Run! This road has no ending! A systematic review of PLS-SEM application in strategic management research among developing nations

V Shela; T Ramayah; Kalisri Logeswaran Aravindan; Noor Hazlina Ahmad; Ahmed Ibrahim Alzahrani

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22476

Run! This road has no ending! A systematic review of PLS-SEM application in strategic management research among developing nations

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 23;9(12):e22476. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22476. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

V Shela¹, T Ramayah^{1

2

3

4

5

6}, Kalisri Logeswaran Aravindan⁷, Noor Hazlina Ahmad¹, Ahmed Ibrahim Alzahrani⁸

Affiliations

¹ School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
² Department of Information Technology & Management, Daffodil International University, (DIU), Bangladesh.
³ Department of Management, Sunway Business School (SBS), Malaysia.
⁴ University Center for Research & Development (UCRD), Chandigarh University (CU), India.
⁵ Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia (UI), Indonesia.
⁶ The University of Jordan (UJ), Jordan.
⁷ Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya Campus, Selangor, Malaysia.
⁸ Computer Science Department, Community College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is emerging as a prominent methodological tool in strategic management research. Although it offers various advancements to stay relevant with growing research needs, the pace of PLS-SEM adoption may differ in different parts of the world. In this paper, we conducted a systematic review using the PRISMA framework and extracted from the top-ranking strategic management journals 120 articles published between 2011 and 2022 that presented a microscopic view on developing nations. Our findings reveal that despite the astounding methodological solutions offered by PLS-SEM, the studies from developing nations are still trailing behind developed nations in terms of fully exploiting the advancements of PLS-SEM to provide substantial insights to strategic management literature. This review identifies discrepancies in the current application of the method, discusses the most recent advancements and provides the best practices, standard guidelines and recommendations for the best use of PLS-SEM in strategic management research.