Innovation capabilities, innovation strategies and export performance: the moderating impact of corporate social responsibility

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the link between internal capabilities, innovation strategies and export performance (EP), considering the corporate social responsibility (CSR) principle as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The statistical population of the current study is the food and agricultural products exporting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) which participated in the 27th International Agrofood Exhibition (2021) in Tehran, Iran. A sample of 296 managers was selected, using systematic random sampling, to answer the questionnaire. To analyze the data, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) and Hayes PROCESS in SPSS. Findings Results show that just manufacturing capabilities affect both exploratory and exploitative innovation, in contrast to marketing capabilities that does not have any significant impact on these two innovation strategies. Moreover, the impact of both explorative and exploratory innovation on EP is supported in the context of food and agricultural SMEs. However, CSR positively moderates the impact of exploratory innovation on EP, showing it has a negative effect on the impact of exploitative innovation on EP. Originality/value By addressing the research gap on the link between internal capabilities, innovation strategies, EP and CSR among SMEs, the current research provides valuable body of research that later studies in the literature can leverage or build upon.