Bridging Intellectual Capital and SMEs Internationalization through the Lens of Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Systematic Literature Review

The aim of the current paper is advance a comprehensive framework meant to bridge three major concepts, namely intellectual capital (IC), the internationalization process of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the achievement of sustainable competitive advantage. The paper stresses upon a managerial perspective within the internationalization context, investigating the human, structural and relational capital apposite to managers or entrepreneurs. By directly addressing the relationships among the constructs, the endeavor is complementary to previous systematic reviews on similar topics which tangentially discuss the conceptual triad and thus proposes an integrative research agenda for future interdisciplinary studies straddling the fields of management, business, entrepreneurship and sustainability. In terms of methodology, a systematic literature review was envisaged, by applying a stepwise approach and multifold criteria. Over 100 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals were scrutinized and considered in the analysis. The literature review revealed that conceptual papers in the field are scarce despite the variety of their aims and approaches. The quantitative-based empirical studies prevail over the qualitative ones, while mixed methods research designs are scant. In terms of content, the extant studies fall short to advance research and structural models testing and assessing the specific relations among constructs and avail new research avenues focused on the underlying processes of SMEs internationalization by means of intellectual capital harnessing and sustainable competitive advantage achievement.

Download Full-text

The Concept of Justice in Stakeholder Theory: A Systematic Literature Review

BASE - Revista de Administração e Contabilidade da Unisinos ◽

10.4013/base.2020.173.03 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 429-455

Author(s):

Victor Pessôa de Melo ◽

Ítalo Taumaturgo ◽

Ronaldo De Oliveira Santos Jhunior ◽

Mariana Torres Uchôa

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Strategic Management ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

Stakeholder Theory ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Future Research ◽

Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽

Managerial Decisions ◽

Two Phases ◽

Careful Screening

In strategic management, the Stakeholder Theory proclaims that in order to achieve better performance and sustainable competitive advantage, the organization has to treat each of its stakeholders fairly. Hence, the concept of justice becomes relevant in assessing the effectiveness of managerial decisions and is ingrained in the Stakeholder Theory literature. This paper aims to examine how the notion of justice is conceptualized and applied in the Stakeholder Theory literature; and to propose new avenues of research regarding the interconnections between these two subjects. We present a systematic literature review to synthesize the research in the area. A careful screening held in April 2019, resulted in 75 papers published in 35 journals from 1999 to 2019. The results were presented in two phases. First, in the form of a descriptive and bibliometric analysis of the selected papers. Second, by reviewing those papers, we offer a framework of how the notion of justice has been conceptualized and applied in the Stakeholder Theory literature. Finally, we propose an agenda for future research regarding the interconnection between justice and Stakeholder Theory.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Moving through the Built Environment on Emotional and Neurophysiological State - A Systematic Literature Review

10.26686/wgtn.13019549 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marc Aurel Schnabel ◽

Mitra Homolja ◽

Sayyed Maghool

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Human Perception ◽

Interdisciplinary Studies ◽

Sensory Stimuli ◽

Controlled Environments ◽

Theoretical Evidence ◽

Theories Of Emotions ◽

The Impact

Despite theoretical evidence about the capabilities of visual properties of space for manipulating inhabitants' emotions, a gap in knowledge exists for empirical studies in controlled environments. Interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of architecture, psychology, and neuroscience can provide robust guidelines and criteria for designers to engineer emotions. Due to the novelty of the field, the theoretical framework for such studies is not well established. Consequently, this paper presents a systematic literature review to find and synthesize recent relevant studies at this intersection. Based on these findings, we will investigate the impact of other visuo-spatial stimuli on emotions in a rigorous way. According to the theories of emotions, manipulation of emotions is linked to oscillations in physiological responses caused by exposure to sensory stimuli. Moreover, there is a consensus that human perception is action-oriented. Therefore, our review focuses on studies that employ biosensors as subjects move in physical or virtual environments.

Download Full-text

Green Marketing Trek: Drivers, Challenges and Future Directions in Emerging Markets- A Systematic Literature Review

Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies ◽

10.22610/jebs.v10i1(j).2094 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (1(J)) ◽

pp. 112-124

Author(s):

A. Muposhi

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Emerging Markets ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Green Marketing ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽

Future Directions ◽

Market Opportunities ◽

Marketing Implementation

Green marketing is growing in importance as it is tied to the universal goal of sustainable development. Although green marketing is gaining in prominence as a strategic imperative, mixed accounts a bound on its ability to create sustainable competitive advantage. Against this backdrop, this conceptual paper discusses the concept of green marketing, its drivers, challenges and future directions in the context of emerging markets. With the aid of a systematic literature review, this paper discusses market opportunities and challenges, implementation gaps, future directions and misconceptions associated with the adoption and implementation of green marketing. Results of literature review showed that the adoption of green marketing is driven principally by market opportunities, environmental legislation, operating efficiencies and improved profitability. Literature reviewed also notes challenges associated with green marketing implementation such as consumer cynicism, variability in demand of green products and exorbitant investment costs related to green technologies. This paper concludes that successful implementation of green marketing depends on a green vision that meticulously counterbalances the vested interests of key stakeholders in the value chain such as suppliers and customers. Effective green marketing implementation is also contingent on the ability of top management to integrate, coordinate and re-configure corporate competences to achieve green marketing goals. This paper recommends that marketers should resist the green marketing bandwagon but rather focus on understanding implementation imperatives that are preconditions for creation of sustainable competitive advantage. Marketers should also note that green marketing is not a panacea to all marketing challenges as it needs to be supported by sound marketing acumen

