How green intellectual capital shapes competitive advantage through…

Amid increasingly stringent environmental regulations and rapid global digitalization, the role of green intellectual capital in forging competitive advantage for firms in the manufacturing industry has become a growing concern. This study aims to propose an integrated framework for examining the mediating effect of green innovation and the moderating impact of the application of artificial intelligence on the relationship between green intellectual capital and competitive advantage. Grounded in the natural resource-based theory and the dynamic capabilities theory, the research uses data collected from 163 Chinese manufacturing enterprises and applies partial least squares structural equation modeling, with machine learning techniques such as XGBoost-SHAP. The results reveal that all three dimensions of green intellectual capital, namely green human capital, green structural capital, and green relational capital, are positively associated with both green product innovation and green process innovation, with green structural capital exhibiting the strongest effect. Green innovation partially mediates the relationship between green intellectual capital and competitive advantage. The application of artificial intelligence positively moderates the relationship between green intellectual capital and green innovation, particularly through the green relational capital pathway. Notably, machine learning analysis uncovers a threshold effect whereby an artificial intelligence application must reach a critical level before generating positive impacts on competitive advantage. This study contributes to the literature by extending the natural-resource-based view to digital contexts and demonstrating complementary insights through the integration of explanatory and predictive analytical approaches.