of sustainable competitive advantage and the importance of enduring competitive advantage.

Developing a measure of climate strategy proactivity displayed to attain competitive advantage

PurposeThis paper aims to develop a scale to measure climate strategy proactivity (CSP) displayed by corporate in developing countries to attain competitive advantage (CA) and sustain it through sources of sustained competitive advantage (SOSCA). It attempts to derive sound operational definitions of CSP, CA and SOSCA through horizontal analysis of previous studies and discussions with experts and practitioners to construct a measurement scale.Design/methodology/approachResearch design includes broad stages, namely, item generation, scale development and assessment of psychometric properties of the scale starting with review of literature and discussions with experts and practitioners, which were followed by a pilot and full study carried out through a cross-sectional, self-administered online survey questionnaire and assessment using suitable tools and techniques.FindingsFindings of the study comprise development of sound operational definitions and construction of a valid and reliable measurement scale of CSP displayed by corporate to attain CA with strong psychometric properties, which is expected to be useful in developing countries not only for researchers and academics but also for the practitioners and organizations.Research limitations/implicationsThe information was self-reported by respondents through climate strategy proactivity questionnaire (CSPQ) and consequently can be at risk to have been influenced by bias. Nonetheless, this CSPQ scale devoid of conceptual problems can be used in developing countries in future empirical studies with the caution that its reliability and validity require further tests.Practical implicationsUsing the CSPQ scale will help managers in developing countries in enhancing their awareness with the provision of these conceptually clear comprehensive operational definitions of CSP, CA and SOSCA with respect to the conceptual nature and the latent expressions, and draw an extensively enhanced scope of climate-conscious strategy to bring about CA.Originality/valueWith the data collected from a sample representing different stakeholders of Indian companies from across the country, CSPQ scale possesses significant robustness and implicative potential which can contribute to the evolution of the strategic management field by providing a valid and reliable measure of CSP in developing countries applicable under any major theoretical perspective in strategic management serving the needs of not only the empirical research but also of the management practices intended to attain CA.

What Determines Innovative Performance of International Joint Ventures? Assessing the Effects of Foreign Managerial Control

International joint ventures (IJVs) have long been considered a vibrant venue for innovation, one source of sustainable competitive advantage. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of research that seeks to understand what determines their innovative performance. We draw attention to and examine the control structure of IJVs as a determinant of innovation. Using the complementary lenses of local embeddedness, the liability of outsidership, and open innovation, we argue that foreign managerial control reduces IJV innovation and that equity ownership balance between foreign and local parent firms and affiliation of IJVs with local market business groups weaken this negative relationship. Using panel data of 48 IJVs in Korea during the periods between 2000 and 2016, we find empirical support for these arguments. This study contributes to the literature by extending our understanding of how to design IJVs for enhancing innovative output and consequently improving their sustainability.

Does employee participation matter? An empirical study on the effects of participation on well-being and organizational performance

Employability, talent and/or motivation of people can be a source of sustainable competitive advantage; difficult for competitors to imitate. The involvement of people, and more specifically employee participation, has been identified as a key management tool to develop this advantage. Traditionally however, the industrial relations and personnel management streams have treated employee participation from different perspectives. Economic insights have guided the former, while how employees respond to the decisions in the workplace form the basis of the latter. Accordingly, three main employee participation practices are widely recognized in the field: employee management or decision-making, profit-sharing and employee share ownership. In this research, the relationship between 3 practices of participation, employee well-being and firm performance was explored in 278 Basque companies. Objective data was obtained for organizational performance measurement and 1503 employee responses were gathered about participation practices and well-being. After controlling company size and sector (manufacturing and services were tested in this study) the results showed a significant relationship between any form of participation and employee well-being. Interestingly, a significant and negative relationship was revealed for the relationship between employee decision-making participation and labor productivity. No statistical relationship was found between financial participation practices and organizational performance. This study, therefore, confirms the relationship between one of the pillars of HR practices and employee well-being, but fails to show that participation is positively related to higher firm performance (or vice versa). New research lines are opened for scientific contributors and important insights offered for managers.

