1. The effect of ICT and higher-order capabilities on the performance of Ibero-American SMEs
- Author
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Jorge Matute-Vallejo, Magaly Gaviria-Marin, and Hugo Baier-Fuentes
- Subjects
PLS-SEM ,Knowledge management ,General Computer Science ,General Decision Sciences ,Sample (statistics) ,02 engineering and technology ,Structural equation modeling ,Knowledge management capability ,Empirical research ,Order (exchange) ,020204 information systems ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Flexibility (engineering) ,business.industry ,Product innovation ,Applied Mathematics ,SmartPLS ,Higher-order capabilities ,Computational Mathematics ,ICT capabilities ,Information and Communications Technology ,Modeling and Simulation ,020201 artificial intelligence & image processing ,SMEs performance ,Business ,S.i. : Iconis2019 - Abstract
Information and communication technologies (ICT) has the ability to create value by enabling other firm capabilities. Based on the ICT-enabled capabilities perspective, this study explores the direct and indirect effects between lower- and higher-order capabilities, such as ICT, knowledge management capability (KM) and product innovation flexibility (PIF), on the performance of Ibero-American small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper uses second-order structural equation models to test the research hypotheses with a sample of 130 Ibero-American SMEs. The results contribute to filling the gap in the SME-focused literature on empirical studies examining ICT-enabled capabilities and firm performance. The results show an enabling effect of ICT on higher-order capabilities, such as KM and PIF, which, by acting as mediating variables, create value and improve performance through innovation in firms.
- Published
- 2021
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