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A Study on the Competitive Sustainability of Innovative Design Thinking and Ceramic Art Brands
Vol 3, Issue 4, 2025
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Abstract
This study examines how the convergence of design thinking, innovation, and sustainability enhances competitive sustainability in the global ceramic industry. Grounded in the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities, and Triple Bottom Line frameworks, the study conceptualizes design thinking as a strategic capability that transforms innovation and sustainability resources into sustained competitive advantage. Using quantitative data from 90 ceramic brands across seven countries, the analysis employs descriptive statistics, regression, fixed-effects, and mediation tests. Based on the quantitative panel data on 90 ceramic art brands and 7 countries over the time span 2019–2021, the quantitative analysis will use the descriptive statistics, ordinary least squares, fixed-effects, mediation, and structural equation modeling. Results show that design thinking has a strong and stable positive effect on competitive sustainability (b = 1.29, p < 0.05), alongside market share and brand awareness, explaining about 51% of the variance. However, design thinking does not mediate the relationship between innovation and competitive sustainability, indicating that design thinking and innovation function as parallel strategic capabilities. The findings integrate RBV and Dynamic Capabilities with TBL logic, demonstrating how creativity-based intangible capabilities support both economic and sustainability goals in traditional manufacturing sectors.
Keywords
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University of City Island, Cyprus






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