IT-enabled Knowledge Management for the Competitive Performance of Manufacturing SMEs: An Absorptive Capacity-based View

摘要

Manufacturing small-sized and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) now evolve in a globalized business environment that is characterized by the need for global competitiveness based on knowledge and innovation. This research uses the concept of absorptive capacity as a theoretical lens to study the effect of e-business and strategic capabilities upon the performance of the SMEs in implementing their innovation and international strategies. It addresses the following three research questions: To what extent does the SME's entrepreneurial orientation influence its development of ebusiness capabilities? To what extent does the SME's entrepreneurial orientation and development of e-business capabilities influence the development of its strategic capabilities and, in so doing, help build its absorptive capacity? To what extent does this influence contribute to the firm's competitive performance, that is, to the successful outcome of its innovation and internationalization processes? The results of a survey study of 588 manufacturing SMEs indicate that e-business capabilities have a significant impact on competitive performance to the extent that these capabilities are developed as a result of a more entrepreneurial orientation and are realized through the development of strategic capabilities