Defining the Term Knowledge Worker: Toward Improved Ontology and Operationalization

Despite the strategic value of organizational knowledge as a source of sustainable competitive advantage, researchers have voiced their concern over the perceived inaccuracy and undue use of the term knowledge worker in scientific articles. In order to ascertain these perceptions and discuss ways of overcoming this difficulty, we analyzed 223 articles from diverse fields of science that address the theme of knowledge worker. Applying the content analysis technique, we analyzed the definitions identified and the professionals considered by researchers as knowledge workers. The analyses identified the difficulties assumed by the researchers. It was observed that the term was used for occupations and professions with different levels of complexity, including those that were mostly operational, as well as the use of the term without a definition in a significant number of the articles (67.7%). The semantic analysis of the set of actions attributed to knowledge workers aided the proposition of additional descriptors to conceptualize the term. The single appearance of the verb exploit in an article in the field of Geography & Transport led us to imagine it being a reference to the exploitation-exploration dyad in accordance with the concepts of the fields of innovation and learning, which was not confirmed. This fact provided insight for a logical proposition: the link between knowledge workers and the mechanism of organizational knowledge exploration and between information workers and the mechanism of exploitation. Inter-text analyses involving concepts from the fields of knowledge management, innovation and learning indicate that these associations are consistent and pertinent.

Conceptualising Competitive Advantage in Coethnic Minority Micro- Businesses

Individual Human Factors (IHFs) are an important source of Sustained Competitive Advantage (SCA). However, little is known how they influence micro-businesses’ ability to achieve SCA because entrepreneurship literature has historically focused on large organisations only with scant attention to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and almost no attention to micro-businesses. We extend the Resource-based View of the firm (RBV) to bridge this research neglect and conceptualise the contribution of IHFs in ethnic minority micro-businesses. Underpinned by semi-structured cross- sectional interviews with founder-, owner-, and employee-managers, we developed the Culture-induced Entrepreneurship Model (CIEM). This model explains that while IHFs play important roles in achieving SCA, they are embedded in and shaped by the coethnic culture. Our study is amongst the first to invoke the RBV framework to conceptualise the impact of IHFs on SCA in micro-businesses. Our research has important implications for practice, policy-making, and theory.

Prosocial Religion as a Resource: A Source of Competitive Advantage for Family Firms

Recent studies emphasize how prosocial religious beliefs promote behaviors that lead to success in intergroup competition. We extend this research by introducing the Prosocial Religion as a Resource perspective into the field of family business. This perspective explains how prosocial religious beliefs act as resources for family firms. Our model includes the following stages: acquisition by owner-managers of prosocial religious beliefs; prosocial behavior by the owner-managers and their agents; stakeholder observation of the firm’s behavior; improvement in firm reputation. Our propositions explore situations where the prosocial religious beliefs of owner/managers provide a source of sustainable competitive advantage for family firms.

The Effect of Training on Employees Performance: in Selected Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in Dawro Zone

In current era highly volatile business environment organizations are facing emerging challenges in form of acquisition and optimization of human resource. Being valuable and scarce capabilities, human resources are considered as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The prosperity of an organization depends upon several factors but the most crucial factor that affects the organization performance is its employee. Human resources play an integral role in achieving an innovative and high-quality product/ accommodation. One major area of the Human Resource Management function of particular pertinence to the efficacious utilization of human resources is training and development. The consequentiality of training and development as a central role of management has long been apperceived. The one contribution a manager is uniquely expected to make is to give others vision and competency to perform.

Strategic Aspects of Asset Management: An Overview of Current Research

Major shifts in the competitive environment encouraged a recent growth in the number of academic articles devoted to strategic aspects of asset management. Organizations start to recognize that a strategic approach to asset management becomes a source of sustainable competitive advantages and long-term survival in the turbulent environment. However, existing studies are largely case-specific in interpreting strategy and draw on various theoretical grounds and approaches. This leads to little theoretical and methodological consistency in understanding current findings and how to design future studies. The key goal of this paper is to systematically review the existing research through the analysis of over 700 articles devoted to asset management with a focus on strategic aspects. Our key contributions are positioning strategic asset management within the vast field of asset management research, describing the nature of strategic asset management research, and confirming that asset management strategies align with different levels of organizational strategy. We visualize the existing research field, and indicate gaps and underdeveloped areas of research. We also shortly outline future research directions based on our findings, thus encouraging a more coherent development of research on strategic asset management.

