A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF DATA ANALYTICS IN BUSINESS STRATEGY: MODELS, TOOLS, AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Abstract

In the age of digital transformation and data abundance, data analytics has become a fundamental driver of strategic decision-making in modern enterprises. This systematic review critically examines the role of data analytics in shaping business strategy, with a focus on analytical typologies, technological tools, and the mechanisms through which analytics contributes to competitive advantage. Guided by the PRISMA methodology, a total of 162 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2015 and 2025 were systematically identified, screened, and analyzed from major academic databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore. The review synthesizes findings across multiple domains, revealing that descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics each contribute uniquely to strategic planning and performance optimization. Business Intelligence tools such as Tableau and Power BI, along with AI-driven forecasting models and cloud-based analytics infrastructure, emerged as critical enablers of data-informed strategic decisions. Moreover, the study highlights the organizational conditions—such as leadership support, data governance, and analytics maturity—that determine the effectiveness of analytics implementation. Sectoral and geographic analyses further reveal disparities in adoption and outcomes, emphasizing the contextual nature of analytics strategy. Theoretical foundations including the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities View (DCV), and Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework provide a conceptual lens for interpreting the findings. By consolidating evidence from 162 scholarly sources with over 40,000 combined citations, this review offers a comprehensive perspective on how analytics capabilities are developed, deployed, and leveraged to create strategic value. The study also identifies persistent gaps in longitudinal ROI assessments and calls for more diverse empirical research across industries and global contexts. This review provides actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers aiming to harness analytics for sustained organizational advantage.