A Study on the Impact of Innovation Capability in SMEs on Open Innovation and Export Performance: Focusing on the Moderating Effect of Sustainable Social Activities

Open innovation and sustainability are highlighted as important factors to improve corporate performance. Creating a sustainable business environment that can promote open innovation is important for enhancing the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises. This study investigate the process in which innovation capacity possessed by SMEs affects open innovation and export performance. It is expected that innovation capacity directly affects open innovation and export performance of companies, and open innovation will have an indirect effect mediating innovation capacity and export performance. In particular, in the process of innovation deriving corporate performance, we tried to demonstrate how sustainable social factors that companies have with external organizations affect innovation-related variables. Using 2020 manufacturing data from STEPI's 'Korean Innovation Survey (KIS)', an empirical analysis was conducted on the survey results of a total of 930 small and medium-sized manufacturers. The relationship between innovativeness, open innovation and export performance was analyzed, and the role of sustainable social factors was verified. It was confirmed that the innovative capabilities possessed by SMEs directly or indirectly had a significant impact on their export performance, and that sustainable social activities facilitated the cooperation process between companies and internal and external stakeholders more smoothly. The implications were discussed.