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3. Research methodology
3.1. Research approach and data collection
This article adopts a theoretical research approach based on an integrative
literature review combined with conceptual analysis in order to construct an analytical
framework for the relationship among organizational AI capability, strategic restructuring,
innovation, and sustainable competitive capability, while also developing the study’s
propositions. This approach is suitable for fast-changing fields in which empirical evidence
remains fragmented and explanatory frameworks have not yet become fully consolidated
(Tranfield et al., 2003; Yin, 2018).
In the context of AI’s ongoing reshaping of organizational structures and firms’
competitive logic, this approach makes it possible to clarify mechanisms of influence at
the strategic level rather than merely describing technological effects at the operational
level. At the same time, combining literature review with conceptual analysis helps
systematize existing approaches, identify theoretical intersections, and propose a more
integrated analytical framework.
The study uses secondary data selected according to three criteria: relevance to the
research topic, academic reliability, and practical reference value. Data were collected
from three main sources. The first consists of scientific publications in reputable
international journals in the fields of strategic management, innovation, digital
transformation, and the impact of AI on firms, such as Strategic Management Journal and
Long Range Planning. The second consists of reports and framework documents from
international organizations on AI, digital transformation, and capability development in
the digital context, notably those published by OECD and UNESCO (OECD, 2021; UNESCO,
2022), which provide contextual and governance-oriented perspectives relevant to
capability development in the digital era. The third consists of policy documents and
digital capability frameworks that connect the theoretical argument to the practical
context, including Vietnam’s National Strategy on Research, Development, and
Application of Artificial Intelligence through 2030 (Prime Minister of Vietnam, 2021) and
DigCompOrg (Kampylis et al., 2015).
3.2. Analysis and synthesis procedure
The research process was conducted in four steps. First, the literature was identified
and classified according to core themes, including artificial intelligence, dynamic
capabilities, strategic restructuring, innovation, and sustainable competitive capability, in
order to ensure alignment with the research question and theoretical framework. Second,
the study compared theoretical arguments to identify intersections among research
streams, especially those concerning general-purpose technology theory, dynamic
capabilities theory, and perspectives on sustainable competition. Third, on that basis, the
study conceptualized the model and developed an analytical framework consisting of four
components: organizational AI capability, strategic restructuring, innovation, and
sustainable competitive capability. Fourth, the study used representative arguments and
illustrative cases drawn from secondary sources to reinforce the framework and clarify
managerial implications.
This process is consistent with the study’s objective of building a theoretical model
that explains the relationship among technology, strategy, innovation, and competition in
the context of firms transforming under the influence of AI.

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