Examination of technology transfer, innovation, export and company performance relations: An application on exporting companies in Turkey

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship among technology transfer, innovation export and firm performance. Furthermore, the mediation effect of innovation and export was analyzed apart from these direct relationships. Before forming a frame for this work, a research model was developed by scanning local and foreign literature. After conceptual framework, literature scanning and hypothesis development; Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was introduced and the model was tested in detail. To reveal the relationships, the top 1000 export firms according to the Turkey Exporters Assembly(TEA)'s report, which were updated in 2016 in Turkey, were contacted. It was attempted to contact with the 754 firms among the top 1000 export firms listed in Turkey and total 252 surveys were only collected. The statistical process of survey data were carried out with IBM SPSS Statistics 21 ve AMOS 22 packet programs. Hypothesis of the research were tested by SEM through these programs. At the end of the research, it has been determined that there is a relationship between technology transfer and innovation, technology transfer and exports, innovation and firm performance, and exports and firm performance. There is no significant relationship between the technology transfer and the firm performance and between innovation and exports. In addition, it is found that there are the mediation effect of innovation in relation to technology transfer and firm performance, the mediation effect of export in relation to technology transfer and firm performance, and the mediation effect of export in relation to innovation and firm performance. Futhermore, there is also mediation effect of innovation in relation to technology transfer and exports, but this mediation effect is very weak.