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This research applied the resource-based view (RBV) theory to examine the effects of entrepreneurial financial support on new ventures’ performance via competitive advantage and innovation. A questionnaire survey was performed to collect data from 315 entrepreneurs of new ventures in the Ho Chi Minh City region. A quantitative method was applied, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to confirm the significant relationships among variables of the research model. The findings demonstrated that all financial and operational performances of new venture constructs in this research model were completely supported. Furthermore, entrepreneurial financial support had the strongest direct and indirect effects on firm innovation and competitive advantage, while firm innovation and competitive advantage fully mediated relationships between entrepreneurial financial support and firms’ financial and operational performance. Hence, this research solved extant debates in the literature, concurrently enhancing the RBV theory in the entrepreneurship context. In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, it offers novel insight for governors and other stakeholders to build an efficient financial support system, while providing entrepreneurs with strategies to leverage said system to develop innovation for achieving better competitive advantage, leading to higher firm performance.
- entrepreneurial financial support
- firm performance
- firm financial performance
- firm operational performance
- firm innovation
1. Resource-Based View Theory
RBV theory was developed as a crucial theoretical viewpoint applied to demonstrate tenaciousness in differences in performance across firms [61]. According to the RBV theory, the sustainable FCA and outcomes of an enterprise are the result of the possession of unique organizational resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable [40,41,62]. Regarding the external mechanism, the RBV theory reveals that enterprises can strengthen their resources through obtaining additional resources from an external system like FIN systems [63]. The RBV theory argues that externally available resources can affect new ventures’ firm performance [64,65]. Hence, superior firm performance is a result of external resources, which is demonstrated as FIN [66,67]. Regarding the internal mechanism, capacity explains the formation and rearrangement of resources to foster productivity and accomplish strategic objectives [68]. Hence, Camisón and Villar-López [69] claimed that the establishment of INO in an enterprise can be characterized as an actual source of FCA [70], which causes an improvement in firm performance [71] because it generates new products or services, technologies, organizational design, and management methods. The RBV theory was also utilized in the work of Prange and Pinho [72] to view INO as internal resources that express the consistent arrangement of organizational resources and capabilities to promote novel productions and markets [73], resulting in enterprises’ heterogeneity and exceptional performance [69,74].
2. Firm Performance
Firm performance refers to a firm’s ultimate result, comprising managerial effectiveness and elements beyond organizational management [75]. Furthermore, it is the overall level of satisfaction among all participants when they collect and transform inputs into outputs in an effective method [76]. It estimates what stimulates a firm to generate intended outcomes in terms of both means and ends [77]. Considering existing research on firm performance, various measurements have been applied. However, theresearch followed the framework of Venkatraman and Ramanujam [78] to clarify firm performance as a broad concept encompassing two smaller domains including FiPer and BOP. FiPer relates to the method that illustrates the overall performance of a firm, which is measured as the profitability (indicated by ratios such as return on assets, return on sale, and return on equity) [18,78]. BOP demonstrates long-term objectives and development capabilities, combining measures like new product establishment, product quality, manufacturing value-added, productivity, growth, satisfaction of stakeholders, and efficiency [27,78].
3. Entrepreneurial Financial Support
FIN focuses principally on the capacity to obtain financial resources provided to entrepreneurs [79]. It identifies those financial organizations that handle tasks of entrepreneurs’ funding, encompassing “micro-loan, angel investors, zero-stage venture capital, venture capital funding, private equity, public capital markets, and debt” [80]. FIN is also regarded as sources of funding and finance including “friends and family, angel investors, private equity, venture capital, and access to debt” [81,82]. In addition, FIN refers to all components relevant to any forms of financing, encompassing “public subsidies or helps, informal investment, banks, credit, microcredits, venture capital, and others” [83].
4. Firm Innovation
INO is a novel concept, technique, or mechanism that can be obtained through offering a novel production, organizational design, management process, or modification in organizational culture [85]. INO is acknowledged as a combination of managerial activities, focusing on the renewal and development of organizational designs, operations, and methods with the aim to enhance organizational targets [86]. INO also illustrates the competencies to create and utilize novel concepts or attitudes. It is crucial for strengthening organizational outputs, resulting in high performance [87]. INO refers to a crucial approach through which organizations can aim to adapt novel equipment, methods, and administrative procedures associated with other innovative activities, enabling organizations to create an essential contribution to innovation procedures [88].
5. Firm Competitive Advantage
FCA is obtained in the circumstance that an organization’s strategy generates values that competitors cannot imitate or exploit. Organizations have to develop differentiation strategies to acquire FCA by having exclusive resources and abilities to focus on four major facets including value, rareness, imitability, and organization [40]. Peteraf and Barney [62] developed the following explicit definition of FCA: a firm possesses an FCA in the case that it has abilities to generate more economic value, which is the distinction between consumers’ perceived value from a good or service and its production cost, than marginal competitors within its product market. After that, Sigalas et al. [37] constructed the following two criteria to address a proper definition of FCA: (1) to integrate all latent characteristics of the notion and (2) not to encompass any assessment on its own values or organizational outcomes. They identified FCA as those organizational abilities producing more economic value than the least effective competitors and above the industry average in terms of manipulation of market opportunities, neutralization of competitive threats, and decline of cost. In addition to that, customer satisfaction and optimism, firm reputation, and employee commitment are also acknowledged as essential elements of FCA [18,26,36].
