Do contingencies matter between organizational capabilities and SME export performance?
Review of International Business and Strategy
ISSN: 2059-6014
Article publication date: 1 March 2023
Issue publication date: 24 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the resource-based view and contingency theory, this study aims to investigate the effects of organizational capabilities – technology capability and marketing capability – on small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) export performance and the moderating roles of contingent factors in this relationship in the context of a highly competitive export-oriented economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The research framework was tested using a three-way stepwise hierarchical multiple regression analysis with data gathered from 531 Korean international SMEs.
Findings
In addition to the direct effects of two types of organizational capabilities on export performance, the results show that both capabilities were critical when the export market was competitive, and marketing capability was more important when exporting with a brand name and targeting a developing country.
Originality/value
This study further extends the literature on SMEs’ internationalization in the context of highly competitive export-driven markets and highlights the importance of strategically allocating SMEs’ capabilities to reap optimal export performance by considering dynamic contingencies.
Keywords
Citation
Cho, H.J., Jin, B.E. and Shin, D.C. (2023), "Do contingencies matter between organizational capabilities and SME export performance?", Review of International Business and Strategy, Vol. 33 No. 4, pp. 605-626. https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-12-2021-0163
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited