The Linkage Between Intangible Resources and Export Performance: the Mediating Effect of Innovation

Abstract

This paper develops a framework to test the relationship between intangible resources and export performance, considering the mediating effect of innovation. Based on survey data from Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) exporting footwear findings suggest that: (1) innovation has a direct and positive influence on export performance; and (2) innovation does have a mediating effect on the relationship between intangible resources and export performance. This study deepens our understanding and provides novel insights into strategic management literature, since it combines multiple factors and has obtained the importance of each construct in SMEs business growth.