scholarly journals The performance of export manufacturing firms: roles of international entrepreneurial capability and international opportunity recognition

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Imtiaz Mostafiz ◽  
Murali Sambasivan ◽  
See Kwong Goh

PurposeThe international entrepreneurial capability has achieved its legitimacy in international business literature. Leveraging capabilities to recognise opportunities is considered a pivotal strategy to achieve success. Drawing on the entrepreneurship literature and opportunity perspective, this study aims to investigate the role of international entrepreneurial capability in enhancing the international opportunity recognition (IOR) process and the performance of export manufacturing firms.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modelling has been used to test the hypothesised relationship on 388 export manufacturing entrepreneurial firms operating in the apparel industry of Bangladesh.FindingsThe results signify that three international entrepreneurial capabilities, namely, international networking, learning and marketing capability, positively enhance the IOR process of export manufacturing firms. The IOR process positively mediates the relationships between these international entrepreneurial capabilities and firm performance.Originality/valueMerely having the international entrepreneurial capability is not sufficient to escalate the firm performance. It must be amplified by various strategic actions such as the IOR process. Entrepreneurs need to capitalise on the international entrepreneurial capability to leverage the IOR process and generate non-financial performance success. Entrepreneurial firms that focus more on stimulating non-financial performance can secure better financial performance.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Imtiaz Mostafiz ◽  
Murali Sambasivan ◽  
See Kwong Goh

Purpose The significance of market orientation (MO) in industrial marketing literature is immense. Separately, the role of dynamic managerial capability (DMC) as an individual-level capability has been found to be beneficial to business-to-business (B2B) transactions. However, the assessments of DMC as the antecedent to complement MO in achieving firm performance are rare. To address this knowledge gap, this study builds upon a research framework on the DMC theory and MO literature. Additionally, this study aims to investigate how export assistance avails MO-firm performance relationship and assists entrepreneurs to thrive in the international market. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted among the entrepreneurial export manufacturing firms in the apparel industry in Bangladesh. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the hypothesized relationship among 329 firms. Findings Two attributes of DMC, namely, managerial social capital and managerial cognition of entrepreneurs improve the MO process of export manufacturing firms. MO mediates the relationship between DMC and firm performance. Additionally, export assistance positively moderates the relationship between MO and the financial performance of the firm. Originality/value MO requires complementary capabilities to realize the value of it efficiently. This study strongly advocates entrepreneurs to nurture DMC to leverage MO and capitalize on emerging opportunities by productively using export assistance. Firms in the emerging economies often suffer from resource-scarcity and export assistance mitigates barriers to expand international operations and yield financial liberty to the firms operating in the international B2B market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Imtiaz Mostafiz ◽  
Murali Sambasivan ◽  
See Kwong Goh

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of international opportunity identification (IOI) in export-manufacturing firms. The fundamental question addressed in this research is: How does dynamic managerial capability (DMC) of entrepreneurs contribute to IOI and success of the firms? Design/methodology/approach The research model was tested through structural equation modeling among the readymade garment manufacturing firms in the least developed country, Bangladesh. A survey was conducted with a random sampling approach and responses were collected from 390 firms. Findings The salient findings are: DMC has direct and indirect impacts through IOI on financial and non-financial performance; IOI mediates the relationship between managerial social capital and non-financial performance and between managerial cognition and non-financial performance; IOI has a negative relationship with the financial performance of the firms; and scope of accelerated internationalization positively moderates the relationship between IOI and financial performance of firms. Originality/value This paper notably shows that DMC of export-manufacturing entrepreneurs leads to the identification of the right kind of opportunities, which, in turn, generate better performance. It is advantageous for this type of firm to operate a business in multiple countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thinh Truong Vu ◽  
Wilson V.T. Dang

