Linkage between business sustainability and tacit knowledge management in MSMEs

Conceptualization and validation of brand social capital construct by analyzing the role of social media capital

Purpose

Researchers, with the widespread acceptance of Web-based technologies by companies, have recently discovered a new type of social capital through these mass communication tools, but there is still limited knowledge about its formation. Therefore, this study specifically aims to conceptualize and validate brand social capital (BSC) by analyzing the role of the online brand community’s social media capital (OBCSC).

Design/methodology/approach

Research data was collected using a questionnaire with 39 closed-ended questions. Participants, among the 220 questionnaires distributed, only returned 140 acceptable questionnaires, indicating a response rate of 64%. The statistical population of the study included managers and employees of e-commerce companies active in social media in the field of B2C who introduce and sell their products and services on various types of social networking websites. This study performed data analysis using structural equation modeling with partial least squares.

Findings

The results showed that OBCSC has a positive and significant effect on the integration of brand knowledge, branding co-creation and sense of belonging to the brand community, and in addition, using the mediating role of these three variables, it also has a positive effect on BSC. This study rejects only hypothesis 8 among all the hypotheses formulated, which shows that the sense of belonging to the brand community has no significant effect on branding co-creation.

Originality/value

By conceptualizing a new phenomenon called BSC and how its conversion mechanism is, this research defines a specific and formulated path to better identify the results of the organizational use of social media. In addition, it significantly contributes to increasing managers’ understanding of the importance of online brand community activities in internalizing customer brand knowledge within the company and turning it into wealth.

The Role of Governance in Solving the Problems of SMEs

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face various challenges such as lack of resources, finance, networking capability. Many of the constraints could be mitigated with the help of proper governance in the SMEs. Many articles have explored the challenges faced by SMEs and how this challenge could be mitigated with the help of proper governance. However, very few studies have summarized the influence of governance in solving the problems of SMEs in one place. So, a systematic literature review has been made to find the role of governance in solving the problems of SMEs. As SMEs are the pillar of economic development for a country, their problems and solutions in one document could help practitioners and academician research and development further in this area. Our findings suggest that governance may influence the problems associated with corporate networking, finance, cross-cultural interactions of SMEs.

Knowledge Management in Relation to Innovation and Its Effect on the Sustainability of Mexican Tourism Companies

An essential aspect of today’s companies is to convert their knowledge into innovative applications that have a sustainable effect; therefore, this study focuses on determining the relationship between the three mentioned constructs. To verify this, a questionnaire was applied to 492 companies in the tourism sector in southern Sonora, Mexico, whose information was captured in SPSS and analyzed with structural equations in the SmartPLS software. The main findings affirm that knowledge management has a direct, positive, and significant relationship with sustainability and innovation, as well as a positive and direct relationship between innovation and sustainability. Companies can focus on knowledge management that will generate innovation and in turn will be distinguished by achieving sustainability, with a possible generation of competitive advantage, as well as sustainable innovation.