Intangible resources and export performance of Malaysian halal F&B SMEs: the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation

The growing demand for halal food and beverages (F&B) has attracted many firms to enter the global halal market to get their slices of the pie. Consequently, competition in the market has intensified, with multinational corporations holding the lion shares, making it vulnerable for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be competitive. Thus, this study was set forth to investigate how intangible resources enhanced the export performance of Malaysian SMEs exporting halal F&B products. Additionally, this study attempted to address the gaps in the literature on factors stimulating entrepreneurial orientation and analysed how it functioned as a mediating mechanism in leveraging intangible resources into enhanced export performance. Following these research objectives, a survey was conducted through purposive and census sampling, yielding 187 usable responses. Analyses using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique (PLS-SEM) revealed that opportunity recognition capability, networking capability, and entrepreneurial orientation directly enhanced SMEs’ export performance. Furthermore, this study identified that international orientation, marketing capability, cultural intelligence, and opportunity recognition capability significantly bolstered SMEs’ entrepreneurial orientation. Finally, in the mediation inquest, this investigation discovered that entrepreneurial orientation significantly mediated the influence of cultural intelligence and opportunity recognition capability on export performance. The findings in this study contribute to the international business, entrepreneurship orientation, and halal literature by enlightening how resource-limited SMEs can thrive in the international halal market using intangible resources as their competitive arsenals. Ultimately, this study offers guidance to policymakers and practitioners involved in the halal F&B sector, particularly in formulating strategies to strengthen Malaysian footholds as the top global halal hub and elevate Malaysia’s economic performance in the halal industry