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1. Introduction
The dynamic nature of the product and services market requires that firms develop new abilities to innovate with better products and services, including new processes and routines (Kostopoulos et al., 2011). Knowledge, an essential resource for innovation (Zahra and George, 2002; Cohen and Levinthal, 1990), is available from internal and external sources. However, the external knowledge available to firms is not absorbed equally among them (Zahra and George, 2002). A firm’s absorptive capacity (ACAP) refers to its ability to recognize the value of external knowledge and then to assimilate, translate, and apply that knowledge for commercial ends (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990; Flatten et al., 2011). ACAP helps companies to create and maintain a competitive advantage in dynamic environments (Teece et al., 1997; Zahra and George, 2002).
Some studies have found that marketing capabilities play a mediating role between ACAP and OP. Marketing capabilities are crucial determinants of superior financial performance. For this study, we focused on marketing innovation capability (MIC) and new product development capability (NPDC). Various researchers have linked ACAP and NPDC (Stock et al., 2001; Fosfuri and Tribó, 2008), and we identified studies that related NPDC with innovation performance (IP) as well (Steinberg et al., 2017). Thus, we can infer that NPDC mediates ACAP-performance relationship.
MIC may also mediate the ACAP-performance relationship (Akgün et al., 2009). Thus, since some studies link ACAP with MIC and other studies relate innovation (MIC) to performance; it can be proposed that the capability for innovation may be a mediator of the relationship between ACAP and performance.
Moreover, in Corral de Zubielqui et al.’s (2016) paper, ACAP has a direct and positive influence on innovation outcomes and an indirect effect on a firm’s performance through innovation. Finally, Jiménez-Jiménez and Sanz-Valle’s (2011) empirical study showed that IP directly and positively influences OP. Therefore, we infer that the ACAP-performance relationship may occur through a second mediation, wherein the mediators can be either NPDC and/or MIC together with IP.
Given the ongoing yet unresolved discussion on marketing capabilities and firm performance (Vorhies and Morgan, 2005), more fine-grained research is called for on both marketing and organizational antecedents and their effects on OP. In light of above, a comprehension of the relationship between...