Christos Sigalas and Vassilis M. Papadakis
The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship patterns between competitive advantage and superior performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship patterns between competitive advantage and superior performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study empirically investigates the aforementioned relationship patterns using a cross-sectional, self-administered survey methodology.
Findings
The results indicate that there are four relationship patterns between competitive advantage and superior performance. In addition, this study provides empirical evidence of the reasons, underpinning the relationship pattern of competitive advantage without superior performance as well as the relationship pattern of superior performance without competitive advantage.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to our knowledge that competitive advantage is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for superior performance.
Practical implications
In finding support that there can be cases of underperformance despite competitive advantage and superior performance despite the absence of competitive advantage, the study’s findings are useful to practicing managers involved in the strategic management process of their firms.
Originality/value
This study fills an important gap in the empirical research, by responding to the literature call to test the possible relationship patterns between competitive advantage and superior performance. In addition, this study formally introduces the relationship pattern of competitive advantage without superior performance, and the relationship pattern of superior performance without competitive advantage that until now were largely ignored by the existing literature in the field of strategic management.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically managers’ awareness regarding the concept of competitive advantage, the most taken-for-granted concept in the field of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically managers’ awareness regarding the concept of competitive advantage, the most taken-for-granted concept in the field of strategic management.
Design/methodology/approach
Managers’ awareness regarding the concept of competitive advantage was explored by applying a cross-sectional, self-administered, e-mail survey.
Findings
The results of quantitative and qualitative data analyses provide empirical evidence that senior managers, who are heavily involved in the strategic management process of their firms, seem to confuse the concept of competitive advantage with the concept of sources of competitive advantage, especially those pertaining to resource-based theory.
Research limitations/implications
The findings establish the hypothesis that senior managers are not aware of the concept of competitive advantage. At the same time, future researchers are encouraged to continue testing the above hypothesis.
Practical implications
The findings as well as the provision of a conceptually clear stipulating definition of competitive advantage from literature could increase practicing managers’ awareness relating to the conceptual nature as well as the latent expressions of competitive advantage.
Originality/value
Since little research, to date, has been carried out in order to investigate empirically the awareness of managers regarding competitive advantage, this study fills an important gap in the empirical literature of strategic management.
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Christos Sigalas, Victoria Pekka Economou and Nikolaos B. Georgopoulos
The purpose of this paper is to attempt to develop a measure of competitive advantage by identifying a stipulative definition, composing an operational definition and constructing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to attempt to develop a measure of competitive advantage by identifying a stipulative definition, composing an operational definition and constructing a measurement variable.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper undertakes critical literature review, cognitive interviews as well as a pilot and full study, which were carried out by applying a cross-sectional, self-administered e-mail survey with questionnaire in a fillable text-processing file, in order to develop a valid and reliable measure of competitive advantage.
Findings
The results have led to the identification of a conceptually robust stipulative definition, the composition of a comprehensive operational definition and the construction of a qualified variable, making the development of a valid and reliable measure of competitive advantage possible.
Research limitations/implications
The newly developed measure of competitive advantage, exempt from past conceptual problems, could be used for valid measurements in future empirical studies in the field of strategic management. At the same time, authors encourage future tests of the newly developed measure's reliability and validity.
Practical implications
The provision of a conceptually clear stipulating definition and a comprehensive operational definition for competitive advantage could increase practicing managers’ awareness relating to the conceptual nature as well as the latent expressions of competitive advantage.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the evolution of the strategic management field by providing a valid and reliable measure of competitive advantage that is applicable under any leading theoretical perspective in strategic management and it could better serve the needs of both empirical research and management practice.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
If they are to have any chance of thriving in today's turbulent and increasingly‐competitive world, businesses need competitive advantage and how they get it is a crucial component of managements' approach. Apologies if that sounds like stating the obvious, but it's important enough to bear repetition. Less obvious is how to answer the question: “What is competitive advantage?”
Practical implications
The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.
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Christos Sigalas and Victoria Pekka Economou
Although competitive advantage is the cornerstone concept in strategic management it still remains a poorly defined and operationalized construct. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Although competitive advantage is the cornerstone concept in strategic management it still remains a poorly defined and operationalized construct. The purpose of this paper is to revisit the concept of competitive advantage, to identify the problems that stem from its current conceptualization from the majority of the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper undertakes an extensive literature review, audit of logical inference, syllogistic reasoning and Bayesian expressions in order to examine the problems associated with the current conceptualizations of competitive advantage.
Findings
Several drawbacks and fallacies relating to current conceptualizations of competitive advantage were identified that create an urgent need for a more robust definition which could better serve the needs of both empirical research and management practice.
Research limitations/implications
The authors by no means claim that the literature review undertaken in this paper on the concept of competitive advantage and on the problems derived from its conceptualization was exhaustive or absolute. Rather, this paper constitutes an attempt to stimulate efforts and provide directions on the further conceptual development of competitive advantage.
Practical implications
The findings allow practising managers to not necessarily associate competitive advantage with its sources and with the determinants of superior performance.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the evolution of the strategic management field by identifying, categorizing and mapping potential problems, drawbacks and fallacies, associated with the conceptualization of competitive advantage as currently delineated in the literature, and by suggesting some criteria for the development of a conceptually more robust definition.
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– The purpose of this study is to investigate empirically the balanced scorecard (BSC)’s theoretical underpinnings.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate empirically the balanced scorecard (BSC)’s theoretical underpinnings.
