Identifying and evaluating strategic partners for collaborative R&D: Index-based approach using patents and publications

Identifying and selecting appropriate strategic partners have been the subject of many previous studies: but most have dealt with partner selection that has relied heavily on experts' judgements: the value of a literature-based quantitative approach as a source of technology intelligence has seldom been addressed. This paper therefore aims to develop a systematic framework to guide strategic partner selection, taking a literature-based approach. Reviewing the factors that can lead to successful R&D partnerships to develop partner selection criteria, we designed 14 indexes – grouped into four major categories – to reflect desirable partner characteristics, and used the literature data to suggest a framework for prioritising potential partners. As data sources, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the ISI Web of Science databases are adopted for patent analysis and publication analysis, respectively. This research applied the framework to identify strategic R&D partners for Korean firms and found that the use of literature data enabled a wide ranging search for potential partners and the quick analysis of their characteristics, with results that provided objective evidence for selection decisions. It also investigated the relative importance of literature databases and that of the four decision criteria by industry, and examined the relationships between the indexes to improve the application of the framework. The suggested framework is expected to be valuable as a complementary tool for decision-making about R&D collaboration.     

The negative impact of R&D capitalization: A value relevance approach

Abstract

Accounting for R&D costs is an open issue. SFAS N°2 mandates that all R&D costs must be immediately expensed. IAS 38 requires capitalization of R&D costs if they meet certain criteria. Recent research papers show the value relevance of capitalized R&D. We test the value relevance of R&D reporting in a sample of 197 French firms between 1993 and 2002. The French context provides an interesting field for R&D value relevance studies because both accounting treatments of R&D costs (expensing and capitalization) are allowed. Unlike previous studies, we find that capitalized R&D is negatively associated with stock prices and returns. This negative coefficient on capitalized R&D implies that investors are concerned with and react negatively to capitalization of R&D. We also find that the firms choosing to capitalize (successful) R&D are smaller, more highly leveraged, less profitable and have less growth opportunities. Taking into account these characteristics, our robustness checks confirm that capitalized R&D is not associated with higher prices and is related to lower returns.     

MNEs,technological efforts and channels of export spillover: An analysis of Indian manufacturing industries

The present study provides some empirical evidence for the export spillover effect examining the case of an emerging market economy, namely India, using firm level data for the period 1994–2006. We disentangle different spillover channels, namely the demonstration effect, the imitation effect (R&D spillover) and a proxy to measure spillover effects coming from higher MNEs’ skills. We also account for the heterogeneous technological behaviour of local firms considering how in-house R&D efforts and disembodied technological imports may affect the exporting performance. Our findings show how export spillover effects are mainly mediated by an imitation effect, contrary to the case of other emerging market economies like China, where a demonstration effect is evident. We also recognise that both the decision to export and export intensity are influenced most of all by the technological activities of local firms. Moreover, the findings of the analysis suggest that in-house R&D is more relevant than other external sources of technological knowledge such as disembodied technology imports to internalise the positive spillover effect emanating from MNEs.     

Imputed Interindustry Technology Flows - A Comparative SMFA Analysis

This paper shows how the pattern of an interindustry R&D flow system can be detected using a Subsystem-MFA (SMFA). The standard subsystem analysis shows the innovation spillovers of the relevant innovative sectors of a country, which are then turned into graphical form so that the sector clustering into this system can be displayed like a 'molecule' of sectors. The analysis uses the recently published input-output tables of the OECD for Germany, Japan and the United States for the beginning, the middle and the end of the 1980s. The analysis uses R&D-expenditures as an innovation-indicatorvector, published also by the OECD. The results show that there are specific patterns of interindustry imputed R&D flows that differ to some extent between the given countries. These differences can be interpreted as being due to the specific economic history of these countries.     

Contributions and Channels of Interindustry R&D Spillovers: An Estimation for Japanese High-tech Industries

This paper estimates the contributions of R&D spillovers to four high-tech industries in Japan—general machinery, electrical machinery, transportation machinery and chemicals—by estimating the trans-log cost and share functions that include the R&D stock variables of own and spillover-source industries. The candidates for spillover- source industries are selected on the basis of large R&D flow or R&D proximity. The R&D flow measures the spillover embodied in purchased intermediate goods using input–output coefficients. The R&D proximity measures the extent of similarity between a pair of industries of the distribution of R&D expenditures across research fields, and is expected to show the likelihood of spillover at the R&D stage. The results suggest that electrical machinery benefited from R&D in the chemical industry, through the purchase of intermediate goods, whereas general machinery and transportation machinery benefited from R&D in the metal products industry, through R&D proximity. There was no evidence of the chemical industry benefiting from R&D spillovers. These results clearly imply that the contributions and the channels of R&D spillovers are diverse, casting doubt on earlier studies that used weighted sums of R&D expenditures (or their stocks) of other industries as aggregate spillover variables.     

