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Export Performance in SMEs: The Importance of External Knowledge Search Strategies and Absorptive Capacity

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Abstract

External knowledge search strategies are considered essential for increasing export performance, a crucial goal for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a globalised and turbulent environment. SMEs are known to have limited resources, which leads them to choose the export strategy as the best alternative for entering foreign markets. The present study analyses the link between industrial and non-industrial knowledge search strategies and export performance, taking into account absorptive capacity (AC) as a mediating variable. Results from a sample of 222 Spanish exporting SMEs reveal that orientation to collaborate with industrial partners contributes to firms’ AC and export performance. Moreover, AC is found to have a full mediating role between orientation to collaborate with industrial partners and export performance. The study makes a novel contribution by applying organisational learning theory to explain how both the strategies firms adopt to access external knowledge and their absorptive capacity affect their export performance.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Spanish Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness (Ref. ECO2011-29863 and ECO2015-69704-R) for financial support for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management ‘Juan José Renau Piqueras’, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain

    José Luis Ferreras-Méndez, Anabel Fernández-Mesa & Joaquín Alegre

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  1. José Luis Ferreras-Méndez
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  2. Anabel Fernández-Mesa
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Appendix

Appendix

1.1 Questionnaire items for absorptive capacity

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about your organisation

Recognise (Arbussà and Coenders 2007; Jansen et al. 2005; Szulanski 1996)

  1. 1.

    We frequently scan the environment for new technologies.

  2. 2.

    We thoroughly observe technological trends.

  3. 3.

    We observe in detail external sources of new technologies.

Assimilate (Arbussà and Coenders 2007; Jansen et al. 2005; Szulanski 1996)

  1. 4.

    We periodically organise special meetings with external partners to acquire new technologies.

  2. 5.

    Employees regularly approach external institutions to acquire technological knowledge.

  3. 6.

    We often transfer technological knowledge into our firm in response to technology acquisition opportunities.

Maintain (Jansen et al. 2005; Marsh and Stock 2006; Smith et al. 2005)

  1. 7.

    We thoroughly maintain relevant knowledge over time.

  2. 8.

    Employees store technological knowledge for future reference.

  3. 9.

    We communicate relevant knowledge across the units of our firm.

Reactivate (Garud and Nayyar 1994; Jansen et al. 2005; Marsh and Stock 2006)

  1. 10.

    When recognising a business opportunity, we can rapidly draw on our existing technological knowledge.

  2. 11.

    We rapidly analyse and interpret changing market demands for our technologies.

  3. 12.

    New opportunities to serve our customers with existing technologies are rapidly understood.

Transmute (Jansen et al. 2005; Smith et al. 2005; Todorova and Durisin 2007)

  1. 13.

    We are proficient in transforming technological knowledge into new products.

  2. 14.

    We regularly match new technologies with ideas for new products.

  3. 15.

    We rapidly recognise the usefulness of new technological knowledge for existing knowledge.

Apply (Jansen et al. 2005; Smith et al. 2005; Szulanski 1996)

  1. 16.

    We regularly apply technologies in new products.

  2. 17.

    We constantly consider how to better exploit technologies.

  3. 18.

    It is well known who can best exploit new technologies in our firm.

1.2 Questionnaire items for external knowledge sources for innovation

(Chen et al. 2011; Laursen and Salter 2006)

Indicate the importance for innovation of the following types of organisations:

  1. 1.

    Suppliers of equipment, material, components or software;

  2. 2.

    Clients or customers;

  3. 3.

    Competitors and other firms from the same industry;

  4. 4.

    Consultants;

  5. 5.

    Commercial laboratories or R&D enterprises;

  6. 6.

    Universities or other higher educational institutes;

  7. 7.

    Government or private non-profit research institutes.

1.3 Questionnaire items for export performance

(Lages et al. 2009)

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about your organisation

  1. 1.

    Export operations are very profitable

  2. 2.

    Export operations have generated a high volume of sales

  3. 3.

    Export operations have been growing rapidly

Note: All the items were evaluated on an 8-point Likert scale.

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Ferreras-Méndez, J.L., Fernández-Mesa, A. & Alegre, J. Export Performance in SMEs: The Importance of External Knowledge Search Strategies and Absorptive Capacity. Manag Int Rev 59, 413–437 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-019-00379-6

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