Design/methodology/approach
This study undertakes a cross-sectional, self-administered e-mail survey to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the performance indicators of the BSC’s four perspectives using principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that the performance indicators of each BSC’s perspective converge with the same perspective’s performance indicators and discriminate from other perspectives’ performance indicators.
Research limitations/implications
Future researchers are invited to conduct conceptual-level tests of the BSC framework using the newly constructed subjective scales of the performance indicators of the BSC’s perspectives. Furthermore, scholars conducting empirical research on the field are encouraged to further investigate the BSC’s theoretical underpinnings using various research designs, multiple research methods and a combination of existing and new BSC’s performance indicators.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the academic stream of management accounting and strategic management field by: empirically validating the BSC’s theoretical underpinnings that is a prerequisite for the BSC to advance from a framework to a theory and providing subjective scales for measuring the generic performance indicators of the BSC’s four perspectives that can be used in future research of the BSC framework’s hypotheses. In addition, the literature is enhanced with a newly developed perceptual measure of firm performance with attributes of the BSC’s four perspectives.
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Destination marketing systems (DMS) represent a vital inter-organisational information system (IOIS) for supporting the collaborative e-marketing strategies of tourism firms and…
Abstract
Purpose
Destination marketing systems (DMS) represent a vital inter-organisational information system (IOIS) for supporting the collaborative e-marketing strategies of tourism firms and the competitiveness of tourism destinations. However, many DMS have failed to deliver the expected outcomes, while the performance measurement of DMS has not been thoroughly investigated in the literature so far. The study synthesises research from the fields of DMS, IOIS and collaborative practices for investigating the perceptions of various tourism DMS stakeholders about the evaluation of DMS performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducted a nation-wide survey for measuring the perceptions of various tourism DMS stakeholders in Greece about the importance of the roles that DMS should serve as well as the items that should be used for measuring the performance of these DMS’ roles.
Findings
The findings showed that the public and private stakeholders held different perceptions about the roles of DMS as well as about the metrics that need to be used for evaluating DMS performance. The findings also showed that the perceptions that stakeholders hold about the roles of the DMS influence their perceptions about the performance evaluation of DMS.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are based on evaluating a specific type of IOIS and sector/context. Thus, caution is required in generalising the results to other types of IOIS and social/environmental contexts.
Practical implications
The study highlighted that the performance and success of DMS, and of IOIS projects in general, require the nurturing of a collaborative culture and the co-ordination of the various stakeholders’ perceptions and interests.
Originality/value
The study addresses the gap in DMS performance evaluation and it contributes to the literature about IOIS evaluation by adopting a stakeholders approach.
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Antonis Ballis, Konstantinos Drakos, Christos Kallandranis, Dimitris Anastasiou and Van Anh Doan
In recent years, traditional markets have been challenged by the emergence of cryptocurrencies, particularly when there are economic disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, traditional markets have been challenged by the emergence of cryptocurrencies, particularly when there are economic disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines the intricacies of financial dynamics during the COVID-19 crisis and explores their impact on traditional and cryptocurrency markets. In particular, we explore whether cryptocurrencies are a better safe haven of value than traditional financial markets during economic disruptions like that resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines the differential impacts of COVID-19 on cryptocurrency and traditional financial markets, utilising a robust difference-in-differences methodology to analyse market behaviours across two critical periods: before and after the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). This approach allows us to capture these markets’ distinct responses to a global economic shock, offering insights into their comparative resilience and volatility. The originality of our research lies in its comparative approach to an unprecedented global crisis, providing valuable insights into the dynamics of digital versus traditional assets under stress.
Findings
Our findings contribute to the academic discourse by revealing that, contrary to popular belief and compared to traditional assets, cryptocurrencies may not be a safe haven during crises and may begin to mimic traditional assets more closely during such periods.
Originality/value
This study enhances our understanding of asset behaviour during economic shocks and has significant implications for investors, policymakers and regulators as they navigate future financial crises.
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Christos Sarmaniotis, Costas Assimakopoulos and Eugenia Papaioannou
Valid measurement scales for predicting the adoption of hoteliers’ customer‐centric orientation are in short supply. The present research develops and validates a new scale for a…
Abstract
Purpose
Valid measurement scales for predicting the adoption of hoteliers’ customer‐centric orientation are in short supply. The present research develops and validates a new scale for a specific variable, i.e. Management Attitudes Towards Customer‐Centric Orientation (MATCCO). Furthermore, this research attempts to identify some broad determinants for a successful CRM system implementation and propose a research model depicting possible relationships among MATCCO, broad determinants and profit.
Design/methodology/approach
A structured questionnaire has been developed in order to accomplish the research objectives. Data were collected from 86 Greek luxury hotels. Accepted methodology was used to construct the measure, factor analysis to determine the CRM key success factors (KSFs) and Pearson correlation, ANOVA and discriminant analysis to test the proposed model. Additionally, qualitative research was conducted in two Greek luxury hotels.
Findings
A reliable and valid measure of MATCCO was constructed. Four CRM KSFs were identified. The research model was verified and proposed confirming relationships among MATCCO, CRM KSFs and company profit. Cases analysis showed that effective customer communication strategy, IT infrastructure and suitable organizational strategy are the KSFs of CRM implementation provided that hoteliers are positive toward customer‐centric orientation.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study are applicable to luxury hotels.
Practical implications
There is a necessity of checking the level of MATCCO before undertaking a CRM implementation project. Further, the results of this study highlight some crucial factors that influence successful CRM implementation in the hotel lodgings.
Originality/value
The main contribution of the paper is the construction of the multi‐item measure of hoteliers’ customer‐centric orientation.