Gaining competitive advantage through integrated talent development and engagement practices in the telecommunication sector; the mediating role of corporate image

Abstract The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of training in multiple functions, communication of strategy, and feedback on performance on competitive advantage while assessing the mediating role of corporate image. A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. Three hundred and one permanent employees working in different organizations in the Ghanaian telecommunication service sector were sampled for this study. The respondents' responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (structural equation modeling partial least squares) with the aid of IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26.0) and Smart PLS (Version 4.0). The results revealed that training in multiple functions, communication of strategies, and feedback on performance does not significantly relate to competitive advantage. Further, the results established that corporate image mediated the relationship between both communication of strategy and training in multiple functions and competitive advantage. However, corporate image did not mediate the link between feedback on performance and competitive advantage. These results imply that human resource managers should devise strategies to rapidly respond to situations in this current, competitive and ever-changing business environment. To the best of our knowledge, studies that have explored the mediating role of corporate image in the relationship between training in multiple functions, communication of strategy, and feedback on performance and competitive advantage in the telecommunication service sector are rare.