Business model innovation and firm performance: Evidence from manufacturing SMEs

Abstract

In the current volatile business environment, companies are obliged to search for new ways of doing business to remain competitive. Accordingly, firms innovate their business model as it became a promising strategy to achieve sustainable outcomes. However, there is still a need for empirical studies that examine the relationship between business model innovation (BMI) and the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this study, we aimed to investigate this relationship by collecting data from 264 manufacturing SMEs through structured questionnaires. We employed partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data and test the hypotheses. The results indicated that changes in any component of the business model, namely value creation, value proposition, or value capture, had a positive and significant relationship with the performance of manufacturing SMEs. Therefore, by innovating their business models, firms can create more value for their customers while capturing value for themselves. In conclusion, increasing use value or decreasing exchange value with customers will help firms create more value and surpass competitors in the marketplace, while also allowing them to capture more value for themselves.