Title: Antecedents of knowledge sharing in the small and medium sized enterprises: the impact of international orientation and responsibility

Authors: Reza Salehzadeh; Reihaneh Alsadat Tabaeeian

Addresses: Department of Management, Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani University, Isfahan, Iran ' Department of Management, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract: The study aims to investigate the relationship between international market orientation, corporate social responsibility (CSR), international entrepreneurial orientation, and knowledge sharing within the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). A survey of 287 managers involving Iranian SMEs was carried out to examine hypotheses. The partial least squares (PLS) path modelling method is applied to analyse the model of the study. The empirical results from the structural model suggest that international market orientation influences CSR. Furthermore, CSR influences international entrepreneurial orientation. In addition, CSR and international entrepreneurial orientation are direct antecedents of knowledge sharing. This study contributes to the literature of knowledge management and CSR in SMEs by being the first to investigate the impact of an international market orientation on ethical and philanthropic responsibility.

Keywords: knowledge management; knowledge sharing; international market orientation; corporate social responsibility; CSR; international entrepreneurial orientation; small and medium sized enterprises; SMEs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2021.112396

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2021 Vol.36 No.1, pp.98 - 118

Received: 10 Jan 2019
Accepted: 02 Jul 2019
Published online: 14 Jan 2021 *

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