Factors affecting innovation capacity: Empirical evidence from small and medium enterprises in Vietnam

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Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This paper aims to assess the relative importance of various determinants impacting small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) capacity for innovation. The study employed a quantitative approach with data obtained from 462 participants working across SMEs in 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The collected data were subsequently processed and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The EFA results indicated the removal of two items due to their poor fit within the variables. Furthermore, the statistical adequacy of the data for factor analysis was confirmed by a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) coefficient of 0.892 and a significant Bartlett’s test (Chi-square = 8177.250, p-value < 0.001). The remaining variables yielded a convergent solution in the subsequent CFA analysis, with goodness-of-fit indices meeting acceptable thresholds. The SEM results revealed four key factors influencing the innovation capability of SMEs in Ho Chi Minh City: collaboration networks, organizational culture, entrepreneurial leadership, and internal human resources, with p-values for all these factors’ estimates of 0.000. The survey respondents indicated that collaborative networks exerted the most substantial influence on the innovation capability of SMEs (with an estimate of 0.282). Subsequently, factors such as organizational culture and entrepreneurial leadership demonstrated progressively lesser degrees of impact, with corresponding coefficients of 0.266 and 0.207, respectively. Recommendations for both enterprises and state policies are then proposed.

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    • Figure 1. SEM results
    • Table 1. Sample description
    • Table 2. EFA results
    • Table 3. Relationships between factors in the research model
    • Table A1. Questionnaire items
    • Conceptualization
      Lien Thi Hoa Do, Phuong Vo Hang Hoang
    • Data curation
      Lien Thi Hoa Do, Phuong Vo Hang Hoang
    • Formal Analysis
      Lien Thi Hoa Do
    • Investigation
      Lien Thi Hoa Do
    • Methodology
      Lien Thi Hoa Do
    • Project administration
      Lien Thi Hoa Do
    • Supervision
      Lien Thi Hoa Do, Phuong Vo Hang Hoang
    • Writing – original draft
      Lien Thi Hoa Do, Phuong Vo Hang Hoang, Mai Thi Ngoc Nguyen
    • Writing – review & editing
      Lien Thi Hoa Do, Phuong Vo Hang Hoang
    • Visualization
      Phuong Vo Hang Hoang, Mai Thi Ngoc Nguyen
    • Resources
      Mai Thi Ngoc Nguyen
    • Validation
      Mai Thi Ngoc Nguyen