Investigating the Effects of Information Technology Capability on the Competitiveness of Sports Stores with the Mediating Role of Social Innovation

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of information technology capabilities on the competitiveness of sports stores with the mediating role of social innovation. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive and survey in terms of method. The statistical population studied were all the sellers of sports stores in the Monirieh district of Tehran in 2021. The number of the statistical population under study was unknown. The number of statistical samples was estimated to be 127 people through G-Power software. The sampling method was available. The tool for collecting the data was a questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were checked and confirmed. A total of 127 respondents answered the distributed questionnaires perfectly. Structural equation modeling including confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis was used for data analysis. The software used for data analysis was SPSS and SMART PLS. The results showed that social innovation plays a mediating role in the relationship between information technology capabilities and the competitiveness of sports stores. Therefore, the use of information technology and social innovation by sports store sellers is necessary to achieve a better position than competitors. IntroductionOne of the characteristics of successful companies is competitiveness (Zandhasami & Ashtianipour, 2012). Competitiveness is one of the most important concerns of business and activity in a dynamic and competitive environment (Bălan, Balaure & Vegheş, 2009). In the meantime, information technology capabilities can be used as organizational capabilities to achieve competitive advantages (Wade & Hulland, 2004). Information technology capabilities alone are not enough to achieve competitiveness (Doğan, 2016). In fact, one of the distinctive features of our society is the continuous effort to create, adopt, and spread innovations (Cajaiba-Santana, 2014). There are different types of innovation: example commercial, social, and artistic. Most of these innovations are no longer limited to the field of technology, and a broader concept includes dynamic management, new marketing methods, external cooperation, intelligent activity, and human resource management. These innovations are called “social innovation” (Pol &Ville, 2009). Social innovations can bring many benefits, including increasing the level of trust in the government and improving decision-making processes (Vasin, Gamidu