A PLS-SEM survey of 260 Thai healthy-food operators associated innovation, service quality and competitive advantage directly with sustainability scores. Innovation also showed indirect paths through the two mediators, and the model explained 60.7% of variance, but one-time survey data cannot establish causal order.
Key findings
- Innovation, service quality and competitive advantage had direct associations with sustainability, with mediated innovation paths through service quality and competitive advantage. The joint model had R²=.607; the abstract does not report path magnitudes or confidence intervals.
Why this matters globally
Healthy-food markets globally face trust, cost and competition pressures. The framework suggests evaluating how innovation becomes service quality and competitive advantage rather than simply counting new products.
Thai researcher contribution
KMITL researchers and an industry-affiliated co-author generated operator-level evidence from Thailand, connecting innovation management with the healthy-food sector.
Limitations to consider
Sampling and response rates are not reported in the abstract. Same-time self-reports invite common-method bias and reverse causation; sustainability may be perceived rather than audited performance, and PLS-SEM does not turn associations into causation.
Verify the original sources
SustainabilityRead the original article↗DOI: 10.3390/su18146947