An analysis of firm-level innovation strategies in the US biotechnology industry

This study examines factors that may affect innovation strategies and performance of firms in the biotechnology industry. Specifically, differences between factors common to firms with high R&D intensity and those to firms with low R&D intensity are investigated. Biotechnology firms with relatively higher levels of R&D intensity attribute their innovation performance to research-based innovation factors and strategies such as strengthening their own research capabilities, entering into research collaborations with universities, industry leaders and other biotech firms, and licensing their technology. These strategies can be summarized as alignment within the industry. Firms with relatively lower R&D intensity have a hybrid focus—they invest in R&D but may also have products on the market. These firms attribute their innovation performance more so to production-based innovation factors and strategies such as gaining market access and maintaining connections with customers. Their strategy focuses on competitiveness, marketing, and distribution channels, while not ignoring the importance of a strong research base and the need to advance technologically. In a sense, strategies employed to achieve successful innovation reflect the stage of innovation in which a firm is operating for a particular product or process.     

中国制造业出口技术结构的测度及影响因素研究

通过建立1998~2008年SITC Rev.3五位编码产品与制造业22个行业的对应关系,构建行业出口技术水平测算指标。并采用系统动态GMM方法实证研究了中国制造业出口技术结构的影响因素。结果表明,内部知识变量在出口结构深化与升级中的作用得到强化;外资企业在中国研发投入与创新意愿不足;FDI对出口技术结构升级的影响存在行业异质性;劳动密集型行业的资本深化对中国出口技术水平具有稳健的提升作用。可见内部动力挖潜和影响因素的行业异质性,决定了不同行业应强化有利于本行业出口技术水平提升的因素,在采取手段提高本行业出口技术水平时,应同时兼顾国家外资与就业政策目标。     

The U-shaped effect of R&D intensity on employee downsizing: evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms (1994–2010)

Abstract

This study explores an empirically untested issue: the relationship between the level of a firm’s R&D intensity and employee downsizing. Basing our conceptual development on the Resource-Based View of the firm, we argue that a linear relationship is a poor approximation of the proposed relationship. Instead, we find theoretical insights supporting the logic that employee downsizing decreases as firms shift from low to moderate levels of R&D intensity but increases as firms change from moderate to high levels. This prediction suggests that a U-shaped link is a better representation of the way in which a firm’s R&D intensity can affect downsizing. This hypothesis is tested and confirmed using a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms during the 1994–2010 period. We also propose a novel empirical tool (i.e. dynamic probit models) that is especially useful for addressing the potential endogeneity and simultaneity problem in studying this relationship. Implications for future research and practice are presented along with the conclusions of our findings.     

How does knowledge depth moderate the performance of internal and external knowledge sourcing strategies?

Management literature has consistently shown that knowledge is the most important source of competitive advantage for a firm. However, it is still not clear how knowledge can lead to competitive advantage, and how firms can find strategies to leverage their knowledge bases. This study considers the strategic implications of knowledge depth and three knowledge-sourcing strategies: R&D, strategic alliances and acquisitions. The main and interaction effects of these factors were tested in the context of the US technology firms. The results confirmed the strategic role of knowledge and external leveraging strategies. We also found that technology firms with weak knowledge depth should focus on internal R&D to accumulate knowledge in core technology areas, while those with strong knowledge depth should lower internal R&D intensity and shift their strategic resources to inter-firm alliances and acquisitions.     

A performance-oriented risk management framework for innovative R&D projects

Uncertainty is one of the major inherent difficulties in developing innovative products, due to their highly dynamic markets and technologies. The presence of a large degree of uncertainty leads to high R&D risks, resulting in many R&D failures. Therefore, it is important to manage R&D risks through all R&D stages to improve R&D project success rates. This paper proposes a new risk management framework that aligns project risk management with corporate strategy and a performance measurement system to increase success rates of R&D projects and to accomplish corporate strategic goals. The balanced scorecard is used to identify major performance measures of an R&D organization based on the firm vision and strategy. Quality function deployment is adapted to transform organizational performance measures into project performance measures and a systematic procedure is developed for risk identification, assessment, response planning, and control. The proposed risk management framework enables an R&D project to be focused on achieving the corporate goals and provides a more effective way to identify, assess, analyze, and monitor R&D risks along the project cycle. The proposed methodology is illustrated with a drug development project.     

The effect of R&D novelty and openness decision on firms' catch-up performance: Empirical evidence from China

This paper explores the strategic dimensions of R&D decisions toward novelty and openness in explaining the performance of latecomer firms in a developing economy. A structural equation model of R&D decision-making is formulated using survey data from 279 Chinese firms. The dimension of R&D novelty is defined as the degree of technological newness found in firms' R&D projects, while R&D openness describes the degree to which technologies are acquired from external sources. Our results indicate that firms' R&D decisions regarding novelty and openness are associated with demand opportunities, market competition, technological capability, and external networks. Greater R&D novelty contributes positively to innovative output but does not affect sales growth. Greater R&D openness contributes positively to sales growth but negatively to innovative output.     

