Abstract:

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the driving force of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development in China. In the era of digital economy, with the deep integration of digital technology and the real economy, data resources have become the key for SMEs to gain competitive advantages. In practice, some SMEs have seized the opportunities of the times and achieved rapid development through digital transformation, but more SMEs still face significant challenges in the process of digitization, with phenomena such as reluctance, inability, and fear of digital transformation being widespread. At the same time, in the face of complex and volatile market, technology, and institutional environment, the “specialized, refined, differentiated, and innovative (SRDI)” development path is considered an important strategic pathway for high-quality growth of SMEs in China. Existing studies have attempted to explore the impact and boundary conditions of the digital economy on the growth of “SRDI” SMEs, confirming that the business environment has a synergistic effect on the digital economy to enhance the cultivation effectiveness of “SRDI” SMEs. However, most existing studies focus on the macro-level influence of the digital economy on the development of “SRDI” SMEs, without delving into the micro-level analysis of the role of digital technology application, nor examining the internal mechanisms and boundary conditions by which the digital technology application drives the “SRDI” development of SMEs. Therefore, based on the theory of firm endogenous growth mechanism, this paper constructs a theoretical framework of the process by which the application of digital technology empowers the growth of SMEs, and uses questionnaire survey data for empirical analysis to reveal the internal mechanisms and key contexts of the aforementioned process, namely how the application of digital technology promotes enterprise growth by enhancing the “SRDI” strategic orientation of SMEs, as well as the moderating effect of external market conditions (intensity of market competition) and SMEs’ ability to acquire ecosystem resources (acquisition of ecosystem resource). Empirical analysis reveals that the digital technology application can promote the growth of SMEs, and this promotion is achieved by strengthening their “SRDI” strategic orientation. However, the impact of digital technology application on SMEs’ “SRDI” strategic orientation is moderated by external market conditions and the SMEs’ ability to acquire ecosystem resources. Specifically, the more intense the market competition or the easier the access to ecosystem resources, the weaker the impact of digital technology application on the “SRDI” strategic orientation. The theoretical contributions of this paper mainly include: First, by focusing on the impact of digital technology application on the growth of SMEs, this paper enriches the research on the driving factors of SME growth. Second, from a strategic perspective, this paper reveals the internal mechanism by which digital technology application empowers the growth of SMEs. Lastly, this paper identifies the important situational factors for the promotion of “SRDI” development of SMEs through the application of digital technology. This paper also makes some practical contributions: First, SMEs in the era of digital economy can embark on the path of “SRDI” development by actively applying digital technologies. Second, SMEs that adhere to the “SRDI” strategic orientation should not blindly pursue digital transformation but should consider it strategically.

Key words: digital technology application, growth of SMEs, “SRDI” strategic orientation, intensity of market competition, acquisition of ecosystem resource

摘要：

在数字经济时代,走专精特新发展道路是我国中小企业高质量成长的重要战略路径。本研究基于企业内生成长理论,探索数字技术应用赋能中小企业成长的内在机制和边界条件。实证分析发现,数字技术应用能够促进中小企业成长,该促进作用通过增强中小企业专精特新战略导向实现;数字技术应用对中小企业专精特新战略导向的影响程度,会受到外部市场环境和企业生态资源获取能力的影响,即当市场竞争越激烈或生态资源获取越容易时,数字技术应用对中小企业专精特新战略导向的促进作用越弱。研究结论丰富了数字经济时代企业内生成长理论,有助于指导中小企业开展数字化建设和实现持续健康成长。

关键词: 数字技术应用, 中小企业成长, 专精特新战略导向, 市场竞争程度, 生态资源获取