Korea Trade Review (무역학회지)

Korea Trade Research Association (한국무역학회)
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The Effects of Technological and Learning Capability of SMEs on the International Performance: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Innovative Performance

중소기업의 기술역량과 학습역량이 국제화 성과에 미치는 영향: 혁신성과의 매개효과를 중심으로

  • Young-Soo Yang (International Affair Office, Yonsei University) ;
  • Jae-Eun Lee (Division of Business and Commerce, Sunchon National University)
  • Received : 2020.03.25
  • Accepted : 2020.04.25
  • Published : 2020.04.30
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Abstract

While many previous studies have emphasized that technological and learning capabilities have an important impact on internationalization, however, there have been few attempts to directly identify the mediating role of innovative performance in the relationship between them. Therefore, we tested the relationships among two organizational capabilities such as technological capability and learning capability, innovative performance and internationalization. Specifically, we explored the impact of two organizational capabilities on innovative performance and the mediating role of innovative performance on internationalization. We tested hypotheses based on 206 survey data of Gwangju and Jeonnam provinces' small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The empirical results showed that both technological capability and learning capability had a significantly positive (+) effect on SMEs' innovation performance, and both technological capability and learning capability had a significantly positive (+) effect on internationalization performance. In addition, it was confirmed that the innovation performance is not only related to the relationship between technological capability and internationalization performance but also acts as a partial mediation role in the relationship between the learning capability and internationalization performance. Based on the results of this study, theoretical and practical implications were provided, and the limitations of this study and future research directions were also discussed.

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