The Effect of Branding Capability on Business Performance: An Empirical Study in Indonesia

This study examined the effect of branding capability on business performance moderated by learning capability. This study was conducted with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of coffee cafes in the ex-Besuki region, East Java, Indonesia, covering four regencies located around coffee-producing areas with geographical indication (GI) certification. 150 managers of coffee cafe were sampled using the census technique. Data were collected by questionnaires distributed to the coffee cafe managers. The data were then analyzed by using simple regression analysis, Moderation Regression Analysis (MRA) and Moderated MultiGroup Analysis (MMA). The results showed that learning capability positively and significantly affect business performance, and learning capability moderated/enhanced the effect of branding capability on business performance. The findings of this study suggest that branding capability and learning capability play a crucial role in the performance of coffee cafe business especially in the dynamic environment. Coffee cafe managers need to take concrete steps to improve their branding capability and learning capability and they also need to improve their ability to interact with their environment and be committed in managing the coffee cafe. Therefore, it is imperative that the role of branding capability and learning capability be optimized in order to improve the business performance of the coffee cafe.