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The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretically rigorous and practically relevant summary of research findings that enables managers to drive sustainable profits improvements via pricing. It showcases multiple case studies that demonstrate how companies can achieve higher-than-average profitability by implementing intelligent pricing strategies and tactics.

Over the past 20 years, this writer has conducted dozens of academic surveys with managers exploring the antecedents, moderators and consequences of pricing practices for existing and new products. The writer has analyzed all pricing research published in leading academic journals over the past decades. Finally, as equity partner of Hinterhuber & Partners, a pricing consultancy (www.hinterhuber.com), this writer – through collaborations with companies and workshops conducted with practicing managers – has collected data and insights on best practices in managing pricing as a strategic activity.

Pricing is the most powerful driver of superior profits, yet managers view pricing as relevant only in the context of innovation. This narrow view prevents companies from realizing their full potential. Best practice examples of pricing as well as rigorous academic research suggest that pricing based on solid scientific principles helps average companies to achieve above-average results. This paper presents a review of recent research and summarizes the fundamental principles that managers must master so that pricing becomes an enabler of lasting superior performance.

Academic research in pricing surpasses managerial practice. Managers often rely on outdated concepts when it comes to pricing strategy and tactics.

The paper presents a framework that allows managers to implement pricing strategies that improve performance.

Effective pricing strategies benefit companies, customers and other stakeholders.

The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research on pricing and thus documents that pricing based on solid, scientific principles is an enable of lasting, above-average profitability.

This study aims to present a conceptual framework for understanding the dual orientations of market-based organizational learning (MBOL), namely, market orientation (MO) and learning orientation (LO), in the development of pricing capability (PC) with the goal of improving business performance (BP). This framework further explores the moderating effects of coordination mechanism (CM) and environmental dynamism (ED) on the PC–BP link and the mediating role of PC on the relationship between MBOL and BP.

This study applied the partial least squares structural equation modeling on survey data from 298 Indian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in manufacturing and service sectors.

The findings indicate that MBOL significantly contributes to PC development, which in turn improves BP. Interestingly, PC acts as a partial mediator in the MO–BP link, as well as LO–BP link. Moreover, CM and ED strengthen the effect of PC on BP. Finally, MO and LO have substantial and distinct effects on PC and BP.

This study examines only one market-related capability, i.e. PC, considers multi-industry SMEs rather than specific large industries and uses cross-sectional instead of longitudinal data.

These findings are crucial from managerial standpoints because SMEs need to understand the MBOL dimensions, including MO and LO, and their significance in improving PC and BP.

Understanding how MBOL adoption contributes to superior performance is critical, but research in the SMEs context is still lacking. This study addresses a research gap by examining the impact of MBOL on BP, both directly and indirectly, through PC in the context of SMEs.

This study aims to investigate how environmentalism in photovoltaic (PV) substitution and nationalism in PV rivalry with the USA are associated with the trade-offs made by young consumers in Lanzhou when selecting Chinese brand portable solar power banks.

In this study, the choice-based conjoint survey was conducted to investigate mobile power bank consumers aged 18–28 in Lanzhou urban districts. A total of 2,004 valid questionnaires were collected and 1,813 sample was used in analyses. Logit and ordinary least squares regression models were run for empirical analyses.

The research results show that consumers tend to sacrifice certain levels of affordability for moderate technological capability, a reputable brand, better portability and advanced charging functions or sacrifice certain levels of technological capabilities for a moderate price. Consumers with stronger environmentalism in PV substitution tend to prioritize median price levels, larger battery capacity and better portability, while being less sensitive to brand and showing less preference for advanced charging functions. Consumers with stronger nationalism in PV rivalry tend to prioritize reasonably higher prices, bigger brands, enhanced portability, more solar panels and advanced charging functions.

This research sheds light on consumer trade-offs between price, brand, portability, technological capability and charging function. It also explores how environmentalism and nationalism sentiments are associated with consumer decision-making. These insights carry valuable policy implications for fostering product innovation, supporting brand-building initiatives for small and medium-size enterprises, promoting market competition and preventing the weaponization of consumer nationalism.

As an emerging solar power product, the portable solar power bank holds significant potential for widespread adoption as a means to drive energy transition. Within the current context, two notable sentiments have surfaced: environmentalism, which pertains to the adoption of PV technology as a substitute for conventional energy sources and nationalism, which manifests in the PV rivalry between China and the USA. This research aims to investigate consumer preference related to this emerging product, specifically focusing on its relationship with these two sentiments.

