The mediating role of logistics performance in the effect of innovation on export performance

In today's international market conditions, businesses need to constantly strive for improvement and innovation in order to gain market share and compete with their rivals. Therefore, innovation has become an indispensable concept for businesses in recent years. Innovation increases the level of development of businesses and also affects their logistics and export performance. Innovation activities increase the competitiveness of firms by adding innovations to their structures, thus creating development in the area of export performance, while improving the logistics performance level by creating improvements in the process of delivering the right product to the right place at the right time for customers. Innovation, which consists of four types: product innovation, process innovation, strategic innovation, and market innovation, affects the export performance and logistics performance of businesses in different ways. While innovation affects export and logistics performance, there is also a direct relationship between export and logistics performance. The efficiency and effectiveness of all activities from product and service procurement to final delivery to the end customer and reverse logistics processes affect the export performance of businesses. Businesses with high measurable logistics performance indicators such as material procurement, storage, production and delivery speed, low number of damaged products, and accurate shipments increase their market position, enter new markets, gain competitive advantage, and increase sales in export performance factors. In this thesis, the mediating role of logistics performance in the relationship between innovation and export performance is examined together with the sub-dimensions of innovation, which are product innovation, process innovation, strategic innovation, and market innovation. Although there are studies examining the relationship between innovation and export performance or innovation and logistics performance in the literature, the number of studies including all three variables is very limited. Data were collected through a survey method from mid-level and top-level managers of companies engaged in export activities. Relationships between variables were examined by applying correlation and regression analysis to the collected data. As a result of the analyses, a positive and significant relationship was observed between innovation and export performance, and it was observed that logistics performance has a partial mediating role in this relationship. The fact that the relationship between variables in this direction has been very little researched in the literature is thought to contribute to the literature as well as to the strategic decision-making processes of businesses operating today.