Enhancing corporate competitiveness: leveraging CSR, creative self-efficacy, and behavior for competitive advantage

Abstract

The relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and competitive advantage (CA) has become more critical than ever for firms, particularly in the hospitality and other service industries, during times of crisis. This study sought to investigate the correlation between CSR and CA, with the mediating role of creative behaviour (CB) and the moderating role of creative self-efficacy (CSE). Based on data gathered from 167 employees in the hotel industry in Saudi Arabia, the proposed model was tested using PLS-SEM via SmartPLS software. The results revealed that CSR directly and indirectly affects CA through CB. Importantly, CSE moderates the linkages between ethical and philanthropic dimensions of CSR and CB. This study expands our understanding of the relationship of CSR to CA in the hospitality literature by highlighting its potential mechanism and conditional effect, where the mediating and moderating role of CB and CSE in the relationship between CSR dimensions and firms' CA have been tested. The findings can assist firms in hospitality and other service industries in achieving CA during crises in the developing market.