High failure rates characterise the experience of new entrepreneurial ventures in Nigeria and other emerging economies. Reliance on strategic tools such as entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is critical to the growth and survival of new ventures. This empirical study aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between EO and performance of new venture logistics firms in Nigeria. It further explores the contingent effects of social capital and marketing capabilities on the hypothesised direct relationships from a transport industry perspective.

Managers of 650 new venture logistics service providers in selected Nigerian cities were Web-surveyed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Regression analysis was further performed. Common method variance and other validity checks were assessed.

The 469 valid responses showed a positive relationship between EO and new venture performance (NVP). Social capital and marketing capabilities positively moderate the direct relationship between EO and NVP. Managerial implications suggest that context-specific dynamics must be considered when making strategic EO decisions to aid firm growth and survival.

This study directly responds to the contingency approach recommendation of past studies (Anwar et al., 2022; Van Stel et al., 2021; Covin and Wales, 2019) using the logistics service and emerging economy context. It also introduces social capital and marketing capabilities as moderators.

This study aims to investigate the effect of accounting conservatism and business strategies as mitigating tools for bankruptcy risk. It determines the association among these factors and provides insights into the effectiveness of accounting discretion and business strategies in decision-making.

The study uses a sample of 83 nonfinancial listed firms in ASE for the period from 2013 to 2019. Bankruptcy risk is measured using the Altman Z-score (1968). Accounting conservatism is measured using the accrual-based approach, and optimal business strategies are identified through cluster analysis.

The results indicate that accounting conservatism has a significant negative effect on bankruptcy risk. Increased application of accounting conservatism practices leads to a decrease in the level of bankruptcy risk. However, the type of business strategy adopted by firms does not have a significant impact on bankruptcy risk, suggesting that firms are not effectively implementing their strategies to mitigate this risk.

This study focuses on nonfinancial listed firms in the ASE, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other contexts. The study's findings contribute to the understanding of the role of accounting conservatism in reducing bankruptcy risk but highlight the need for further research on the effectiveness of business strategies in mitigating this risk.

This study lies in understanding of the role of accounting discretion in financial evaluations and emphasizes the importance of accounting conservatism as a tool for mitigating bankruptcy risk. The study's insights provide valuable guidance to practitioners, regulators and researchers in this field.

Drawing on capability theory, this study aims to examine the interplay of learning orientation, market orientation and stakeholder engagement in fostering social enterprise innovativeness.

A survey of 1,044 Australian social enterprise executives and managers tested hypotheses in a mediated moderation model using structural equation modelling.

Nested model comparisons revealed key insights: market orientation partially mediates the relationship between learning commitment, open-mindedness and innovativeness. High stakeholder engagement hinders learning commitment’s effect on innovativeness while enhancing open-mindedness’ impact. Shared vision negatively affects innovativeness. Control variables highlight gender-based perceptions, with female executives viewing market orientation and innovativeness less favourably than male counterparts. This study underscores the importance of heightened market orientations in hostile business environments.

Findings prompt further investigation into stakeholder engagement’s negative impact on learning commitment and shared vision’s effect on innovativeness. It is crucial to recognise gender perspectives in strategy and align internal practices with external conditions.

This study clarifies the interplay between learning orientation, market orientation and stakeholder engagement in fostering innovativeness amid contradictory findings. It advances social enterprise research by introducing a capability-based approach to cultivate innovativeness, challenging dominant customer-focused strategies to enhance organisational performance.

Drawing on the concept of superior resource, capability and processes of the resource-based theory of the firm, the purpose of the current study is to analyze the influence of firms’ winner-picking strategic approach on firm performance (FP) via a direct and indirect mechanism.

Using survey data of 104 diversified manufacturing firms, the current study analyzed the conditional indirect effect of firms’ strategic approach on efficient resource allocation with the help of Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) process macros.

The study found that firms’ choices of winner-picking approach can undermine the resource allocation efficiency when not perfectly blended with firms’ access to the resource. Furthermore, the effect of winner-picking strategy (WPS) on resource allocation efficiency via firms’ competitive advantage (CA) can be greater when both strategic choice and resources are employed adequately.

Despite making a unique contribution, the present study has a few limitations requiring researchers’ attention to be tackled in the forthcoming. This includes a little amount of data, a self-reporting technique and failure to include all the possible reasons that could lead to inefficient resource allocation.

The present research has potential applications for managers of the manufacturing industry in a period of sheer uncertainty [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)]. First, the study alerts managers about the challenges of underinvestment and overinvestment while allocating resources. At the same time, this study provides an important implication for managing the importance of firms’ access to capital (AC).