Defining the term knowledge worker: Toward improved ontology and operationalization

Despite the strategic value of organizational knowledge as a source of sustainable competitive advantage, researchers have voiced their concern over the potential imprecision and undue use of the term “knowledge worker” in the relevant research literature. In order to identify the nature of this imprecision and discuss ways of overcoming addressing it, we analyzed 223 articles from diverse fields that make reference to the concept of “knowledge worker”. Applying content analysis, we analyzed the definitions identified and the types of worker considered by researchers to be knowledge workers. It was observed that the term ‘knowledge worker’ has been used for occupations and professions with different levels of complexity, including those that were mostly operational. In addition, we observed that the term ‘knowledge worker’ is used, in a majority of instances, without any definition being offered (67.7%). Subsequent semantic analysis of the set of actions attributed to knowledge workers aided in the identification of additional descriptors that assisted in the conceptualization the term. In the analyzes, the sole appearance of the verb exploit in an article in the field of Geography & Transport stood out, leading us to consider a link between the active work conducted by knowledge workers and the exploitation‐exploration dyad in accordance with the concepts of the fields of innovation and learning. The analysis of the article did not confirm our initial perception. After observing the non‐use of the exploitation‐exploration dyad in none of the definitions of the term knowledge worker in the 223 articles that were analyzed, and in the literatures cited in these articles, we considered this fact an opportunity for contribution. Therefore, this study presents the development of an innovative new definition for the term knowledge worker, associating it with actions of the exploration of organizational knowledge, whereas the term information worker is associated with actions of the exploitation of organizational knowledge. We close the discussions by addressing the impacts of these definitions for the practitioners and academics who work with the themes of knowledge management, organizational learning, core competences, and process management.

Improving firm sustainable performance: the role of market orientation

Abstract An outstanding objective of the UN and EU in recent years is to improve the environment in which firms operate. This has increased pressures on companies from consumers, governments, and shareholders alike to develop and implement sustainable business practices. Literature has covered other strategic decisions that will improve a firms’ sustainable performance but no study has looked at this from a market-orientation perspective. However, a firm’s market orientation is regarded its capability that enables it to identify and respond to customers’ desires in order to deliver superior value to them. Other literature has affirmed market orientation as the most critical source of sustainable competitive advantage. Evidently, market-oriented companies can incorporate sustainability activities into their overall business strategies but there is a gap in knowledge as to what extent this affects firm sustainable performance. This conceptual paper, therefore, fills this gap, hence, analysed the impact of market orientation on sustainable performance of firms, and provides an argument on the market orientation to sustainable performance relationship. To achieve this, the study reviewed literature obtained from several databases concerning the related fields. Literature search was conducted using the keywords search via Google scholar engine and other research databases including Scopus and Web of Science. The individual variables were used as key search terms, though a limited amount of information was found, literature on market orientation proved promising. Articles deemed relevant to this conceptual paper were retrieved and reviewed. Additionally, books on the topic were searched using the same key search terms used in the research database. The findings confirmed the relationship between market orientation and firm sustainable performance. Further, it evaluated the mediating and moderating variables that impact the relationship between market orientation and firm sustainable performance. It is recommended that an empirical study is done to prove the strength of the relationships.

Knowledge transfer between universities and smes and regional development. The role of the clusters as communities of practice

Abstract The Exchange of knowledge between universities and SMEs became a source of sustainable competitive advantages. The innovation capacity of SMEs is under pressure for various reasons since knowledge management is more costly and innovation readiness more difficult to be achieved. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) became in this context critical players in the knowledge-based economy to interact with small companies. The traditional functions of universities are the generation of knowledge (research) and its transmission (teaching) are reconsidered in order to better serve the managers. This paper investigate conditions SMEs and universities may better work together, assuming that a pro university-SMEs cooperation behaviour at the level of the SMEs managers and universities is an essential factor of an efficient transfer of knowledge. Evidence of this interaction from development regions of Romania are shown in order to identify emerging cooperation patterns. Another area this paper investigates is the interaction of universities and SMEs when they are bound together in a longer cooperation alliances, in clusters. Actions to develop clusters include universities as central resource. The research intends to review the role of the university in cluster development for Romanian development regions on their struggle to occupy a role in European smart specialization processes. As a main conclusion, the article argues that smart specialization and communities of practice are interconnected concepts enabling innovation processes in university-industry interaction. Knowledge transfer may be more efficient when clusters and universities are interacting on a long-term basis.

