Objective: To investigate the effect of exploration, exploitation, sales growth and profitability of exporting companies located in four Brazilian states. Method: Data were processed and analyzed based on multivariate statistical procedures and Structural Equation Modeling with 216 exporting companies located in four states of Brazil, an emerging economy country. Main Results: The findings reveal a positive and significant effect of the exploration and exploitation dimensions on sales growth and profitability in the sample of companies investigated. Relevance / Originality: The analyzed regions are considered important for the Brazilian economy because they have different characteristics in geographic position, an abundance of natural resources, export of products and diversity of human knowledge. Finally, a theoretical framework was developed that covers the theory of Resource-Based View (RBV), exploration, exploitation and organizational performance dimensions. Theoretical / Methodological Contributions: The proposition of a theoretical framework containing relational aspects of the dimensions of ambidexterity (exploration and exploitation) and organizational performance (sales growth and profitability) associated with the RBV theory can contribute to the theoretical improvement of administrative sciences. Social / Management Contributions: The analyzed sample showed low profitability is more prone to exploitaton capabilities. On the other hand, companies with high profitability showed a greater inclination towards exploration capabilities. Companies with low sales growth indicate a greater inclination towards exploration capabilities, despite the small difference between exploration and exploitation for a group of companies.

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