SMEs' Innovation and Export Capabilities: Identification and Characterization of a Common Space Using Data Spatialization

Abstract

Numerous publications try to identify and test empirically the link between innovation and export to explain firms' competitiveness. But it seems that several ways of thinking coexist, without a real consensus. This article proposes a different approach, by considering innovation and export not in terms of impact of the one on the other, but rather as two complementary activities mobilizing common capabilities (resources, skills, knowledge). These common capabilities represent the capabilities that a company needs to mobilize as a priority to improve its performance regarding innovation as well as export. This article aims to identify the common spaces between innovation and export in terms of current practices within SMEs. Initially, the innovation and export practices were identified in the literature and through a set of interviews with business managers. Then an analysis of similarity put forward the common practices between the innovation and export processes. A data spatialization shows that the common practices concern at least: (1) network management, (2) consideration of the customer, (3) the acquisition of information, (4) skills management, (5) the capitalization of knowledge, (6) the global strategy, (7) the follow-up of the projects, (8) the intellectual property, and finally (9) the corporate culture.

Foreign direct investment and technology spillovers in Mexico: 20 years of NAFTA

“…However, the results achieved in Model 2 are not conclusive. As already mentioned in Model 1, the variable XS shows a positive sign suggesting that trade liberalisation positively impact the development of technology capacity (TCI) through competition given that this effect improves firms' absorptive capacity for acquiring new technologies from abroad (Enjolras et al, 2016;Erdal and Göçer, 2015). As expected, Hypothesis 5 aims to capture the idea that innovation developments contribute to explain technology advances in the manufacturing sector of Mexico.…”

“…Hypothesis 2 in Model 1 (and Model 2) suggests that the diffusion of new technologies increases exports competitiveness and thus the development of technology capabilities in the manufacturing sector of Mexico (Enjolras et al, 2016;Erdal and Göçer, 2015). In this case, the variable XS is positive and significant, and thus the null hypothesis (β 2 = 0) can be rejected (t-statistic = 5.91).…”

“…However, this process is developed through the association between the presence/intensity of FDI and trade liberalisation, on the one hand, and productivity of receiving firms/importing firms, on the other (Aitken and Harrison, 1999;Blomström and Kokko, 1998;Blomström and Persson, 1983;Gorg and Greenway, 2004;Markusen, 2002). From the same theoretical perspective, other studies identify the link between innovation and exports to explain the development of firms' competitiveness in the case of emerging economies (Enjolras et al, 2016). Therefore, in the case of Mexico, the following two hypotheses can be established in the case of Mexico:…”

The Effect of Selected Economic Indicators on Export of Goods of Regions of Ukraine

“…It is confirmed that there is a positive influence of export activities of companies in this respect. Though, conditional on survival, the export growth of companies is negatively associated with the quality of the country's institutions, Enjolras et al (2016) research the way of influence of SMEs' innovation on their export capabilities. Based on received data, they identify several common practices between innovation and export processes, namely: network management, consideration of the customer, the acquisition of information, skills management, the capitalization of knowledge, the global strategy, the follow-up of the projects, the intellectual property, and the corporate culture.…”

Impacto de TI en las pequeñas y medianas empresas ¿es su efecto moderado por la intensidad de uso de TI de la industria?

“…Esto es particularmente significativo para el caso de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (Pymes), cuyo acceso a las TI está más limitado que para las grandes empresas debido a sus restricciones de recursos (Mortenson & Vidgen, 2016;Muñoz & Pitti, 2016). De hecho, estudios muestran que las Pymes tienen dificultades para movilizar los recursos necesarios para hacer innovaciones (Enjolras, Camargo & Schmitt, 2016). Este es un problema relevante para las naciones, especialmente las latinoamericanas, porque es sabido el gran aporte que este tipo de empresas realiza a las economías nacionales en términos de contratación de trabajadores (Correa &Echavarría, 2013;Mora et al, 2012;Alves, Salvani, Bansi, Neto & Galiba, 2016).…”