Capabilities, Innovation and Overall Performance in Brazilian Export Firms

• Autor(a) principal: Cabral, José Ednilson de Oliveira
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Coelho, Arnaldo Fernandes Matos, Coelho, Filipe Jorge Fernandes, Costa, Maria da penha Braga
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie
• Texto Completo: https://editorarevistas.mackenzie.br/index.php/RAM/article/view/7542
• topic: Innovation. Export. Capabilities. Performance. Brazil.; Innovación. Exportadores. Capacidades. Desempeño. Brasil.; Inovação. Exportadoras. Capacidades. Performance. Brasil.

This paper extends the current research on innovation by investigating the relationship between innovative capabilities and overall performance in export firms. From the perspectives of resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability, we examine the differential and interactive effects of exploration and exploitation capabilities in product innovation for external markets and overall performance (direct and mediated by a new product). In addition, we test the moderating effect of market dynamism and the controlling effect of firm size on these relationships. Hence, the main contribution of this article is to develop and empirically test an original model, by combining these constructs that address new relationships, in an emerging country. Our model was tested with data from 498 Brazilian export firms distributed throughout all Brazilian manufacturing sectors, by firm size, and regional States. The analysis was made with the application of structural equation modeling (SEM). We measured all constructs in our study by at least four items which were selected from previous studies in the literature. We found support for the hypotheses that exploitation capabilities influence product innovation and overall performance, whereas exploration capabilities and their interaction with exploitation influence overall performance but not product innovation. Additionally, the relationship between exploitation capabilities and overall performance is mediated by product innovation. Surprisingly, market dynamism does not moderate the relationship between product innovation and overall performance. Furthermore, firm size acts as a controlling variable in the analyzed paths. Regarding the implications for theory, our study adds to the understanding that capabilities exploitation influences a firm’s overall performance both directly and indirectly (via product innovation) and highlights the distinct direct and mediatory effects of innovation on overall performance. These insights show the importance of considering the role of mediating and moderator variables in theory and research models that address the determinants of overall performance to avoid overestimation of the constructs roles. Finally, the work provides original empirical support for the hypothesis of the interdependency of product innovations for external markets and overall performance.