Entrepreneurial Orientation and Export Performance of Emerging Market SMEs: The Moderating Role of Dynamic Capabilities in South Africa

ROBB,, C. , KIM,, E. , & LEE,, J. (2020). Entrepreneurial Orientation and Export Performance of Emerging Market SMEs: The Moderating Role of Dynamic Capabilities in South Africa. The Journal of Distribution Science, 18(12), 15-29, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15722/jds.18.12.202012.15

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Abstract

Purpose: Due to an ever more interconnected global commercial environment, the role of SMEs from emerging markets has attracted considerable attention in business literature of late. Reinforced by strategic management theory, this study builds on aspects such as entrepreneurial orientation and dynamic capabilities to construct and test a framework that focuses on exploring their associations with export performance. Research design, data and methodology: To contribute further towards a deeper understanding of these markets, the current study empirically tests a model using data collected from 225 exporting firms located throughout South Africa. Results: The results from the data analysis show that entrepreneurial orientation contributes significantly towards improving the performance of South African SMEs. Additionally, this study integrates three dynamic capabilities in the strategy-performance relationship to test their interacting effects on the correlation between entrepreneurial orientation and export performance. Further findings advocate support for relationship-based capabilities playing a moderating role between entrepreneurial orientation and the exporting performance of small and medium firms emanating from emerging markets. Conclusions: Findings provide substance to the argument that entrepreneurship, as a strategy-making process, leads to export performance in emerging nations. Especially, this study provides several suggestions as to how small and medium-sized organizations can develop their exporting performance based on the research findings.

keywords: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Dynamic Capabilities, Export Performance, South Africa

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Article Contents

Vol.18 No.12

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Export Performance of Emerging Market SMEs: The Moderating Role of Dynamic Capabilities in South Africa

Abstract

Reference

The Journal of Distribution Science