An Empirical Analysis of R&D Transactions: Surrogate Technological Networks and Firm Performance

This paper uses statistical data from the annual R&D survey of financial flows received or spent by the firm for R&D activities. To describe R&D networks, attention is focused on the construction of four synthetic proxies from empirical literature on social networks: variety of partners, intensity, regularity of links, and centrality in networks. On the bases of the two available innovation surveys, we explore, through a cross section study, the impact of these different variables on technological performance of firms.     

How beliefs influence behaviour: Confucianism and innovation in China

Previous studies have analysed how religious beliefs may affect economic activity. We extend this literature by examining how Confucianism is linked to innovation activity at the firm level in China. We analyse the relationship between Confucianism and several proxies for input and outputs of innovation activities. Our results show that Confucianism is significantly related to lower levels of innovation activity regardless of which measure for firm-level innovation we use. We also find that the nature of ultimate ownership influences this relationship, with innovation among state-controlled firms being significantly more affected by Confucianism. This study thus adds to the understanding of how traditional belief systems influence behaviour among economic actors.     

Productivity,innovation strategies and industrial relations in SMEs. Empirical evidence for a local production system in northern Italy

The paper aims to provide an original contribution to evaluating several kinds of relations between four areas of innovation activities – training, technology, organization, ICT (information and communication technologies) – and industrial relations and firm’s economic performance. Quantitative evidence for a SME‐based local production system is provided by exploiting two datasets: the first is derived from a direct survey carried out in 2005 collecting data on innovations, labour flexibility and industrial relations; the second is represented by a panel of official balance sheets data for the period 1998–2004. The analysis is divided in two consequential parts. We first examine the drivers of different innovation strategies and subsequently we exploit innovation indicators as potential drivers of firm’s productivity. The results show that training activities and organizational changes have strong links with many industrial relations indicators, thus emerging as industrial relations driven innovations. On the contrary, ICT and technological innovation seem to be more influenced by firms’ past performances than by industrial relations. The analysis on labour productivity drivers shows that training activities are the most relevant factors; then, ranked consequently, technological innovation, organisational innovations and, finally, ICT also appear to impact on productivity levels. It is worth noting that the role of ICT emerges more robustly when endogeneity is specifically addressed. Finally, the role of firm size seems here to be overshadowed by other drivers.     

Does enterprise software matter for service innovation? Standardization versus customization

This paper analyzes the relationship between service innovation and different types of enterprise software systems, i.e. standardized enterprise software designed to fit one certain business sector and enterprise software specifically customized for a single firm. Using recent firm-level data of a survey among information and communication technology service providers as well as knowledge-intensive service providers in Germany, this is the first paper which empirically analyzes whether the use of sector specific or customized enterprise software triggers innovation. The results based on a knowledge production function suggest that customized enterprise software is related to the occurrence of service innovation. However, there is no relationship between sector specific enterprise software and innovation activity. The results stay robust to several different specifications and suggest that the causality runs from customized software usage to service innovation.     

High‐Performance Management Practices and Employee Outcomes in Denmark

High‐performance work practices are frequently considered to have positive effects on corporate performance, but what do they do for employees? After assessing the correlation between organizational innovation and firm performance, this article investigates whether high‐involvement work practices affect workers in terms of wages, wage inequality and workforce composition. The analysis is based on a survey directed at Danish firms matched with linked employer–employee data and also examines whether the relationship between high‐involvement work practices and employee outcomes is affected by the industrial relations context.     

开放式创新、战略柔性与创新绩效

以中国制造业259家企业为数据样本，研究了开放式创新、战略柔性与企业创新绩效之间的关系，研究发现开放式创新战略与企业创新绩效呈显著正相关关系，战略柔性与创新绩效呈显著正相关关系，并且开放式创新战略与战略柔性对创新绩效的影响存在显著正向交互作用。研究结果对企业管理层有一定的借鉴意义，企业应该尽可能实施开放式创新战略，提高资源柔性和协调柔性。     

The Relationship Between Firm Size and Innovation Activity: A Double Decision Approach†

The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between firm size and innovation activity using Spanish data at firm level corresponding to the manufacturing sector for the period 1990-93. This exercise is different to previous applications because we allow for different size effects in the decision to innovate and the innovation count equation, in the context of a double-hurdle approach. Several tests confirm the hurdle negbin model. We find that firm size is a relevant factor, although size effects are different in both decisions. A robust result from the different specifications estimated is the rejection of the Gilbert and Newbery hypotheses. We find out that the behaviour of firm size is neither linear in the decision nor in thc count equation. We also provide additional, and sometimes different, evidence to previous Spanish studies on R&D.     

How do employee training and knowledge stocks affect product innovation?

