TY - JOUR

T1 - Family firms’ selective learning-by-exporting

T2 - product vs process innovation and the role of technological capabilities

AU - Freixanet, Joan

AU - Monreal, Joaquin

AU - Sánchez-Marín, Gregorio

N1 - Freixanet, J. Family firms’ selective learning-by-exporting : product vs process innovation and the role of technological capabilities / J. Freixanet, J. Monreal, G. Sánchez-Marín // Multinational Business Review. - 2020. - Volume 29 Issue 2. -https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/MBR-01-2020-0011/full/html Funding Information: Basic research grant. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2020/11/12

Y1 - 2020/11/12

N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how family governance and technological capabilities influence the conversion of new knowledge obtained from exports into various innovation outputs, a phenomenon called “learning-by-exporting (LBE).” Design/methodology/approach: To properly examine the causal links proposed in the study, first, the control for endogeneity. Second, a propensity-score matching longitudinal analysis is conducted, a particularly robust empirical method that enhances reliability in non-experimental data, over an average sample of 663 manufacturing companies for the period 2007 to 2014. Findings: Family firms’ innovation strategies and abilities render them more likely to convert the new knowledge from exporting into product innovation and more efficient in this endeavor than non-family firms. This diverts family firms’ typically limited resources from process innovation, and they have a smaller LBE effect than non-family firms in terms of process innovation. Originality/value: The study contributes to the internationalization literature by producing a more nuanced view of the learning-by-exporting effect which considers the type of innovation outcomes developed following export activity. It also helps to identify some of the firm-specific factors that shape the relationship between exports and innovation, by empirically examining for the first time the role of family governance in innovation capabilities and decisions.

AB - Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how family governance and technological capabilities influence the conversion of new knowledge obtained from exports into various innovation outputs, a phenomenon called “learning-by-exporting (LBE).” Design/methodology/approach: To properly examine the causal links proposed in the study, first, the control for endogeneity. Second, a propensity-score matching longitudinal analysis is conducted, a particularly robust empirical method that enhances reliability in non-experimental data, over an average sample of 663 manufacturing companies for the period 2007 to 2014. Findings: Family firms’ innovation strategies and abilities render them more likely to convert the new knowledge from exporting into product innovation and more efficient in this endeavor than non-family firms. This diverts family firms’ typically limited resources from process innovation, and they have a smaller LBE effect than non-family firms in terms of process innovation. Originality/value: The study contributes to the internationalization literature by producing a more nuanced view of the learning-by-exporting effect which considers the type of innovation outcomes developed following export activity. It also helps to identify some of the firm-specific factors that shape the relationship between exports and innovation, by empirically examining for the first time the role of family governance in innovation capabilities and decisions.

KW - Endogeneity control

KW - Family firms

KW - Innovation

KW - Learning-by-exporting

KW - Longitudinal study

KW - Technological capabilities

KW - SCOPUS

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095934231&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1108/MBR-01-2020-0011

DO - 10.1108/MBR-01-2020-0011

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85095934231

JO - Multinational Business Review

JF - Multinational Business Review

SN - 1525-383X

ER -