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Unpacking the importance of intangible skills in new product development and sustainable business performance; strategies for marketing managers

Author

Listed:
  • Salman Ali
  • Guihua Li
  • Ping Yang
  • Kramat Hussain
  • Yousaf Latif

Abstract

Firms need sufficient resources (tangible and intangible) and capabilities to build unique products due to customers’ demands and choices, market competition and globalization. Despite sufficient resources, many firms cannot build new products according to the customers’ preferences and market trends due to lack of marketing capabilities, lack of skilled marketing staff and lack of experienced managers. However, studies have not yet examined what types of intangible skills of marketing managers are prominent for building new products. This study examines the importance of the intangible skills; intellectual captial, financial literacy and business experience in new product development that results in sustainable competitive performance. We used a mixed-method approach; questionnaire (283) and interviews (16) for data collection and then applied structural equation modelling for testing the hypotheses. The results revealed that all the three intangible skills; intellectual captial, financial literacy and business experience significant influence new product development and sustainable competitive performance. However, considering the relative importance, financial literacy and intellectual capital are the most significant predictors of sustainable competitive performance and new product development respectively. Moreover, new product development fully mediates the path between intellectual capital and sustainable competitive performance while it partially mediates the link between financial literacy, business experience and sustainable competitive performance. Considering the importance of tangible resources, our study scrutinized that financial resources have a significant influence on new product development and sustainable competitive performance while technological resources do not play a significant role. This research recommends firms to emphasize on the improvement of intangible skills of the managers in order to build new products that result in sustainable competitive position. This study also recommends marketing managers to improve their financial skills and experience by participating in various seminars and workshops that can spur their new idea generation and new product development capabilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Salman Ali & Guihua Li & Ping Yang & Kramat Hussain & Yousaf Latif, 2020. "Unpacking the importance of intangible skills in new product development and sustainable business performance; strategies for marketing managers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(9), pages 1-26, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0238743
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238743
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jian Xu & Yue Shang & Weizhen Yu & Feng Liu, 2019. "Intellectual Capital, Technological Innovation and Firm Performance: Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Mc Namara, Andrea & Murro, Pierluigi & O'Donohoe, Sheila, 2017. "Countries lending infrastructure and capital structure determination: The case of European SMEs," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 122-138.
    3. Jaffar Abbas & Saqlain Raza & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Mohd Sobri Minai & Shaher Bano, 2019. "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Business Networks on Firms’ Performance Through a Mediating Role of Dynamic Capabilities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-28, May.
    4. Alin Marius Andrieș & Nicu Marcu & Florin Oprea & Mihaela Tofan, 2018. "Financial Infrastructure and Access to Finance for European SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-15, September.
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    1. Yuqiu Lu & Guowei Li & Zhe Luo & Muhammad Anwar & Yunju Zhang, 2021. "Does Intellectual Capital Spur Sustainable Competitive Advantage and Sustainable Growth?: A Study of Chinese and Pakistani Firms," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440219, February.
    2. Nusrat Hafiz & Ahmad Shaharudin Abdul Latiff & Md Asadul Islam & Abu Naser Mohammad Saif & Sazali Abd Wahab, 2022. "Towards the Underlying Theories of Small Firm Growth: A Literature Review," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 11(1), pages 36-51, March.
    3. Sri Zaniarti & Sienly Veronica & Raden Arvi Arsytania, 2022. "The Effect of Financial Literacy on the Sustainability of Micro, Small, and Medium, Enterprises with Access to Finance as a Mediating Variable," International Journal of Management Science and Business Administration, Inovatus Services Ltd., vol. 9(1), pages 17-31, November.
    4. Yinyun Yu & Congdong Li & Weiming Yang & Wei Xu, 2021. "Determining the critical factors of air-conditioning innovation using an integrated model of fuzzy Kano-QFD during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspective of air purification," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-24, July.
    5. Muhammad Anwar & Thomas Clauss & Wunnam Basit Issah, 2022. "Entrepreneurial orientation and new venture performance in emerging markets: the mediating role of opportunity recognition," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 769-796, April.
    6. Viktorija Varaniūtė & Ineta Žičkutė & Akvilė Žandaravičiūtė, 2022. "The Changing Role of Management Accounting in Product Development: Directions to Digitalization, Sustainability, and Circularity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.

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