Entrepreneurial Orientation and Export Performance: The Moderating Effect of Absorptive Capacity

The objective of this study is to examine how entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity affect export performance. The topic of entrepreneurial orientation, as an important issue to both practitioners and scholars, has attracted increasing research attention. Although many studies provide support for the positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance, a few studies suggest that entrepreneurial orientation may not always enhance firm performance. Research has yet to fully acknowledge the boundary conditions where entrepreneurial orientation increases performance. This study suggests the positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and export performance, and the performance implications of entrepreneurial orientation vary depending on a firm’s absorptive capacity. Based on data from Korean exporters, we find the positive effect of entrepreneurial orientation on export performance. We also observe that the performance potential of entrepreneurial orientation varies depending on a firm’s possession of absorptive capacity such as potential and realized absorptive capacity.