How a firm's position in a whole network affects innovation performance

A whole network consists of the relationships that exist among members of a population. However, prior studies treated the whole network as a metaphor, and consequently, existing empirical research is limited. As such, this paper investigates the effects of a whole network on firm innovation performance among firms engaged in the Korean semiconductor industry using three variables, namely main component, eigenvector centrality, and closeness centrality. The effects are then analysed using two-step generalised method of moments estimates. The results show a firm is included among the main component in a whole network, and the more centralised it is in terms of connectivity and distance, the more advantageous it is for firm innovation. The significance of this paper is two-fold; First, unlike previous studies that use variables reflecting collective characteristics, this study uses variables reflecting the characteristics of individual firms in a whole network. Second, it is a rare empirical study of a whole network.     

Structural heterogeneity and proximity mechanism of China’s inter-regional innovation cooperation network

ABSTRACT

Based on the cooperation patent data between 31 provinces in China from 1985 to 2017, this paper portrays the topological structure, spatial pattern and proximity mechanism of China’s inter-regional innovation cooperation network by the graph theory, spatial statistical methods and the quadratic assignment procedure model. The conclusions are as follows: (1) the topological structure of China’s inter-regional innovation cooperation forms a hierarchical network with Beijing as the core and it exhibits a typical small-world property and ‘core–periphery’ structure. (2) In terms of spatial distribution characteristics, the ‘quadruple’ with the Beijing–Tianjin region, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Sichuan as the peaks has become the backbone of the inter-regional innovation cooperation network in China. At the same time, the spatial differentiation of the three indicators of degree centrality, median centrality and intensity centrality is obvious. (3) In terms of proximity mechanism, geographical, institutional and cognitive proximity exert a significant effect on China’s inter-regional innovation cooperation network linkage. However, there are significant differences in the effects of various proximity elements on China’s regional innovation network.     

The impact of dual network structure on firm performance: the moderating effect of innovation strategy

ABSTRACT

Firm innovation is embedded in a collaboration network among researchers and a knowledge network composed of knowledge elements; the two networks are decoupled. Guided by social network theory, this study puts forward the definition and the classification of firm dual network structure, probes into the influence of dual network structure on firm performance, and explores the alignment between innovation strategy and firm dual network structure. We conduct an empirical study of 183 listed companies in China from 2004 to 2018. It is found that the four types of dual network structure all have positive impacts on firm performance, and the impact of a collaboration network is slightly higher than that of a knowledge network. Besides, innovation strategy plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between dual network structure and firm performance. Our findings provide new ideas for firms to identify and optimise knowledge and collaboration network structures and match them with innovation strategy to improve performance.     

我国发明人型企业家研发合作网络特征与演化研究

在中国高质量发展转型阶段,研究发明人型企业家在研发合作网络中的结构特征和效用,对于优化企业研发合作网络进而获取可持续竞争优势具有重要意义。首先,基于扎根理论,构建发明人型企业家专利研发合作网络特征概念模型;其次,基于社会网络分析法构建企业家程度中心性、中介中心性、网络密度、群体程度中心性、群体中介中心性等特征指标,形成我国发明人型企业家研发合作网络特征与演化分析框架;最后,运用2014-2019年科创板企业专利数据和企业家数据进行实证检验。研究发现：(1)我国发明人型企业家正在逐步减少对专利研发的全方位参与,同时强化其在合作关系中关键信息枢纽的位置属性;(2)企业家参与研发合作网络密度、群体程度中心性、群体程度中介性大部分高于企业家未参与研发合作网络的数值;(3)发明人型企业家程度中心性、网络密度、网络群体程度中心性与创新绩效显著负相关,发明人型企业家中介中心性、网络群体中介中心性与创新绩效显著正相关。     

Efficiency and effectiveness between open and closed innovation: empirical evidence in South Korean manufacturers

This study addresses two main questions. First, what is the best measurement of innovation performance? Second, is there a significant difference in the performance between open and closed innovation firms? We discuss new measures (‘efficiency’ and ‘effectiveness’) and investigate any differences between open innovation and closed innovation firms by using indicators. The impact of open innovation on firm performance has been examined in existing studies. Most papers, however, employ simple indicators such as patents and financial data. This paper verifies the relationship between open innovation and performance in the Korean manufacturing industry using a new approach. The results show that both efficiency and effectiveness were statistically higher among open innovation firms than among their closed counterparts. It may thus be concluded that the acquisition of outside technology or knowledge has a positive impact on firm performance.     

