This study investigates the influence of investment in key intangible resources and capabilities of firms, including intellectual capital (IC), financial capability (FC), and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) and firm performance (FP) in an emerging country, Pakistan. The research model and its pertinent hypotheses are tested on a sample of 329 Pakistani small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by a structural equation model (SEM). The results exhibited a significant influence of the aforesaid factors on FP. However, SCA fully mediates the relationship between FC and FP and between CSR and FP, whereas SCA partially mediates the relationship between IC and FP. Taken together, the findings suggest the role of CSR and FC in indirectly spurring FP through SCA. Despite the limitations of this study, the results have several practical and theoretical implications for owners, managers, and policymakers.

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Purpose -This paper aims to examine the role of owners/managers' big five personality traits: conscientiousness, openness, extroversion, neuroticism and agreeableness on SMEs internationalization.Design/methodology/approach -The research design is a quantitative approach. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 303 owners and managers of Pakistani SMEs. The hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling using AMOS.Findings -The findings reveal that conscientiousness has an insignificant influence on the degree of internationalization while neuroticism has a significant negative influence on internationalization. Extroversion, openness and agreeableness have a significant positive influence on internationalization. The findings disclose that owners and managers with extrovert, openness and agreeable personality are more likely to enter into international markets, while managers and owners with conscientiousness and neuroticism personality do not endorse entry into foreign markets.Practical implications -The results suggest that not all the personality traits facilitate internationalization process. Hence, firms that intend to enter international markers can benefit from hiring extrovert, open and agreeable personalities as managers to achieve their objectives. While managers with conscientiousness and neuroticism can be gainfully employed in other departments, they should be kept away from the decision-making processes leading to internationalization of a firm's operations. In addition, the insights gained from this study could facilitate CEOs and executives of large firms operating in developing and developed markets to design effective strategies to promote and get the advantages of internationalization process.Originality/value -This research contributes to personality literature, upper echelons theory and internationalization theory by testing the model based on the empirical evidence. This research is an intersection of the international entrepreneurship literature and psychological studies that have remained relatively unattended in prior studies. After extensive search, we have concluded that no previous study has as yet explored the role of big five personality traits in SMEs internationalization, particularly in this part of the world. It is believed that lack of studies in this sphere is, to a considerable extent, impeding the pace of internationalization by SMEs in developing countries.

Big data (BD) capabilities have now grabbed the attention of strategic management researchers because of their significant role in firm’s performance and success. Nonetheless, very little empirical evidence has so far been put forward about the contribution of BD capabilities towards a firm performance and Competitive Advantage (CA). This research examines the impact of Big Data Technological Capabilities (BDTC) and Big Data Personal Capabilities (BDPC) on firms’ performance with a mediating role of CA among the firms operating in the world’s top emerging economy such as China. Data were collected through structured questionnaires using a sample size of 312 firms. The hypotheses were tested in AMOS.21 using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results indicate that BDTC and BDPC have significant positive impact on firm performance and CA and there is also significant positive relationship between CA and firm performance. The study highlights that CA partially mediates the relationship between BDTC and firm performance as well as between BDPC and firm performance. Hence, BD-oriented firms achieve CA which in turn leads to superior performance in dynamic markets. This study discussed implications for managerial practices.

This paper investigates the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on buying behavior tendencies (BBTs), adopting two sub-tendencies of BBTs-exploratory acquisition of buying tendencies (EAPTs) and exploratory information seeking tendencies (EISTs)-based on the stakeholder theory and practices. Data were collected and examined using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.The study revealed a positive relationship between CSR practices and BBTs, and a significant correlation of CSR on both EISTs and EAPTs. Additionally, it verified a positive linkage between CSR and BBTs through the mediation of EAPTs and EISTs.These results provide insights for managements, especially those in CSR-oriented firms, on how incorporation of CSR activities may influence the BBTs of consumers.Finally, the paper discusses several implications for strategic management along with avenues for future research. K E Y W O R D Sbuying behavior tendencies, corporate social responsibility, information seeking tendencies, product acquisition tendencies, stakeholder theory, structural equation modeling