Influence of big data adoption on sustainable marketing and operation of SMEs: a hybrid approach of SEM-ANN

PurposeThis research aimed to analyze and prioritize the factors affecting sustainable marketing (SM) and sustainable operation (SO) of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs through big data adoption (BDA).Design/methodology/approachThe technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework was used as a theoretical base and data were gathered from manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia. The 159 questionnaire replies of chief executive officer (CEO)/managers were analyzed using a hybrid approach of structural equation modeling-artificial neural network (SEM-ANN).FindingsThe findings of this study showed that perceived benefits (PB), technological complexity (TC), organization's resources (OR), organization's management support (OMS) and government legislation (GL) are the factors that influence BDA and promote SM and SO. The findings of ANN showed that a perceived benefit is the most important factor, followed by OMS.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can assist SMEs managers in making strategic decisions and improving sustainable performance and thus contribute to overall economic development.Originality/valueThe manufacturing industry is under immense pressure to integrate sustainable practices for long-term success. BDA can assist industries in aligning industries' operational capabilities. The majority of the current research have mainly emphasized on BDA in corporations. However, the associations between BDA and sustainable performance of manufacturing SMEs have been less explored. To address this issue, this study developed a theoretical model and examined the influence of BDA on SM and SO of manufacturing SMEs. Meanwhile, the hybrid methodological approach can help to uncover both linear and non-linear relationships better.