Dynamics of firm's network community associations and firm's innovation performance

ABSTRACT

R&D network structures have crucial impacts on firm's innovation performance. However, most previous studies have been based on the whole or ego network perspective, few studies have investigated the influence of community structure that a firm is engaged in on its innovation performance, and it is still unclear how a firm's relation to network community affect its innovation performance. This research aims to address this gap by focusing on the dynamics of firm's network community associations, empirically investigate the relationship between dynamics of firm's network community associations and its innovation performance. Based on the unbalanced panel data of smartphone R&D network during year 2004–2017, the results demonstrate that change in community member associations and movement across communities both have inverted-U-shaped effects on firm's innovation performance. Moreover, innovation openness depth has moderating effects on the relationships between dynamics of firm's network community associations and its innovation performance.     

How do prolific inventors impact firm innovation in ICT: implications from patent co-inventing network

Prolific inventors not only own higher innovation productivity, but also impact other inventors through innovation networks. This paper contributes to existing literatures by differentiating prolific inventors from non-prolific inventors in the network context, and making an empirical analysis of the effect of prolific inventors. We use the patent filing data from the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) in investigating the effect of prolific inventors on firm innovation. We use the patents filed by 10 largest Information & Communication Technology firms during 1995–2010 and establish the innovation network with patent co-inventing data. The empirical result shows that prolific inventors positively impact their partners who used to co-invent at least one patent with them. Furthermore, prolific inventors positively impact inventors who do not have a close contact with them. The closer the inventors are to prolific inventors, the more patents they produce. Members are thereby more likely to gather around prolific inventors and formulate intensive clusters. In networks centered by prolific inventors, useful knowledge outweighs redundant knowledge, and high clustering that facilitates knowledge flow is proved to be beneficial; while in networks without prolific inventors, high clustering may not be beneficial as there are less inventors holding advanced knowledge. Policy implications are discussed at the end of this study.     

数字经济产业园区企业网络嵌入、数字化能力与开放式创新

以社会网络理论、动态能力理论等为理论基础,研究数字经济产业园区企业网络嵌入对开放式创新的影响。研究发现：网络嵌入显著正向影响数字经济产业园区企业开放式创新。机制分析表明,网络嵌入通过影响数字化能力进而提升数字经济产业园区企业开放式创新水平。进一步讨论发现,网络嵌入的子维度关系性网络嵌入对数字化能力的三个子维度数字感知能力、数字化运营能力、数字资源协同能力具有显著的正向影响;网络嵌入的子维度结构性网络嵌入对数字化能力的子维度数字感知能力和数字化运营能力具有显著的正向影响,但对数字资源整合能力的影响并不显著。本文对于数字经济产业园区构建协同共生网络生态,提高园区企业网络嵌入程度,进而培育和构建数字化能力,提高区域开放式创新水平提供了理论基础和一定的实践指导。     

结构资本与技术能力:外部知识管理及知识距离的作用

识别网络结构资本对技术能力的影响是企业开放式创新的核心问题，现有研究对这种影响关系形成的内在机理还缺乏系统认识。通过有调节的中介模型，以企业样本数据实证发现：网络中心度、网络规模能提升外部知识获取和知识转移效率，网络多样性则只能正向影响外部知识获取。外部知识转移只能对技术创新能力产生正向作用，外部知识获取则与技术基础能力和创新能力是显著正向关系。知识距离对外部知识获取在网络中心度、网络规模与技术基础能力，网络多样性与技术基础能力、技术创新能力关系中的中介效应不起调节作用，但完全调节外部知识转移在网络中心度与技术创新能力、网络规模与技术创新能力关系中的中介效应。     

产业互联网下企业创新“竞合”网络与创新绩效

利用国家知识产权局2013—2019年上市公司之间的专利合作数据,构建企业间创新"竞合"网络,提取了367家企业作为样本,将企业创新绩效分为企业内部创新绩效和对所在区域的创新贡献度两部分,从内到外探讨了企业在创新"竞合"网络中的位置对创新绩效的影响;同时分析了产业互联网对该影响的调节作用.研究结果表明,企业创新"竞合"网络的接近中心度与企业内部创新绩效和区域创新贡献度均呈正U型分布,企业创新"竞合"网络的结构洞与企业内部创新绩效和区域创新贡献度也均呈正U型分布,企业的产业互联网战略实施对以上关系的影响均呈显著的正向调节作用.     

