Role of Technology Adoption in Improving the Performance of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Considering Innovation and Export Variables

Numerous research studies have underscored the significant role played by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in both emerging and mature economies. However, these same studies have also recognized the numerous challenges that innovation-driven companies in emerging economies face. Some of these challenges include limited access to official financial credit and foreign markets. This particular study aims to assess the impact of the allocation of capital budget towards technology acquisition on sales performance, using a sample of ۱۰۱ Kenyan SMEs during the period of ۲۰۱۷ to ۲۰۲۳. The findings from ordinary least squares regression analysis can be categorized as follows: (۱) The percentage of the capital budget allocated for investing in new technology exhibits a positive and statistically significant effect on sales performance. (۲) The mediating-adjusting effect index suggests that owner-managers' perceptions regarding the availability of adequate official credit influence the mediating relationship between the budget allocation for technology and sales, while also considering the impact of innovative activities. It's worth noting that this effect is not significant for the secondary mediating variable, which is the duration of exports. In the final model, both the innovation rate and export duration variables demonstrate a positive and statistically significant influence on the rate of sales.

Keywords:

technology acquisition , Innovation , export , perception , Moderated mediation