Title: Competitiveness as a broad concept: definitions and methodologies in three industry contexts

Authors: Yundong Huang; Jun Huang

Addresses: Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business, Murray State University, 409A Business Building, Murray, Kentucky 42071, USA ' Department of Management and Marketing, Angelo State University, 2601 W. Avenue N, San Angelo, Texas 76909, USA

Abstract: Competitiveness is a widely used concept in management and international business that has been proposed and explained by various scholars and associations in significantly different ways. This article reviews the definitions, methodologies, aspects, and global contexts of competitiveness in the past 20 years by examining 45 studies on competitiveness. The contribution of this article is to illustrate the different understandings of competitiveness, introduce the most influential works, and present examples of current competitiveness in three industries: energy-intensive markets, the food industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. Also discussed are future directions for sustainable competitiveness and how environmental regulations can induce, rather than restrict, competitiveness.

Keywords: competitiveness; sustainability; global competition.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCP.2018.092337

International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy, 2018 Vol.11 No.2, pp.172 - 189

Received: 10 Oct 2017
Accepted: 23 Mar 2018
Published online: 14 Jun 2018 *

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