Marketing capabilities, corporate social responsibility and business networking to accelerate SME innovation in Vietnam

Abstract

In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the innovation practices inside small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam, the Ph.D. Dissertation relied upon data sources provided by the Vietnam General Statistics Office. The study identifies three primary characteristics, including marketing capabilities, CSR, and business networking. The findings of the study utilizing the Extended Regression Model indicate that there is a substantial relationship between marketing capabilities, CSR, business networking, and the innovation outcomes of SMEs. Furthermore, recent study has shown an additional aspect about the influence of E-Business on the interplay between Marketing capabilities, CSR, business networking, and innovation in SMEs. Accordingly, the study validates the influence of E-Business endogeneity on the interconnectedness of marketing capabilities, CSR, business networking, and innovation of SMEs. This Dissertation has made a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature related to the endogeneity. That means the endogenous variable of E-Business has a significantly positive contribution to SME’s innovation with positive impact of control variables Gender, Education and Firm size and negative impact of Firm age to innovation. The study's findings have yielded significant insights that are of great value to policymakers and practitioners operating within the trade and marketing sectors. Hence, it is imperative for SMEs to possess a comprehensive understanding of resource utilization within the context of marketing capabilities. Additionally, SMEs should actively advocate for the significance of CSR, foster the establishment of business communities, and comprehend the influence of online business on the innovation process. By doing so, SMEs can effectively cultivate trust and facilitate the sustainable development of their enterprises.