| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1001303 | International Business Review | 2014 | 7 Pages |
•Knowledge management practices are analyzed in Spanish and Italian exporting SMEs.•We propose a mediated model to analyze the relationship between knowledge management and exports.•Results show a full mediation effect of knowledge management dynamic capabilities.•Implementation of dynamic capabilities is a required condition to capture the paybacks of knowledge management on exports.
Drawing on dynamic capabilities view, this work provides empirical evidence on the role of knowledge management practices on export intensity in SMEs in a mature and global, non-high-tech industry. A quantitative study with structural equation modeling was carried out on a sample of 157 Spanish and Italian manufacturing companies in the ceramic tile industry. Our results suggest the existence of a mediating effect of dynamic capabilities on exports, hence the implementation of knowledge management practices is a necessary but not sufficient condition to improve exporting, requiring the existence of dynamic capabilities to reconfigure these capabilities. Findings highlight the relevance of knowledge practices to foster exports, providing new insights for managers dealing with dynamic capabilities in SMEs.