The current study has made a sizeable impression in the literature on internal resource allocation and resource-based theory of the firm by recommending a model that augments the theoretical foundation of strategic management of the firms. As there are only a handful of studies on this grave issue in the context of developing economies, thus, closely considering these insights would be helping for the firms for allocating resources efficiently in the manufacturing industry.

Humane Entrepreneurship (HumEnt) is strongly purpose-oriented and characterized by a focus on inclusiveness and social and environmental sustainability, with attention to both internal and external stakeholders and their needs. In the attempt to provide new research in this field, this study aims to conduct an empirical investigation within the theory of HumEnt and, in particular, of the Human Resource Orientation (HRO) model among Italian Small and Medium-size Enterprises.

Based on quantitative data, this study used a deductive approach to investigate the relationship between the HumEnt model and firms’ relational embeddedness with different types of stakeholders (value chain stakeholders and societal stakeholders, respectively). More concretely, to investigate the relationships between the dimensions of the HumEnt model and firms’ relational embeddedness, partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied.

Findings of this study suggest that Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) directly contributes only to value chain embeddedness. However, the results also show that if EO is mediated by an HRO (i.e. companies with a high HRO), a high level of societal embeddedness is also present.

This study represents a first attempt to provide comprehensive empirical evidence about the different dimensions characterizing the HumEnt theoretical model, and to highlight their relevance in supporting companies’ relational embeddedness capacity with different categories of stakeholders.

The purpose of this paper is to respond to the existing gap in the literature and analyze empirically the mediating role of potential absorptive capacity and innovation capacity in the relationship between socio-cognitive capital and new product performance in tourism businesses.

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to measure the effect of independent variables and mediators on the results of new products through information collected from 300 companies through a structured questionnaire applied to tourism companies.

Important findings are presented demonstrating the positive and significant influence of cognitive social capital on the results of new products; however, this is not enough, so the potential absorption capacity and the capacity for innovation play a very important role in improving the effect on the results of new products. The findings suggest that organizations should direct their culture and shared goals toward assimilation and knowledge and the development of innovation capabilities in order to obtain more successful new product results.

The study adds value to the study of social capital by analyzing social cognitive capital and its impact on new product performance. In contrast to previous studies, it suggests incorporating potential absorptive capacity and innovation capacity as mediating variables in a comprehensive model that illustrates the positive spillover effect, thereby enhancing the outcomes related to new product performance.

本文旨在處理現存文獻內的研究缺口。研究人員以實證研究法、去分析於旅遊業內潛在的吸收能力和創新能力在社會認知性資本與新產品性能之間的關聯上所扮演的協調角色。

研究人員以結構型問卷向300間旅遊公司收集資料和數據,並使用偏最小平方法的結構方程模型 (PLS-SEM),去測量各自變數與協調者對新產品的成效所產生的影響。

研究結果頗為重要,因它證明了認知性社會資本,對新產品的成效會產生積極和重大的影響。唯這仍不足夠; 研究結果更確認了潛在的吸收能力和創新能力在優化新產品成效所帶來的影響方面,確扮演著極其重要的角色; 因此,研究結果建議組織應引導其文化和共同目標,走向知識同化和發展創新能力的道路上,以獲取更成功的新產品成效。

本研究分析社會認知性資本及它對新產品成效的影響,就此而言,本研究增添了研究社會資本的價值。與過去的研究相比,本研究建議設計一個顯示積極的溢出效應的全面性模型,當中包含潛在的吸收能力和創新能力,作為中介變數,因此,與新產品性能有關的成果得以提昇。

Circular economy firms, unlike those in a linear economy, encounter significant challenges due to the nature of nonstandardized products, such as asymmetric information on product specifications and highly dispersed supply and demand. Consequently, achieving large-scale operations becomes inherently difficult for them. However, when digital platform-based circular firms adopt diversified business models, their value creation has the potential to achieve significant scale. This study aims to answer “How do digital platform-based circular firms scale up value creation through business model diversification?”.

The authors use a qualitative case study design with a longitudinal (2011–2023) analysis of the various business models developed by ATRenew, a leading firm in the Chinese preowned electronics industry.

The authors find that the recycling business model can act as a “cornerstone” business model for a circular firm to integrate the business model portfolio by leveraging the most synergies (or complementarities) with other business models. Besides, digital platform-based circular firms can effectively scale up value creation by leveraging capability complementary on the supply side, through establishing industrial infrastructure shared with the platform ecosystem; and by leveraging customer complementary on the demand side, through activating the dual role played by platform users as suppliers and consumers.

The authors contribute to the circular business models literature with three mechanisms to scale up circular value creation through business model diversification and advance a set of propositions to be tested in future research. This also has important practical implications for circular economy platform businesses.