An analysis of innovation-related factors in colombian exporting SMES: a study in the Atlantic state

Abstract

The capacity of innovation in SMEs is a topic that still lacks empirical studies, especially in the Latin America and Caribbean context. In Colombia, companies of these sizes represent 99,5% of the total of active business in the country. Despite the existence of incentive programs, the numbers show a low level of innovation and high level of mortality in the first 2 years. Also, the predominance of SMEs is not properly represented in export volumes, which are still concentrated on large players and commodities sales, evidencing a potential for high value products that is still not being fulfilled. Based on this scenario, the present study aims to analyze innovation-related factors in exporting SMEs of the Atlantic department, part of the Colombian Caribbean that represents one of the main promising centers to expand internationalization. In order to obtain data, a survey was conducted with SMEs in the manufacturing sector, due to the significant amount of business focusing on this field and the intention to reduce the possible bias of comparing companies in different sectors. Results show the low volume of dedicated resources and incentives to develop innovation-related competences inside the companies, low use of technological tools in production and processes, low investment in certifications and improving process protocols, as well as the lack of systematized and standardized processes. Data presents strong and significant correlation between innovation-related factors and the perceived capacity of the companies to export in the sample tested, which reinforces previous literature in an environment with low level of innovation.

Key words: innovation; competitiveness; exports; internationalization; SMEs.