6. Entrepreneurial Financial Support, Firm Performance, Firm Innovation, and Firm Competitive Advantage
Access to finance through various programs (e.g., formal finance accessed from financial institutions and banks or informal finance accessed from friends, family, and money lenders) has been determined as a positive antecedent of the FiPer of a firm, which is indicated by number of sales [89], higher financial progress, and profitability [90]. FIN provided by the government positively affects stable new ventures’ firm performance because enterprises that receive government financial assistance increase their probability of enhanced income, cash flow, and profitability [14,47,91,92,93]. Peter et al. [94] approved this conclusion by demonstrating that FIN has a significant and positive impact on the FiPer of SMEs by easing financial constraints, reducing risks, and generating economic conditions that promote innovation, entrepreneurial activities, and high profit.
Moreover, firms’ access to finance significantly stimulates various facets of BOP including overall growth [95,96], accomplishment of growth and investment opportunities [97], long-term survival of SMEs [98], and the acknowledgement of sustainability challenges [99]. Access to external finance positively influences the BOP, represented by the productivity of labor and organization, of SMEs in both developing and developed nations because financial constraints hinder productivity and represent vital obstacles to efficient entrepreneurial activities [12,100,101]. FIN from governments stimulates organizations by improving their BOP and enlarging their business to achieve higher return on equity, return on assets, and market growth [92]. Kijkasiwat et al. [13] indicated that FIN positively improves BOP, leading to enhanced products and services, production procedures, logistics and delivery, maintenance structure, and organization and administration.
FIN from financial institutions, banks, and other sources positively improves investment in products and processes, leading to the strengthened INO of SMEs in Nigeria [42]. Moreover, FIN through trade credit, asset finance, and overdraft positively improves the INO of new ventures in various nations [44]. The availability of FIN stimulates the INO of MSMEs in India by enabling them to participate actively in innovative activities in which they enforce novel or essential products or processes, novel marketing strategies, or novel organizational techniques in organizational operations, workplace management, and external relationships [102]. FIN demonstrated through the development of financial institutions positively contributes to the INO of enterprises in the EU through mobilizing finance to facilitate firms’ patenting activity [43].
FIN positively influences FCA of new ventures since it reconstructs internal procedures and shapes capabilities of new ventures to access resources crucial for developing capabilities, providing FCA [53,103,104]. FIN facilitates FCA because it enables organizations to create returns from distinctions in the valuation employed to a firm between acquisition and divestment and independent of shifts in fundamental outcomes [58,105,106]. Thus, FIN from the government positively stimulates FCA because it helps organizations in reducing numerous costs and assists them in creating particular products and services [47]. Lafuente et al. [107] demonstrated a positive impact of FIN entrenched in an entrepreneurial ecosystem on FCA through the exploitation of resources and competencies, which are adjusted regarding the circumstances of the institutional establishment in which enterprises are operating.
According to the RBV theory, FCA is acknowledged as the closest driver to performance [40]. FCA allows an enterprise to increase its firm performance compared with its rivals [108,109]. Various scholars have confirmed a significant relationship between FCA and firm performance [92,110,111]. An organization can utilize its FCA to exploit its strengths to assure efficient performance and generate values necessary for sustainable participation in the market, maximizing FiPer and sustaining a high degree of BOP [19,20,49]. Marolt et al. [51] concluded that an SME possessing strong FCA can provide exceptional value to its customers and, thus, it can enhance its sales volume, market share, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. Because an essential objective of firms is to acquire a higher degree of financial outcomes, the obtainment of a continuous FCA is an important factor in achieving this fundamental purpose [112]. Thus, Saeidi et al. [18] proved a positive effect of FCA on the FiPer of manufacturing and consumer product firms in Iran. a positive effect was also confirmed in the context of SMEs functioning as family businesses in Turkey [21]. Jeong and Chung [22] demonstrated that manufacturing SMEs can leverage their FCA to obtain a positive FiPer in the consumer goods sector in Korea. Ofori and Appiah-Nimo [50] suggested that FCA is an essential element of the survival of firms in the hospitality context because of its positive impact on the BOP of hotels in Ghana. Supporting this view, Suandi et al. [52] proposed that organizations with higher levels of FCA can manipulate business opportunities and neutralize competitor threats, improving the BOP of banks in Indonesia.
