Organisational capabilities, corporate sustainability and firm competitiveness of coffee enterprises in Vietnam's Central Highlands: co-creation in an international trade context

Purpose This study examines how marketing capability, digital capability, and supply chain capability influence corporate sustainability and firm competitiveness among coffee enterprises in Vietnam's Central Highlands. It also investigates the moderating role of co-creation in the relationship between corporate sustainability and firm competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, Stakeholder Theory, and Service-Dominant Logic, the study analyses data from 236 coffee enterprises using SmartPLS 4 and PLS-SEM. Corporate sustainability is modelled as a higher-order construct including economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Findings All hypotheses are supported. Marketing capability, digital capability, and supply chain capability positively affect corporate sustainability, with digital capability showing the strongest effect. Corporate sustainability strongly enhances firm competitiveness and mediates the effects of organisational capabilities on competitiveness. Co-creation also positively moderates the sustainability–competitiveness link. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by its cross-sectional design, self-reported data, and regional focus, which may constrain generalisability. However, it shows that competitiveness depends not only on internal capabilities but also on sustainability-oriented practices and stakeholder collaboration. Originality/value This study integrates key organisational capabilities into a unified framework explaining how corporate sustainability enhances firm competitiveness in an export-oriented agricultural context. It also highlights the mediating role of sustainability and the moderating role of co-creation in strengthening sustainable competitiveness in an emerging economy.