Innovation And Marketing Capabilities for Export Performance – An Investigation of Export Promotion Programs as A Moderator in The Indian Context

Abstract

This study attempts to explain the direct impacts of innovation capabilities (INN) and the effect of marketing capabilities (MAR) as an intervening variable on the export performance (EXP) of Indian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study also examines how export promotion programmes (EPP) affect the links between INN and EXP as a moderator. The study examines 112 questionnaire-based surveys of owners and directors from Indian engineering manufacturing SMEs subjected to a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach using SMART PLS 4. The results showed that INN did not directly influence EXP. This study discovered that MAR fully mediated the connection between INN and EXP. Also, when EPPs were used more frequently, the impact of INN on EXP was enhanced. By identifying MAR as a potential mediator in the relationship between INN and EXP, this study attempted to provide novel empirical evidence on the factors influencing SMEs' EXP. It also aimed to offer insightful information for practitioners and academics. A promising avenue for further theorising the link between INN and EXP is examining the explanatory power of EPP, an institutional factor, in developing nation environments.