The RBV theory also suggests that firms can challenge their opponents through generating and improving INO, resulting in FCA and higher levels of firm performance [113]. Despite previous studies concluding mixed results regarding the associations between INO and firm performance [56,57], numerous scholars have explained that INO is a crucial factor benefiting improvements in firm performance. García-Morales et al. [15] and Rita et al. [6] approved the positive impacts of INO on the firm performance of Spanish organizations by stating that an organization adopts an innovative viewpoint to create essential production and technology skills, securing sources for enhanced firm performance. Alipour et al. [45] emphasized that the existence of innovative, skillful, highly qualified, and suitable staff and a particular structure for strategic planning—helping organizations to create efficient approaches and procedures in order to offer novel products and services for their consumers—positively stimulated both the FiPer and BOP of 102 service sector firms in Iran. Moreover, Mai et al. [16] verified the positive influences of INO on the firm performance of tourism and hospitality enterprises in Vietnam. INO—which offers renewal in firms and adaptability in conducting business and enhancing working relationships—enhances the firm performance of companies in Saudi Arabia, promoting their growth and competitiveness in the market [46]. Tripathi and Kalia [17] demonstrated that informational technology enterprises in India can challenge their opponents by enforcing an innovative strategy, i.e., INO, to facilitate FCA and superior firm performance.
INO refers to the development of products, processes, and technologies which help new ventures to enforce novel and effective marketing methods to obtain FCA and, thus, only innovative firms achieve superior firm performance and sustainability in the market in response to business fluctuations [114,115,116]. Hence, Sulistyo and Ayuni [117] suggested that SMEs, which are constantly seeking innovative approaches to improve their designs and values, are the first to become beneficiaries and, thus, INO stimulates new ventures’ sustainable FCA. Azeem et al. [118] demonstrated a positive effect of INO on the FCA of enterprises operating in the textile industry of Pakistan. The improvement and adaptation of novel concepts, behaviors, or procedures in organizational administration strengthens the associations between a firm and its extraneous elements, enabling the firm to enhance its essential capital and generate value for the firm, resulting in FCA [119]. Furthermore, INO is very valuable for developing firms in achieving a sustainable FCA because it encourages the utilization of novel ideas and innovation to create organizational superiority [48,49].
7. Mediating Roles of Firm Competitive Advantage and Firm Innovation
FCA gained from INO positively affects new ventures’ firm performance [19,20,51]. INO allows new ventures to offer more value to customers and maintain their competitive advantage, resulting in better firm performance and profitability [120]. It improves new ventures’ firm performance by clarifying and enforcing differentiation and cost leadership strategies [121]. New ventures encounter tough competition when operating in a turbulent market and, thus, they need to develop and enforce innovations that promote their competitiveness in the market, leading to exceptional firm performance [122]. Moreover, the leverage of INO shapes strategic activities necessary for achieving FCA, increasing new ventures’ firm performance [123]. Pergelova and Angulo-Ruiz [53] demonstrated that new ventures in the US possessing an innovation-based FCA have higher values of FiPer. Anwar [114] verified a mediating function of FCA in the positive association between INO and the FiPer of SMEs operating in the emerging market of Pakistan because INO helps firms to obtain a continuous FCA by offering various new methods and generating better profitability and success.
In both developed and developing nations, FIN has no direct impact on firm performance; instead, internal elements mediate the associations between them [9,53]. Due to the constantly shifting economy and business environment, entrepreneurs and their new ventures have to become innovative to obtain a sustainable FCA [124]. New ventures also exploit the benefits of FIN from the government to embrace new equipment and recruit high-quality staff. It stimulates them to enforce improved INO, ultimately increasing firm performance because of the effectiveness of production and delivery procedures [125,126]. Furthermore, FIN stimulates enterprises in generating and developing unique products and services to achieve their FCA [47]. Moreover, the mediating role of FCA has been broadly researched [47,53,92]. Pergelova and Angulo-Ruiz [53] and Jayeola et al. [9] found that FIN provided by the government does not unveil a direct statistically significant impact on new ventures’ firm performance. Nevertheless, FIN demonstrates an indirect impact on firm performance via a mediating contribution of FCA, especially innovation-oriented formation, because FIN enhances original “hard” resources for new ventures, offers them authority among partners, and supports them with a resource “slack” which can be utilized for asset improvement, novel project implement, better market position, and superior firm performance. Songling et al. [92] confirmed that FCA plays a mediating function in the positive associations between FIN and firm performance in an emerging market of Pakistan. Furthermore, Anwar and Li [47] found that FIN enables organizations to reduce numerous costs and create particular products and services, resulting in FCA. These advantages increase profitability and improve the firm performance of SMEs in Pakistan. On the other hand, various articles have emphasized that FIN can be utilized to acquire other internal resources and mechanisms for enterprises including INO [42,43,44,102]. If an external mechanism (FIN) is accumulated via an internal mechanism (INO), organizations are offered FCA [40], which in turn positively influences firm performance [19,20,51,53]. Therefore, the RBV theory emphasizes that the abilities of an organization to transform available resources into capabilities and resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable becomes especially crucial in procedures of gathering and reconfiguring said resources to exploit business opportunities, leading to FCA and superior firm performance [127]. In this circumstance, FIN provides original resource inputs, and then entrepreneurs must develop innovative strategies and procedures that connect to FCA which ultimately mediates the relationships between FIN and new ventures’ firm performance.
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su152115519
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