Editorial - Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling : Rigorous Applications, Better Results and Higher Acceptance

This second Long Range Planning special issue on PLS-SEMin strategic management research and practice seeks to further progress towards this goal. The journal received 41 articles for its special issue on PLS-SEM, twelve of which completed a thorough review process successfully. Based on the number of high quality manuscripts, a decision was made to split the special issue. In the first Long Range Planning special issue on PLS-SEM in strategic management (Hair et al., 2012a; Robins, 2012), the focus was on methodological developments and their application (Becker et al., 2012; Furrer et al., 2012; Gudergan et al., 2012; Hair et al., 2012a,b,c; Money et al., 2012; Rigdon, 2012). This second special issue provides a forum for topical issues that demonstrate the usefulness of PLS-SEM by piloting applications of this method in the field of strategic management with strong implications for strategic research and practice. As such, the special issue targets two audiences: academics involved in the fields of strategy and management, and practitioners such as consultants. The six articles in this issue are summarized in the following paragraphs