ABSTRACT

Manufacturing capability (MC) is widely considered to depend on a strategic orientation of firms and institutional support. Remarkably, little is known about the influence of firm-specific orientations on manufacturing capability under institutional voids. This study examines the extent to which learning orientation (LO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) influence institutional support to enhance firms’ MC. While EO prompts effective responses to institutional voids, institutional support reduces them and LO allows a firm to continuously learn in response to such voids. Drawing insights from the resource-based view (RBV) and institutional theory, this study tests this argument using partial least squares path modeling on a sample of 105 surveyed export manufacturers from Tanzania and Kenya. Findings indicate that although both LO and EO are the major antecedents of MC, firms must be entrepreneurially oriented in order to significantly influence the institutional support. Even though the literature states that institutional support plays a great role in enhancing MC, research findings suggest otherwise. Thus, focusing on the novel constructs relationship and importance-performance analysis, this study contributes to the RBV and institutional theory by providing theoretical and practical implications of the research findings for the contexts where national institutions facilitating business activities are inefficient.

摘要

制造能力（MC）被广泛认为取决于企业的战略方向和制度支持。值得注意的是，在制度空白下，企业特定取向对制造能力的影响知之甚少。本研究考察了学习导向 (LO) 和创业导向 (EO) 影响制度支持以提高公司 MC 的程度。虽然 EO 促进了对制度空白的有效反应，但制度支持减少了它们，而 LO 允许公司不断学习以应对此类空白。本研究从基于资源的观点 (RBV) 和制度理论中汲取见解，使用偏最小二乘路径模型对来自坦桑尼亚和肯尼亚的 105 家接受调查的出口制造商的样本进行了检验。研究结果表明，虽然 LO 和 EO 都是 MC 的主要前因，但公司必须以创业为导向，以显着影响制度支持。尽管文献指出制度支持在增强 MC 方面发挥着重要作用，但研究结果表明并非如此。因此，本研究侧重于新的结构关系和重要性 - 绩效分析，通过为促进商业活动的国家机构效率低下的背景提供研究结果的理论和实践意义，为 RBV 和制度理论做出了贡献。尽管文献指出制度支持在增强 MC 方面发挥着重要作用，但研究结果表明并非如此。因此，本研究侧重于新的结构关系和重要性 - 绩效分析，通过为促进商业活动的国家机构效率低下的背景提供研究结果的理论和实践意义，为 RBV 和制度理论做出了贡献。尽管文献指出制度支持在增强 MC 方面发挥着重要作用，但研究结果表明并非如此。因此，本研究侧重于新的结构关系和重要性 - 绩效分析，通过为促进商业活动的国家机构效率低下的背景提供研究结果的理论和实践意义，为 RBV 和制度理论做出了贡献。