The main purpose of this paper is to explore how interactions of knowledge flows and knowledge stocks could shape firms’ innovative performance. Knowledge flows are measured on the grounds of human resource training practices while different levels and forms of knowledge stocks (i.e. educational attainment, exporting activity, and firm age) are considered. We make use of two-period panel probit regressions and a rich data survey of the 524 largest Greek manufacturing firms conducted in two waves (2011 and 2013). Our findings suggest that the beneficial effects of knowledge flows strengthen when knowledge stocks accumulated by employees’ education and firm age are low. When knowledge stocks are limited, knowledge flows can act as a bridge for product innovation. On the contrary, when knowledge stocks are high, higher investments in knowledge flows may lead to diminishing returns and, thus, to decreased innovation performance beyond a certain point.     

Measuring and Explaining Innovative Capability: Evidence from Southeast Asia

What causes firm‐level product innovation in developing economies? This paper answers this question by emphasizing the role of process improvements that are influential in product innovation. We construct a firm‐level innovative capability score using novel, broad‐based, but detailed data on various process improvement practices obtained from firms in Southeast Asia. We then investigate the factors that may affect innovative capability. We also estimate the effect of the innovative capability score on product innovation controlling for research and development intensity and other firm characteristics. Our empirical investigation identifies a chief executive officer (CEO)'s past experience at a foreign or large firm, and buyer pressure to adopt international standards as key determinants of innovative capability. Novel and unique findings from our examination include: (i) the impact of a CEO's past experience at a foreign or large firm on the innovative capability is larger for local enterprises and small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises; (ii) the impact of share of foreign workers in the upper managerial levels only appears to be significant in foreign firms and larger firms; and (iii) buyer pressure is a more likely contributor to innovative capability compared with capital tie‐ups with multinational enterprises or joint venture buyers that capture vertical technology transfers. Finally, our empirical results show that a firm in Southeast Asia is more likely to achieve product innovation if the firm has had a higher innovative capability.     

The more subsidies,the longer survival? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

How do government subsidies affect firm survival? By using Chinese firm‐level data for 1998 to 2007, we show that, on average, there is a positive and significant impact of government subsidies on firm survival. We also investigate the heterogeneous effects of government subsidies with different intensities on firm survival, and find that moderate‐intensity government subsidies exert a positive impact on firm survival, while high‐intensity government subsidies increase the exit probabilities, the underlying mechanisms via subsidy‐seeking investment and innovation incentive weakening are supported by empirical evidence. Furthermore, we explore the role of governance institutions in the subsidy–survival relationship, and find that the positive impact of government subsidies on firm survival is more pronounced in regions with better governance institutions.     

What hinders innovation performance of services and manufacturing firms in Mexico?

Barriers to innovation are heterogeneous, of financial and non-financial nature. The importance of barriers to innovation and their actual influence on innovation depend on firms’ characteristics such as sectoral affiliation, technological behavior and their response to perceived obstacles to innovation. Firms either continue to engage in innovation, or they avoid the activity altogether. This paper explored the nature and perceived importance of the obstacles to innovation that firms confront, in a developing-country context; we build on survey data about firms in Mexico. Our findings suggest that two kinds of policy interventions should help offset a firm’s perception of barriers to innovation. On the one hand, policies should enhance the innovation capacity of firms interested in innovation; on the other hand, policies need to tackle factors that reduce the interest of firms in innovation. Policies that boost demand for locally generated innovations would assist in achieving both these goals.     

技术联盟企业间联合行动对企业创新绩效的影响

基于社会认同理论类化-认同-比较分析框架，将技术联盟中的企业联合行动、关系认同和知识多样性引入企业创新绩效反应机制，构建联合行动、关系认同和知识多样性三因素交互调节模型，探讨企业创新绩效生成机制。运用428份水环境治理企业调研数据进行实证分析，结果表明：联合行动正向影响企业创新绩效；关系认同正向调节联合行动对企业创新绩效的影响；企业间知识多样性正向调节关系认同在联合行动共同问题解决与企业创新绩效间的调节效应，即在企业间高知识多样性下，提高关系认同可以强化共同问题解决与企业创新绩效之间的关系；而企业间知识多样性对关系认同在联合行动共同认知与企业创新绩效间的调节作用不显著。     

组织学习能力、双元性创新与企业绩效间关系的实证研究

利用782个中国企业样本的数据,通过回归分析探讨了组织学习能力对企业绩效的影响以及双元性创新在两者间的中介作用。研究结果显示:企业提高组织学习能力可在财务绩效、人力资源绩效和创新绩效3个方面获得相应回报;双元性创新在组织学习能力与企业绩效之间起部分中介作用;环境动态性在组织学习能力、双元性创新与企业绩效三者间起到正向调节作用。     

Imported input varieties and product innovation: Evidence from five developing countries

We examine how access to imported intermediate inputs affects firm‐level product innovation in five developing counties. We combine trade data with survey data on innovation and develop a method to determine whether new inputs were essential for the product innovation. We find evidence that the number of newly imported varieties has a significant impact on product innovations that rely on new inputs and provide suggestive evidence that this effect comes from access to better quality imports. We extend our analysis to assess the consequences of the increase in the number of Chinese exporting firms on product innovation in developing countries.     

