Abstract
This study examines the relationship between the knowledge creation process and technological innovation capabilities, and analyzes their effect on a firm's sustainable competitive advantage using a knowledge-based view theoretical framework. We conduct structural equation modeling analyses using survey data from 315 Chinese industrial firms to test the direct and indirect effects of the knowledge creation process on sustainable competitive advantage. Technological innovation capabilities-operationalized to reflect the dimensions of process innovation capability and product innovation capability-are used as the mediating variable for explaining the relationship between the knowledge creation process and sustainable competitive advantage. The results indicate that the knowledge creation process does not have a significant direct effect on sustainable competitive advantage. Rather, the knowledge creation process can only influence the sustainable competitive advantage through the mediating effect of technological innovation capabilities completely. Consequently, the knowledge creation process favors the development of technological innovation capabilities for processes and products, because processes and products can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2280 |
| Journal | Sustainability (Switzerland) |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 Dec 11 |
Keywords
- Knowledge creation process
- Process innovation capability
- Product innovation capability
- Sustainable competitive advantage
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