Technological innovation and knowledge network in Asia: Evidence from comparison of information and communication technologies among six countries

South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and India have become much larger force in the world economy. Due to the enormous contribution of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in economic growth, this study investigates four main issues related to technological innovation and knowledge network in ICT among six countries. First, indicators of technological innovation were evaluated and used to compare capability of technological innovation in ICT between the six countries. Secondly, differences in innovation configurations among six countries were manifested. Thirdly, relative innovation strengths of these six countries were examined in five sub-technological fields. Finally, this study consists of analyzing the interactions into knowledge network among them; moreover, this study manifests the difference of knowledge network in five sub-technological field of ICT. The empirical findings of this study, based on analysis of a patent and citation dataset comprised of all patents granted by the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) to assignees in six countries from 1976 to 2006, are helpful to understand the comparative development of technological innovation of ICT in six countries.     

Impact of different patent cooperation network models on innovation performance of technology-based SMEs

ABSTRACT

Patent cooperation network, an important way for technology-based SMEs to enhance innovation performance, has become a research hotspot in recent years. Different types of patent cooperation network models and different degree of SMEs embedding them will lead to different effects on enterprise innovation performance improvement. This research selected the ICT industry and the pharmaceutical industry technology-based SMEs with rich patent output as research objects. Based on binary structure perspective of network breadth and depth, the patent cooperation networks are divided into four types: ‘strong exploration’, ‘weak exploration’, ‘strong utilisation’ and ‘weak utilisation’. Through the multi-selection model and the negative binomial regression model, the general factors in the selection of patent cooperation network models and the impact of different models on enterprise innovation performance are analysed. This research provides path breakthroughs and development proposals for technology-based SMEs to access innovative resources and enhance their innovation capabilities on patent cooperation networks.     

创新网络生成因素的重要性识别研究——以上海医药产业为例

本文以上海医药产业为研究对象,基于随机森林模型检验了诸多因素对于创新网络生成和拓扑的影响,并且对这些生成因素的重要性进行了识别研究.研究发现:(1)创新网络个体属性为大学或者科研机构对于网络生成的影响最为重要,表明公共研发机构的知识外溢是网络生成重要动力;(2)创新网络个体的节点度有助于进一步的创新合作,证明了"合作的...     

How knowledge flow affects Korean ICT manufacturing firm performance: a focus on open innovation strategy

The paper presents an integrated viewpoint of technological innovation strategy by considering both the firm and industry levels. Further, we provide a new open innovation framework by adopting a knowledge flow perspective using patent citation information. Finally, we consider a firm’s outbound open innovation performance using cites per patent information together with financial performance to look at both the practical and the potential effects of technological innovation strategy. Through these analyses, this study examines determinants of open technology innovation activity in the information and communication technology manufacturing industry in Korea and draws managerial and policy implications for effective industry promotion and improvement of technology innovation capability.     

联盟组合中焦点企业的网络能力对创新绩效的影响——吸收能力的中介作用

结合社会网络理论和资源基础理论,基于联盟组合中焦点企业的视角,构建了网络能力、吸收能力影响创新绩效的理论模型,并对我国战略性新兴产业242家企业进行了问卷调查和实证分析.研究结果表明:网络能力的4个维度(网络规划能力、网络构建能力、关系管理能力和位置占据能力)对创新绩效均有显著正向影响;网络能力的4个维度对吸收能力的两个维度(潜在吸收能力和实际吸收能力)也均有显著正向影响;吸收能力的两个维度对创新绩效均有显著正向影响;潜在吸收能力和实际吸收能力在网络能力的4个维度与创新绩效的作用关系之间均起到部分中介作用,而且实际吸收能力的中介作用强于潜在吸收能力的中介作用.     