Organizational Innovation in High-Tech Companies in the Ústí Region (Czech Republic)

Employee skills are a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Organizational innovation introduced and managed by company management has a strong influence on the development of innovation capacity. This article follows these innovations in the phases of the employee's life cycle - recruitment, onboarding, retention, development, and departures of employees. The aim is to assess the use of innovative organizational tools. This is done by investigating companies in the high-tech sector in the Ústí Region. There were shortcomings in the recruitment process, the use of more traditional employee retention benefits, and insufficient training programs. In connection with the shortcomings, the inadequate size of the monitored companies is considered.

Dynamic Innovation Strategy Model in Practice of Innovation Leaders and Followers in CEE Countries—A Prerequisite for Building Innovative Ecosystems

The task of each firm’s strategic management is to identify those sustainable sources of competitive advantage that represent a way to achieve business goals and competitive advantage. Business management should be able to define determinants that fundamentally influence the innovation activity of business. Innovation leaders are influenced by the same set of determinants that allow them to maintain their position in the market. Identifying these determinants is a key source of knowledge for defining or adjusting corporate strategies, enabling sustainable benefits and for efficient building and functioning of countries’ innovation ecosystems based on cross-agents’ interactions leading to sustainable development. The goal of this paper is to identify the combination of innovation determinants in Dynamic Innovation Strategic Model (DISM) driving creation and sustaining innovation leaders’ competitive advantage in selected European countries belonging to the group of moderate innovators. Likewise, authors define a unique set or combinations of factors that will (fundamentally embedded in a company strategy) have a significant impact on the innovative production of the business, which are one of the key elements of innovative ecosystems. With the use of CIS data (from Eurostat) on the innovators and followers of nine EU countries and own regression models, the key determinants of the success of the innovation leaders and followers were found. These determinants are (also in appropriate combination) mainly: in-house R&D activities, co-operation with various partners, and marketing and design. The results clearly show that for innovative leaders, key determinants have a positive impact on produced innovations; for the followers, the same group has a negative influence.

Pathways towards Sustainability in Organizations: Empirical Evidence on the Role of Green Human Resource Management Practices and Green Intellectual Capital

According to the resource-based view (RBV), an organization can be viewed as a collection of human, physical and organizational resources. These resources are valuable and inimitable, and are the main source of sustainable competitive advantage and sustained higher performance. Green human resource management (GHRM) practices help organizations to obtaina competitive advantage and align business strategies with the environment. In the same way, increases in environmental awareness and strict implementation of international environmental regulations havea greater impact on business sustainability. Environmentalism and sustainability are becoming more of a concern for organizations. For this reason, green human resource managementpractices and green intellectual capital are the main elements of business sustainability. Based on the resource-based view and intellectual capital-based view theory, this study investigated the impact of GHRM practices and green intellectual capital on sustainability, using cross-sectional data. The results show that the two dimensions of GHRM practices (green recruitment and selection, and green rewards) and green intellectual capital (green human capital, green structural capital and green relational capital) have a positive effect on a firm’s sustainability. GHRM practices and green intellectual capital have a positive role in this model. Practitioners, scholars and academics all may take benefits from the findings of this study.Limited variables andemerging and developingeconomies were the scope of this study. Future studies could investigate and explore the impact of green HRM practices and the role of management and stakeholder pressureonnew areas of sustainability.

The Dynamic of Technology, Organization and Environment Model in the Halal Certification Adoption Study: A Conceptual Paper

Increasing halal hub business trade has always been the focus of the government of Malaysia. It has also become one of the National Key Result Area (NKRA) agenda towards an elevated income and improving the wellbeing of society. To meet the agenda, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are essential to encourage economic sustainability. The demand for halal-certified products has increased significantly and has become the source of sustainable competitive advantages for companies to increase their business performance. However, the adoption rate for Malaysian Halal certification among SMEs manufacturer, especially in east coast states is not as strong as expected. The purpose of this conceptual article is to model the relationship between Perceived Benefits, Organizational Readiness, Customer Pressure and Halal Awareness towards SMEs? intention to adopt Halal Certificate in Terengganu and Kelantan. This paper chooses Technological, Organizational and Environmental (TOE) framework since it explains how the factors influence adoption decisions in the framework. The demand for halal-certified products has increased significantly and has become the source of sustainable competitive advantages for companies to increase their business performance. Previous research found that all elements of TOE have significant relationships which would increase the adoption rate in Halal certification.

