Review articles or literature reviews are a critical part of scientific research. While numerous guides on literature reviews exist, these are often limited to the philosophy of review procedures, protocols, and nomenclatures, triggering non-parsimonious reporting and confusion due to overlapping similarities. To address the aforementioned limitations, we adopt a pragmatic approach to demystify and shape the academic practice of conducting literature reviews. We concentrate on the types, focuses, considerations, methods, and contributions of literature reviews as independent, standalone studies. As such, our article serves as an overview that scholars can rely upon to navigate the fundamental elements of literature reviews as standalone and independent studies, without getting entangled in the complexities of review procedures, protocols, and nomenclatures.

Since the end of the 1990s, the number of articles on coopetition-a relationship built on simultaneous competition and cooperation-has steadily increased in response to the growing prevalence of relationships of coopetition in many industries. The tension inherent in a relationship of coopetition with a direct competitor presents both a challenge for managers and, at the same time, an exciting and complex research area. Different researchers of coopetition have addressed the topic from vastly different perspectives, basing their research on different theoretical frameworks, types of analysis, methods, and aims. By classifying articles on coopetition published in the last 20 years, this paper presents an application of cluster analysis to examine trends and tendencies in coopetition research. The paper also assesses whether this research field has followed a coherent progression during this period. The research reveals two independent research trends within the coopetition literature. The first research trend consists of studies that have mathematically modeled and simulated coopetition scenarios using game theory, whereas the second research stream consists of theoretical research describing the dynamics and tensions of coopetition based on evidence from case studies. Based on the cluster analysis, inter-firm alliances and their governance mechanisms emerge as the most promising theoretical and practical approach to improve cooperation between competitors.

Purpose -The aim of this article is to identify the relationships between strategic orientations and various performance measurements in Spanish hospitality enterprises. Design/methodology/approach -With a sample of 189 hospitality firms, this study uses the Miles and Snow strategy typology, and validates a performance scale using the structural equations technique. Findings -Following the application of ANOVA methodology, the paper confirms that the three viable strategy types identified in the literature (prospectors, defenders, and analysers) are likely to perform well. In contrast, reactors are linked with poor performance. Practical implications -Inferences drawn from this study should take into account the limitations of the sample and the methodology used, mainly as using qualitative data. However, the evidence of the findings suggests that any of the positive strategic profiles are effective forms of competing and organizing, and can be equally successful in any environment if the firm implements it consistently. Originality/value -Confirms that the established typologies are still relevant to industry approaches.

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Purpose -This research proposes to study the connection between knowledge management practices and firm performance.Design/methodology/approach -Theoretical relations are tested through an empirical study carried out on 222 Spanish firms in the biotechnology and telecommunications industries.Findings -This paper shows how the firms that adopt knowledge management practices obtain better results than their competitors.Research limitations/implications -The subject of principles has not been considered a dimension of knowledge management. New avenues of inquiry are opened considering this dimension.Practical implications -It determines practices that have a positive incidence on firm performance.Originality/value -The conceptualization of knowledge management practices represents a theoretical innovation. This scale can be used in other knowledge-intensive industries. The paper concludes that these practices have a positive incidence on firm performance.

This article uses data from Sport England's Active People Survey (APS) to explore trends and demographic influences on participation in sporting and physical activities. On the basis of the analysis undertaken, this article considers the extent to which the APS data can be useful both to scholars of sport studies and to inform sport policymakers. Multivariate models are employed and a range of indicators of participation are utilized as dependent variables. These include participation in sport and exercise in general as well as participation in specific activities namely walking, cycling, swimming and athletics. The article concludes that analysis of the APS data can shed light on interesting trends and relationships that could assist an understanding of sport participation and inform policymakers.

This research studies how innovation competences affect the stock of intangibles and facilitate the development of intellectual capital (IC). We develop a theoretical model with these constructs, in which we distinguish two dimensions within innovation competences — Schumpeterian and continuous improvement competences; and three dimensions for IC — human capital, structural capital and relational capital. Theoretical relations are tested in an empirical study carried out in 222 Spanish firms from the Biotechnology and Telecommunications industries. We prove that innovation competences positively affect the stock of intangibles and facilitate the development of relational capital, structural capital and human capital.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine, from the perspective of different theoretical approaches, the relationship that exists between different ontological supports of knowledge and knowledge itself (the way it is created and its characteristics). Design/methodology/approach -The paper proposes two different types of knowledge (knowledge of concrete situations and abstract knowledge) and two approaches (the constructivist view and the cognitive view) and provides a general classification of the different knowledge types. Second, it examines the underlying ontological support-knowledge creation, characteristics or types of knowledge relationship in different approaches. Finally, conclusions are drawn that show how the conception of ontological support conditions the way in which knowledge is conceived. Findings -The results of the paper consist of making explicit the ontological support-knowledge creation, characteristics or types of knowledge relationship in different approaches; and enabling understanding of the fact that the ideas one has about knowledge (how it is created or what its characteristics are) come from one's beliefs about the supports in, or in interaction with, which it is created.Research limitations/implications -The implications for the different approaches to knowledge theory are important. The study proposes a change with regard to how one considers the ontological supports of knowledge. The limitation of the paper lies in the fact that this proposal needs to be presented in a more extensive format, through a series of different papers and analyses. Originality/value -The originality of the paper stems from the fact that it focuses on the ontological supports of knowledge and highlights the idea that the conception of these supports leads to a particular way of conceiving knowledge.