Download Full-text

Mixed Methods Utilisation in Innovation Management Research: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Summary

Journal of Risk and Financial Management ◽

10.3390/jrfm13110252 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 252

Author(s):

Klaudia Bracio ◽

Marek Szarucki

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Literature Review ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Innovation Management ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Future Research ◽

Sequential Methods ◽

Body Of Knowledge ◽

Research Avenue

The main purpose of this article is to explore the application of mixed methods research in the innovation management sub-discipline utilizing a systematic literature review and meta-summary analysis. Regardless of the growing number of studies in innovation management there is still a lack of research that integrates and synthesizes this body of knowledge. Our review of 93 articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases, including content analysis, presents trends and research background in innovation management that use the mixed methods approach. This study addresses the inconsistencies in the literature and presents a holistic picture of what existing empirical studies have found to date. In addition, we have developed an innovation management model based on selected theoretical lenses to enable future researchers in a given area to choose the appropriate method. The results of the meta-summary show that 50.54% articles from our dataset are related to partially mixed dominant sequential methods, 12.90% fully mixed dominant sequential methods and 11.83% fully mixed dominant concurrent methods. We identified several research gaps and provided a future research avenue in the context of innovation management. The article analyzes empirical papers, enables identification of problems in the current research and identifies trends in the area of the studied phenomenon. The results on the topic of mixed methods in innovation management and used tools have indicated that this issue is still in a premature phase but with an upward trend of research development.

Download Full-text

HR Practices: A Source of Sustainable Competitive Advantage or Competitive Parity – A Systematic Literature Review

Vidyodaya Journal of Management ◽

10.31357/vjm.v5i2.4183 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

Author(s):

G.A.S.K. Silva ◽

B.N.F. Warnakulasuriya ◽

B.J.H. Arachchige

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

High Performance ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Strategic Human Resource Management ◽

Work Practices ◽

Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽

Hr Practices ◽

High Performance Work Practices

High Performance Work Practices or High Commitment Work Practices in HRM are often said to be a potential source of sustainable competitive advantage. However, some researchers have questioned that notion. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review and analyze relevant literature to determine whether the HR practices can be considered as a real source of sustainable competitive advantage. This study followed the Systematic Literature Review method. This paper analyzes theoretical base for such claim as well as available empirical evidences and suggests that HR practices (often called as High Performance Work Practices) are more likely to be a source of competitive parity than a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The major significance of this paper is that it addresses a key question within Strategic Human Resource Management: whether HR practices can be considered as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Further, this may be the first to discuss HR practices as a source of competitive parity. It also highlights research gaps in the area of the relationship between HRM and firm-performance.KeywordsHR practices; Sustainable Competitive Advantage; Competitive Parity; HR and firm-performance relation; High Performance Work Practices

Download Full-text

Back to the future of intellectual capital research: a systematic literature review

Management Decision ◽

10.1108/md-08-2017-0807 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 56 (11) ◽

pp. 2502-2583 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Eugénia Pedro ◽

João Leitão ◽

Helena Alves

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Intellectual Capital ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Levels Of Analysis ◽

Future Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Multiple Dimensions ◽

Different Levels

PurposeFor better mapping the path of intellectual capital (IC) research, the purpose of this paper is to selectively review empirical studies of IC published, and identify theories, components and three dimensions of analysis: national IC (NIC), regional IC (RIC) and organizational IC (OIC).Design/methodology/approachThe systematic literature review (SLR) subject to analysis is based on empirical studies made between 1960 and 2016, and focuses on three dimensions of analysis: NIC, RIC and OIC. Four research questions were designed, using the following databases, namely, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar, for data collection purposes.FindingsThe SLR unveils a multidimensional taxonomy for measuring and classifying the type of IC applicable to the different levels of analysis and provides some recommendations for future studies of NIC, RIC and OIC, by outlining the need for clear definitions of components and measures of IC and identifying strengths, limitations and future research avenues.Originality/valueIn order to fill the gap found in the literature and the non-existence of a study clarifying the multiple dimensions of analysis of IC, this SLR makes a twofold, original contribution to the literature on management: providing an SLR of the main empirical studies dealing with different units of analysis; and identifying a multidimensional taxonomy for measuring and classifying the type of IC applicable to the different levels of analysis.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Moving through the Built Environment on Emotional and Neurophysiological State - A Systematic Literature Review