Organization and product design pairings: A review of product innovation capabilities, conceptualization, and future directions

AbstractProduct innovation capabilities significantly shape and determine the success of architectural pairings between organization design and product designs, and act as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This article draws on the resource‐based view of firms and market orientation theory to present a complementary view of the influence of product innovation capabilities on organization and product design pairings. Three complementary factors; market orientation, organizational form, and managerial strategic decisions, act as essential determinants for emergence of architectural pairings, by accounting for pairing selection processes, customer benefits, cost reduction and product development, and consequently superior organizational performance. We identify scope for future research to evaluate measures and validity of product innovation capability dimensions, and the extent of influence of the identified factors on architectural pairings.

Modelling the enablers to explore the driving power, dependence and strategic importance in achieving SC agility

The environment in which supply chain (SC) operate keeps changing and so does the SC, making uncertainty as it's trait. SC agility is the key attribute which defines the capability to respond efficiently and effectively to such changes in order to achieve desired performance and achieve sustainable source of competitive advantage. The purpose of this study is to identify the enablers to achieve agility in automotive aftermarket SC and further modelling these enablers to understand their driving power, dependence and strategic importance. In phased approach, this article defines the various attributes of the automotive aftermarket SC which impacts its agility based on literature review and expert interviews and establishes interaction among the variables. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is used to present a hierarchy-based model and the mutual relationships among these enablers. ISM is supported with MICMAC analysis to determine the driving and dependence power among variables. Based on the results from the model of ISM, this paper also proposes the conceptual model and poses hypothesis for achieving SC agility and its impact on SC performance. In concluding remarks, paper provides commentary on the managerial implications, limitation of the current study along with future research directions.

Total quality management: A source of competitive advantage- A comparative study of manufacturing and service firms in Nepal

The study investigated whether or not Total Quality Management (TQM) is a source of competitive advantage in both service and manufacturing sectors in Nepal. Among the objectives were; to find out the impact of TQM on organizational performance, challenges in the implementation of TQM policies and practices, and to ascertain whether TQM is a source of competitive advantage in both service and manufacturing firms in Nepal. The study employed a survey design by using questionnaire and interview guides as the data collection instruments. Simple random and stratified sampling techniques were used to select 4 service firms and 4 manufacturing firms in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal for the study. It was found out that when properly implemented, TQM will be a source of sustained competitive advantage. The study also revealed that while the quality of manufacturing products can be tested and controlled, it is difficult to control the quality of services before delivery because of their intangibility nature. It was recommended among others that organizations should cultivate a total quality management culture; properly designed training programs on TQM should be regularly organized for staff of organizations so as to ensure that best practices of TQM are implemented if they want to achieve a sustained competitive advantage.

THE CONCEPT OF BUSINESS COOPERATION IN THE FORMATION OF LOGISTICS DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

Introduction. The article is devoted to the formation of a theoretical concept about the loyalty of consumers in the distribution channels of finished products as some complex economic phenomenon. The article addresses the problem of distribution channels and their effective formation which is one of the utmost importance at present time. The results showed that distribution channels are an important link in the value chain, which contribute to achieving a balance of interests of functionally related businesses that ensure the delivery of goods from producer to consumer. It is determined that the recent changes in the activities of wholesale and retail intermediaries are associated with changes in purchasing behavior, the development of network retail, the emergence of new forms and methods of selling goods, the active use of information technology and online interaction. Goal. Development of conceptual provisions for business cooperation in marketing distribution channels. Results. It is substantiated that the traditional market space, dominated by the manufacturer, is evolving and is now taking the form of what is called a market space focused on distribution. It is proved that within this space there is a shift of emphasis from competitive relations between participants of distribution channels to relations of cooperation and partnership. This requires the development of new mechanisms of interaction in such distribution channels, taking into account the economic interests of their participants and ensuring consistency of action based on the concept of business cooperation. It is noted in the article that the need to expand the boundaries of interaction arises due to the need to increase the efficiency of enterprises through the possibility of using the skills, resources and assets of business partners. It is proved that cooperation in modern conditions becomes the basis for ideas generation, innovations development, and a source of sustainable competitive advantages that contribute to the formation of a unique strategic asset – a partnership network based on a long-term mutually beneficial relationships of business partners in the chain of created value. At the same time, the refusal to cooperate leads to differences in the interests, goals and functions of participants in marketing distribution channels, which entails conflicts and increases costs in the process of delivery of goods from producer to final consumer.