Identification of effective opinion leaders in the diffusion of technological innovation: A social network approach

Opinion leaders are the people in a social network who have the greatest influence on other people's acknowledgment or adoption of products/services in the diffusion process of technological innovation. In this research, we investigate which opinion leader is the best marketing choice in terms of diffusion speed and maximum cumulative number of adopters, using a social network approach and threshold model. On the basis of the simulation result, we find that opinion leaders with high sociality are the best ones for fast diffusion, whereas those with high distance centrality are the best ones for the maximum cumulative number of adopters. Moreover, we conclude that the characteristics of effective opinion leaders selected as initial adopters could vary depending on the characteristics of the social network and type of innovation. Finally, we find that opinion leaders affect the diffusion process only when the percentage of initial adopters reaches a critical mass.     

世界高技术产品贸易格局及中国的贸易地位分析

为了解世界各国高技术产品贸易的真实地位,推动中国高技术产品贸易发展,文章基于2000-2016年82个高技术产品主要贸易国家的双边贸易数据,运用社会网络分析方法分析世界高技术产品贸易网络特征及中国的贸易地位。研究发现,中心度指数体现了包括中国在内的48个国家和地区拥有密切的贸易往来关系;点强度指数体现了贸易强度排名靠前的国家相对稳定,各国差距不断缩小;结构洞指数体现了各国间贸易关系的多元性即网络异质性不断变化。中国虽然具有较密切的贸易关系和较高的贸易强度,但是其贸易网络分布较为集中,网络异质性依然有待提高。为应对贸易摩擦,提高高技术产品贸易地位,中国应注重优化贸易结构、加强自主创新能力以及创新合作水平,从而降低贸易风险、提高产品质量和优化贸易环境。     

种子行业联盟网络中地理邻近性、组织邻近性、网络位 置与创新绩效的研究

本文以中国种子行业的战略联盟网络为样本,用地理邻近性、组织邻近性来表征联盟主体选择伙伴的特征,用网络点度中心性和结构洞来表征联盟网络的位置特征,研究种子行业2010—2015年的创新绩效。研究表明:地理邻近性对组织创新绩效呈倒"U"型影响;不同类型的组织结盟有利于组织创新绩效的提高;点度中心性正向促进组织创新绩效;中国文化背景下的结构洞对组织创新绩效的影响为负;点度中心性负向调节地理邻近性与组织创新绩效间倒"U"型关系。最后,为我国种子行业联盟网络间创新绩效的提升提供建议。     

如何共舞?服务商业模式创新与技术创新对企业绩效的交互影响

基于权变视角与企业网络视角，剖析效率型、新颖型服务商业模式创新与利用式、探索式技术创新匹配对制造企业绩效的影响效应，并识别网络中心性的中介作用。研究发现：①新颖型服务商业模式创新与利用式技术创新组合匹配能够积极提升企业绩效，效率型、新颖型服务商业模式创新与探索式技术创新组合匹配对企业绩效具有抑制作用；②效率型、新颖型服务商业模式创新，利用式、探索式技术创新均能显著提升企业网络中心性和企业绩效；③网络中心性在服务商业模式创新对企业绩效的影响中发挥完全中介作用。     

Does market competition promote innovation efficiency in China’s high-tech industries?

ABSTRACT

Despite extensive discussion about the relationship between market competition and innovation performance, the impact of market competition on the innovation efficiency of high-technology industries in a transitional economy is still unclear. The article is based on panel data of 17 subsectors of China’s high-tech industry spanning the 2001–2016 period. Using stochastic the frontier analysis model, we empirically test the impact of market competition on two-stage innovation efficiency from the perspective of the industry. The results indicate that market competition and firm scale have positive and significant effects on the efficiency of two-stage innovation, the effects of industry export intensity and government intervention on R&D efficiency are negative, but the effects are different for the efficiency of the commercialisation of technology. Based on the results of the empirical analysis, this paper compares the trends and the differences between R&D efficiency and commercialisation efficiency, and then uses cluster analysis to reclassify China’s high-tech industries into three categories, thus revealing the disconnect and imbalance within China’s high-tech industries. At the end of the article, we present some possible policy recommendations.