10.26686/wgtn.13019549.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marc Aurel Schnabel ◽

Mitra Homolja ◽

Sayyed Maghool

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Human Perception ◽

Interdisciplinary Studies ◽

Sensory Stimuli ◽

Controlled Environments ◽

Theoretical Evidence ◽

Theories Of Emotions ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

A Normative Approach to Valuation, Value Enhancement and Financial Statement Reporting of Intellectual Capital

Management Accounting Frontiers ◽

10.52153/prj1022004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 25-52

Author(s):

Michael So ◽

◽

Janek Ratnatunga

Keyword(s):

Competitive Advantage ◽

Intellectual Capital ◽

Theoretical Foundation ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Economic Value ◽

Financial Statement ◽

Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽

Normative Approach ◽

Reporting Framework ◽

Tangible Assets

Intellectual capital (IC) is increasingly seen as an integral part of a firm’s value-creating processes and an essential strategic asset in creating corporate sustainable competitive advantage (Bukh, 2003; Chen, Cheng & Hwang, 2005). Nevertheless, reporting on IC is currently inconsistent, incomparable, and incomplete because of a lack of consistent guidance. This paper presents a normative IC valuation and reporting framework based on the Capability Economic Value of Intangible and Tangible Assets (CEVITA) approach (Ratnatunga, Gray & Balachandran, 2004). The proposed framework enables the application of CEVITA to the valuation of intellectual capital capability and provides a theoretical foundation for future empirical studies in relation to IC valuation and reporting.

Download Full-text

Strategic approaches to value investing: a systematic literature review of international studies

Review of International Business and Strategy ◽

10.1108/ribs-01-2019-0011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 253-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Enrico Battisti ◽

Nicola Miglietta ◽

Antonio Salvi ◽

Fabio Creta

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

International Studies ◽

Theoretical Point ◽

Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽

Content Type ◽

Value Investing ◽

Fama And French

Purpose This paper aims to present a systematic literature review (SRL) on the topic of value investing (VI) in the international studies. The purpose of this study is twofold: to highlight the strategic approaches followed in recent contributions in the field of finance connected to the main approaches of the pioneering authors (Graham and Dodd, 1934; Fisher, 1958; Fama and French, 1992; Lakonishok, Shleifer and Vishny, 1994) who have investigated VI; and to analyse whether scholars follow a qualitative approach in studying VI that enables companies to achieve greater competitive advantage.. Design/methodology/approach From a SLR of peer-reviewed papers covering the period 2007-2017, 45 papers were identified and analysed to present a better understanding of the adopted approaches and methodologies compared to the pioneering contributions on the topic. Findings This search found that 24 out of 45 papers specifically analyse VI. In particular, this work highlights 20 out of 24 papers that directly or indirectly, follow the approaches of “Graham and Dodd” or “Lakonishok, Shleifer and Vishny”/“Fama and French”, and 4 out of 24 that do not follow one of the main approaches identified. After the descriptive findings of the review, this paper highlights that none of the contributions takes into account qualitative analysis of a company to define whether the firm itself does or does not have a sustainable competitive advantage. Practical implications This paper suggests to international investors who intend to invest in one or more markets to revise the basic principles of VI, while also considering qualitative elements related to strategic aspects and behavioural finance. In particular, this study suggests that the investor introduce a qualitative analysis to allocate equity in value firms with a lasting competitive advantage. Originality/value This study contributes to advance the knowledge of VI from a theoretical point of view. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study that systematises the international literature on this topic by highlighting the main contributions written in the period 2007-2017, analysing the development of the pioneering strategic approaches and examining their method of assessing firms.

Download Full-text

Measuring Experience in International Business: A Systematic Literature Review

Studia Universitatis Babe-Bolyai Oeconomica ◽

10.2478/subboec-2021-0008 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 38-55

Author(s):

João Parracho ◽

Susana Silva

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

International Business ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Theoretical Concepts ◽

Transnational Companies ◽

Transnational Activities

Abstract The paper explores the indicators that measure the experience in international business. Literature review was used to ascertain the state of the art of the existing indexes and theories. The internationalisation of businesses is a fundamental strategic step to increase companies' competitive advantage and profits. Nevertheless, even though internationalisation is widely accepted as an important source of value for companies and is a broad object of investigation, there is still much to study about how to measure experience at the level of international business. The absence of a coherent approach to measure experience in international businesses in past empirical studies made it difficult to create a solution with theoretical concepts that would support further studies in this matter. The results are not contradictory, but complementary, as, through individual internationalization indicators, it is possible to evolve and create indices, such as the Transnationality Index or the Transnational Activities Spread Index. The biggest constraint on the analysed indices is the fact that they focus mainly on the internationalisation of transnational companies and the type of data that was used to build the indexes (secondary data). However, by studying international experience through the number of years and the network spread, it is possible to overcome some of the existing challenges.

Download Full-text