Purpose Prior studies have found a mixed result on the relationship between environmental commitment and firm performance. To shed a new light on this relationship, this study aims to draw on stakeholder theory, upper echelon theory and gender socialization theory to determine the mediating role of environmental collaboration with suppliers and the moderating role of chief executive officers (CEOs) gender into this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a questionnaire survey to collect sample data of 177 CEOs in manufacturing firms in China. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze data and test hypotheses. Findings Empirical results show that environmental commitment has a positive influence on firm financial performance. Furthermore, the results show that environmental collaboration with suppliers mediates the link between environmental commitment and financial performance. In addition, CEO gender has a moderating effect on the relationship between environmental commitment and environmental collaboration with suppliers. Finally, CEO gender also moderates the indirect effect of environmental commitment on financial performance through environmental collaboration with suppliers. Originality/value Findings of this study helps to clarify the mediating and moderating mechanism in the relationship between environmental commitment and firm performance. That is this study helps to clarify the mixed relationship between environmental commitment and firm performance in prior literature. This study also provides new insight and knowledge for business managers to make better decision in dealing with the environmental issue to enhance firm performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 631-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Iqbal Chaudhry ◽  
Iqra Aftab ◽  
Zainab Arif ◽  
Usman Tariq ◽  
Muhammad Azam Roomi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain the relationship between customer-oriented strategy (COS) and financial performance (FP) of firm, to examine the role of supportive human resource management (HRM) in COS implementation and contribution toward FP of firm. It also examines the mediating role of innovation capability (IC) between COS and FP of firm. Design/methodology/approach The approach used for this study is quantitative. Data required for testing of hypothesis were gathered from the managers of manufacturing firms of Gujranwala, Pakistan. To conduct the data analysis, structural equation modeling was used. Findings Findings of this study showed that there is significantly positive relation between COS and FP with the significant positive mediating effects of supportive HRM and IC. Research limitations/implications This research has been conducted in manufacturing sector only. So, it is suggested to future researchers to carry out this research in other sectors. Second, this research focused only on IC but there are many other organizational capabilities (OC) that can be used. Practical implications This research would be helpful for all firms adopting COS to understand that how to mobilize their HR to accomplish the purpose of strategy. It will enable manufacturing firms to understand and work on IC. Originality/value This study is anticipated to add value to the existing literature of strategy process and OC. This study is one of the first to examine IC as mediator between COS and organizational FP so it opens new areas for research.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnoor Zahid ◽  
Hina Naeem ◽  
Iqra Aftab ◽  
Sajawal Ali Mughal

Purpose The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the effect of corporate social responsibility activities (CSRA) of the firm on its financial performance (FP) and analyze the mediating role of innovation and competitive advantage (CA) in the relationship between CSRA and FP in the manufacturing sector of an emerging country, i.e. Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Data has been collected through an electronic structured questionnaire from 300 middle-level and top-level managers by surveying different manufacturing firms of Gujranwala, Pakistan. The study’s hypotheses have been checked by analyzing the reliability and validity of data and applying confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling through statistical package for the social sciences and analysis of moment structures. Findings Outcomes of this study supported the hypothesized model. It has been found that the CSRA plays a significant positive role in determining the FP of the firm. Furthermore, the CA and innovation have been proved as significant mediators between CSRA and FP. Originality/value The first time examining the intermediation of innovation and CA in the relationship between CSRA and FP is the primary input of this study to the literature. Practically, this study’s findings will help strategy makers of manufacturing firms in emerging countries develop better strategies for implementing CSRA, enhancing innovation, seeking CA and improving FP.


Author(s):  
Therese A. Joiner ◽  
X. Sarah Yang Spencer ◽  
Suzanne Salmon

PurposeAgainst a background of a customization imperative embraced by manufacturing firms in industrialised nations and the concomitant call for more balanced performance measurement systems (PMS), this study seeks to examine the mediating role of both non‐financial and financial performance measures in the relationship between a firm's strategic orientation of flexible manufacturing and organisational performance.Design/methodology/approachA path‐analytical model is adopted using questionnaire data from 84 Australian manufacturing firms.FindingsThe results indicate that, first, firms emphasising a flexible manufacturing strategy utilise non‐financial as well as financial performance measures; second, these performance measures are associated with higher organisational performance; and third, there is a positive association between a firm's strategic emphasis on flexible manufacturing and organisation performance via non‐financial and financial performance measures.Practical implicationsWhile there is agreement on the beneficial role of non‐financial performance measures in supporting strategic priorities associated with customization strategies, equivocal research results have emerged on the role of financial performance measures in this context. The study underscores the importance of both non‐financial and financial performance measures in this context.Originality/valueThe paper reinstates the value of financial performance measures for firms pursuing customization type strategies and adds to one's knowledge of PMSs by exploring the intervening role of such systems in linking flexible manufacturing strategy to organisation performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawit Bahta ◽  
Jiang Yun ◽  
Md Rashidul Islam ◽  
Muhammad Ashfaq

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its effect on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) innovation capability and financial performance from the perspective of a developing country. It also aims to explore the role of innovation capability as a mediating factor in the linkage between CSR and SMEs’ financial performance. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was distributed among managers/owners of the sampled companies. Using a data set of 402 Eritrean firms and partial least squares structural equation modeling, direct and mediating effects were tested. Findings The result reveals that CSR has a positive and significant effect on the financial performance and innovation capability of SEMs. Besides, innovation capability has a positive and significant effect on the business performance of SMEs. The result also supports a partial mediation effect of innovation capability on the association between CSR and firm performance. Practical implications The findings from this research could enhance the awareness of the entrepreneurs, researchers and policymakers on CSR-SMEs’ relationship and help understand the importance of CSR as a crucial driver mechanism for companies to become more innovative and competitive. Originality/value By empirically examining the relationship between CSR, innovation capability and performance in SMEs, this study contributes to the ongoing scholarly discussion on the linkage between CSR and financial performance. Also, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other study investigated the mediating role of innovation capability on the link between CSR activities and firms’ financial performance in SMEs from a developing country perspective, making substantial contributions to research in terms of theory, practice and policy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 809-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaveh Asiaei ◽  
Omid Barani ◽  
Nick Bontis ◽  
Maryam Arabahmadi