Firms’ skills as drivers of radical and incremental innovation

Using firm level data from the Irish Community Innovation Survey 2008–2010 we analyse the importance of eight skill sets for the innovation performance of firms. We distinguish between radical and incremental innovation. Our results suggest that there is substantial heterogeneity in the importance of skills for different types of innovation and that some skills are best sourced from outside the firm while others are best developed in-house.     

自主创新还是引进创新？

创新已成为企业参与市场竞争、获取创新绩效的关键。基于资源来源差异,创新可分为自主创新和引进创新两种。诸多研究探讨了自主创新对企业绩效的正向影响,但自主创新并非适合所有企业,当前缺乏对企业创新模式转换的研究。对177家中国企业数据进行了实证研究,结果发现相比于引进创新,自主创新对企业绩效的正向作用更显著;而当企业与联盟伙伴具有良好的合作关系时,企业更倾向于实施引进创新。同时,还以调研企业为案例研究了合作效率对创新模式转换的影响。将创新理论和联盟理论联系起来,具有一定的理论意义和实践指导价值。     

Product and process innovation and total factor productivity: Evidence for manufacturing in four Latin American countries

The literature on firm productivity recognizes the important role played by firm innovation activities on firm productivity in developed countries. However, the literature for developing and emerging economies is scarce and far from conclusive. The aim of this paper is to study the innovation–productivity link (distinguishing between process and product innovations) for manufacturing at the firm level for four Latin American countries (two classified as upper‐middle income countries by the World Bank—Argentina and Mexico—and two as lower‐middle income—Colombia and Peru). We aim testing whether the level of development is a mediating factor in the innovation–productivity link. The data used have been drawn from the World Bank panel enterprise surveys, for 2006 and 2010. First, we estimate total factor productivity (TFP) and, second, we use the estimated TFP as a regressor or as dependent variable, in two models for testing self‐selection of the most productive firms into innovation or the existence of returns to innovation in terms of productivity. Our results confirm the mediating role of the level of development in the innovation–productivity link: both the self‐selection and the returns‐to‐innovation hypotheses work only for the upper‐middle income countries.     

Markups of Exporters and Importers: Evidence from Hungary

In this paper, we study the relationship between different proxies of firm‐level markups and trade status, using balance sheet information linked to detailed trade data from Hungary between 1995 and 2003. We find that importing is strongly positively correlated with markup measures, both across and within firms. We argue that this correlation can reflect three channels: self‐selection, higher physical productivity resulting from access to a larger variety of inputs, and quality upgrading based on high‐quality imported intermediate inputs. We present evidence for the relevance of the third channel by showing that importers’ markup premium is higher when inputs arrive from developed countries, and that importing is correlated with higher‐quality (price‐adjusted revenue) exports. We find no robust evidence for exporter premium when controlling for importing. We argue that the non‐existent exporter premium might result from the stronger competition in export markets relative to domestic markets.     

社会资本、知识获取与创新绩效:基于供应链视角

基于社会资本和知识管理理论,探讨了在中国关系社会背景下社会资本与创新绩效之间的关系,检验了知识获取对二者关系的调节效应,揭示了供应链管理中社会资本对创新绩效的影响机制以及知识获取在创新中的重要作用。基于供应链视角,从供应商、企业内部、客户3个方面对社会资本进行了探讨,并运用278家制造企业的调研数据,采用线性回归及调节效应检验方法对假设进行了实证检验。研究结果表明:企业内部社会资本和客户社会资本对企业创新绩效有显著的正向影响;知识获取对社会资本(供应商、企业内部、客户)与创新绩效之间的关系具有正向调节效应。     

Relationship lending and innovation: empirical evidence on a sample of European firms

This paper investigates the impact of relationship lending on innovation (the probability to innovate and the intensity of innovation). Using a unique dataset providing detailed information on bank–firm relationships across European firms, we relate different proxies of relationship lending (soft information, long-lasting relationships, number of banks and share of the main bank) to innovation. We find a very strong and robust positive effect of ‘soft-information-intensive’ relationships, a less robust positive effect of long-lasting relationships and a negative effect of credit concentration as measured by the number of banking relationships. We also find that ‘soft-information-intensive’ relationships reduce credit rationing for innovative firms, while long-lasting relationships seem to favour innovation via other relational channels. These results raise some concern on the impact of screening processes based on automatic procedures, as those suggested by the Basel rules, on firms' capability to finance innovative activities in Europe.