Strategists have unique skills and abilities to connect the past and the present in order to predict what might happen in the future. The current study is the culmination of a number of research ideas in the field of Strategic Thinking (ST), Strategic Planning (SP) and Strategic Innovation (SI) in relation of Human Capital (HC). The survey method was used to collect data from 235 SMEs in the manufacturing industry of Yemen. Results indicate that ST, SP and SI have a significant effect on HC. The mediating effects of HC on the relationship between ST, SP and SI and SMEs’ performance were also examined. Results indicate that HC mediates the relationship between ST, SP and SI and firm performance. The findings of this study offer important insights for managers of SMEs, researchers and policymakers to further understand the effects of ST, SP SI, HC and SMEs’ performance. SMEs should also be encouraged to develop their ST, SP, SI and HC to improve their performance. Finally, this study serves not only to clarify the mechanism between HC and SMEs’ performance, but also to generalize the ST, SP and SI results in the Yemen and Middle East context.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is more than an information tool and plays a critical role in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The present study explored the moderating effect of relational capital (RC) on the relationship between CRM dimensions and the performance of 284 Yemeni manufacturing SMEs. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the study’s hypotheses. Results indicate that only three of the CRM dimensions have a significant effect on performance. The moderating effects of relational capital on this relationship were also examined and were found to be significant for only two CRM dimensions: technology-based CRM and CRM organization. Key customer focus and CRM knowledge management had no effect. The findings of this study offer important insights for owners and managers of SMEs, researchers, and policymakers to further understand the effects of relational capital and CRM on SMEs’ performance. SMEs should be encouraged to develop their CRM and relational capital to improve their performance.

The purpose of this paper is to fill gaps in the human capital literature, first, by providing insights into the relationship between human capital and strategic innovation and the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and second, by exploring the role of human capital as a mediating variable. Although SMEs perform a vital role in the economic development of countries worldwide, developing countries tend to lag behind developed countries in this sector; hence, there is a need to investigate the peculiar nature of SMEs and their performance in the context of developing countries. Additionally, understanding an organization’s human capital requires the articulation of a system of variables that helps to uncover and manage the visible wealth. The contribution of SMEs can be measured through performance. This study is a conceptual discussion of manufacturing SME performance in Yemen and the effect of human capital and strategic innovation. The performance is considered to be very low, and the country is ranked by the Global Innovation Index as one of the lowest in terms of innovation. This paper describes the development of a framework which is a clear manifestation of the knowledge gap addressed by this study.

PurposeThis paper examines the interaction of human capital and CRM on the performance of SMEs in Yemen.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a quantitative approach in investigating the interacting effect of human capital on the relationship between CRM and SMEs' performance in Yemen. The PLS-SEM analysis was performed to test the hypotheses.FindingsIt was observed that key customer focus, technology-based CRM and CRM knowledge management were effective drivers of SME performance, but not CRM organization tools. It was also ascertained that human capital has no moderating effect on the key customer focus and knowledge management relationships with performance, although it does moderate the relationships between performance and CRM organization and technology-based CRM respectively.Research limitations/implicationsBecause this study is limited to manufacturing SMEs in Yemen, the results cannot be generalized to other types of industry such as services, whose structure and vision differ from those of manufacturing SMEs. While the current results may be appropriate for SMEs in other developing countries, the researcher believes they are unsuitable for SMEs in advanced economies with different financial structures and employee and management cultures.Practical implicationsThe empirical insights of this study are valuable for the owners, managers and professionals in the SMEs manufacturing sector in developing countries, to enrich their organizational performance through CRM adoption, while considering the moderating effect of human capital.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical work to confirm way the main drivers of human capital, including in the analysis the impact of CRM dimensions and SME performance, in the context of the manufacturing sector. In support of an original conceptual model, the insights contribute to the literature on CRM, SMEs in the manufacturing sector, human capital and emerging economies.

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of human capital on the relation between the strategic innovation and competitive advantage of SMEs in Yemen.</p><p><strong>Methodology/Approach:</strong> The PLS-SEM analysis is performed to test the hypotheses by using data collected from 238 SMEs in Yemen. The results support the hypotheses.</p><p><strong>Findings:</strong> The results of the PLS-SEM analysis are as follows: strategic innovation had a significant effects on SMEs’ competitive advantage; also human capital had a significant effects on SMEs’ competitive advantage; human capital mediated the effect of strategic innovation on competitive advantage; and strategic innovation had a positive and significant effect on human capital.</p><p><strong>Research Limitation/Implication:</strong> The population of the study was limited to manufacturing SMEs, so the results cannot be generalized to other types of industry such as services, whose structure and vision differ from those of manufacturing companies.</p><strong>Originality/Value of paper:</strong> The paper is one of the first to highlight human capital as a mediator between strategic innovation and competitive advantage of manufacturing SMEs in Yemen and the Middle East, describing a single study applied in the context of a developing country.