PurposeDrawing largely upon resource orchestration theory, this study aims to contribute to the intellectual capital (IC) literature by testing a model where intrapreneurship mobilizes resources to trigger firm performance. More specifically, this study investigates how intrapreneurship mediates the relationship between IC and financial performance.Design/methodology/approachData was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to a target sample of publicly-listed Iranian companies across a variety of sectors. Archival data supplemented the survey findings to capture financial performance. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach, using LISREL, was used to assess the measurement and structural models.FindingsThe results supported the hypothesized associations among IC, intrapreneurship, and financial performance. Furthermore, the findings provided some evidence that IC is indirectly related to financial performance through the mediating role of intrapreneurship.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus on Iranian publicly listed companies limits the generalizability of results.Practical implicationsManagers need to align the company's strategic resources with other competencies such as intrapreneurial initiatives. The synthesis of knowledge resources and intrapreneurship can help organization to better organize, synchronize and support – i.e. “orchestrate” – their human and structural capital, improving the firm's social and innovation capital and eventually enhancing overall performance.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this is the first study ever to explore the mediating role of intrapreneurship in the relationship between IC and financial performance from the resource orchestration lens.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1871-1892 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Pinheiro ◽  
Graça Miranda Silva ◽  
Álvaro Lopes Dias ◽  
Luis Filipe Lages ◽  
Miguel Torres Preto

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of manufacturing flexibility in the relationship between knowledge creation, technological turbulence and performance. In an increasingly competitive and changing environment, firms need to boost their technological and management know-how to adequately develop manufacturing flexibility.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes survey data collected from 370 manufacturing firms. Validity and reliability analyses were conducted using SPSS and Amos. The research hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modelling.FindingsThe main findings show that knowledge creation positively and significantly affects business and operational performances directly, and indirectly, through manufacturing flexibility. Moreover, technological turbulence has a positive and significant effect on it. This finding contributes to understanding why some firms get better outcomes from manufacturing flexibility than others, a disputed issue in the literature.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the need for manufacturing firms to foster cultures of knowledge creation, to better educate and train employees and to develop other instruments of knowledge creation.Originality/valueThis study makes several contributions to manufacturing flexibility literature: (1) establishing a link between technological turbulence and knowledge creation to develop manufacturing flexibility; (2) add empirical evidence on the relation between manufacturing flexibility and performance and (3) contributes to consolidating the mediation role of manufacturing flexibility in the relations between knowledge creation and business performance, as studies focussing on such a role are scarce in the literature.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phyra Sok ◽  
Lan Snell ◽  
Wai Jin (Thomas) Lee ◽  
Keo Mony Sok

Purpose The literature establishes complex relationships between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and performance, with mixed findings suggesting the variability of the magnitude of the relationship between the two. Some studies report a positive relationship, some negative, while some report an insignificant relationship between EO and performance. These conflicting findings suggest that the EO-performance relationship is more complex than a simple main-effects-only relationship. The literature offers two distinct approaches – integrating moderating or mediation variables in advancing the EO-performance relationship. The purpose of this paper is to extend current knowledge by examining underlying processes through which EO contributes to performance and the specific conditions under which this process is facilitated. Design/methodology/approach To test the hypotheses the authors chose small service firms in Australia. Industry representation included: accommodation and food services; health care services; rental, hiring and real estate services; transport, postal and warehousing; arts and recreation services; retail trade; construction and training services; and professional, scientific and technical services. The services sector offers a unique opportunity to analyze variances in entrepreneurial engagement and organizational outcomes given the competitive intensity within the service sector which requires firms to engage in venturing, renewal and innovation. The proposed hypotheses were tested through a hierarchical regression analysis. Findings This study finds the support for the mediation effect of marketing capability on the EO-performance relationship. Critically, this study also finds that marketing resources moderates on the indirect effect of EO on performance via marketing capability. The findings supporting both the mediation and moderation effects of marketing capability and marketing resources on the EO-performance relationship (moderated mediation model) suggests that greater insight into how EO influences small service firm performance can be achieved through considering in combination with other firm-level constructs (marketing capability and marketing resources in this study). Originality/value It addresses the call by prior studies to link the EO construct to theory by embedding marketing resources and marketing capabilities in the EO-performance relationship. Importantly, by accounting for both mediation and moderation effects the authors provide a more complete picture of the EO-performance relationship that highlights the mediating role of marketing capability and the moderating role of marketing resources. This approach helps to reconcile the critical but separate directions proposed by prior studies in advancing the EO-performance relationship.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document