The effects of slack resource of R&D professionals on firm performance: evidence from traditional manufacturing firms in an emerging economy

Abstract

As an important component of organizational human resource slack (HR slack), the slack of research-and-development (R&D) professionals has been studied by several authors. However, it remains unclear whether and how this small component of general HR slack, i.e. the slack of research-and-development professionals (RHR slack), may affect overall firm performance in an emerging economy without much R&D tradition or pro-R&D institutions. Based on two organizational theories, i.e. institutional theory and the resource-based view of the firm (RBV), we propose competing hypotheses on the relationship between RHR slack and firms’ accounting performance. We also examine whether the relationship between RHR slack and firm performance should be linear or curvilinear. Finally, we also test the relationship between RHR slack and other dimensions of firm performance. Several interesting findings have been obtained. For instance, neither the perspective based on institutional theory nor that based on RBV can fully predict all types of RHR slack-performance relationships, be these relationships linear or curvilinear.     

Myth or reality? Assessing the moderating role of CEO compensation on the momentum of innovation in R&D

This study researches the influences of CEO compensation on firm behavior to examine the interactive relationship between the behavioral momentum of innovation in R&D and CEO compensation. The models presented in this study are based on evolutionary, institutional, and agency theories to test hypotheses using data from 107 companies in the high-technology sectors in the United States. The results indicate that the pre-succession innovative behavior of these high-technology firms on R&D can positively affect these firms' post-succession innovative behavior towards R&D. That is, positive momentum in R&D innovation prevails in a firm across a change of the CEO. However, for the role of CEO compensation, short- and long-term compensation does not positively moderate this behavioral momentum in R&D. Hence, the moderating impact of short- and long-term CEO compensation to enhance the momentum of innovation in R&D can be romanticized. These findings provide boards of directors with evidence as to how a CEO succession matters to a firm's behavioral momentum in R&D, and whether CEO compensation can be strategized to change a firm's innovation and momentous behavior.     

Corporate R&D and firm efficiency: evidence from Europe’s top R&D investors

The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of corporate research and development (R&D) activities on firm performance, measured by labour productivity. To this end, the stochastic frontier technique is used on a unique unbalanced longitudinal dataset comprising top European R&D investors over the period 2000–2005. In this framework, this study quantifies technical inefficiency of individual firms. From a policy perspective, the results of this study suggest that if the aim is to leverage firms’ productivity, the emphasis should be put on supporting corporate R&D in high-tech sectors and, to some extent, in medium-tech sectors. On the other hand, corporate R&D in the low-tech sector is found to have a minor effect in explaining productivity. Instead, encouraging investment in fixed assets appears important for the productivity of low-tech industries. Hence, the allocation of support for corporate R&D seems to be as important as its overall increase and an ‘erga omnes’ approach across all sectors appears inappropriate. However, with regard to technical efficiency, R&D intensity is found to be a pivotal factor in explaining firm efficiency and this turns out to be true for all industries.     

Impact of R&D and Technology Diffusion on Productivity Growth: Empirical Evidence for 10 OECD Countries

This paper examines the empirical evidence on the impact of performed R&D and of R&D embodied in intermediate and capital goods on productivity performance in 10 major OECD countries over the last two decades. To quantify intersectoral and international technology flows, industry-level embodied R&D variables were constructed from an input–output (IO) R&D embodiment model. The productivity variables used are discrete Divisia growth indexes of total factor productivity (TFP), which were estimated from an IO growth accounting model. The results from pooled regressions indicate that the rates of return of the R&D variables were positively significant and increasing in the 1980s. In particular, embodied R&D is an important source for TFP growth in services, indicating very high social returns of the flows of capital-embodied technology into this sector. Moreover, the information and communi-cation technology (ICT) cluster of industries played a major role in the generation and cquisition of new technologies at the international level.     

The R&D knowledge base in city-agglomerations and knowledge searching in product innovative SMEs

ABSTRACT

This paper looks at the relation between the R&D knowledge base of city-agglomerations and knowledge sourcing in product innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The small open Belgian economy is used as a test case. The characteristics of the city-agglomeration’s R&D knowledge are posited to be instrumental for SMEs’ reliance on particular sources of information for innovation. The R&D knowledge base is studied as a multidimensional concept consisting of R&D capacity, R&D specialization and R&D diversification. A representative sample of product innovative SMEs drawn from two waves of the Community Innovation Survey between 2008 and 2012 reveals that a strong R&D capacity at city-agglomeration level favours private external information sources for innovation, but has no influence on the likelihood to rely on public sources for innovation. Accordance between specialization of the private R&D knowledge base and the SME’s activities positively influences the use of clients as information sources for innovation, whereas under these circumstances supplier responsiveness turns out to be less frequently solicited for. A more diversified private R&D environment reduces the reliance on universities and public research organizations as information sources for innovation. A public R&D knowledge base specialized in natural sciences or engineering favours information sources from universities.     

Replicating the R&D investments and financial structure relationship: evidence from Borsa İstanbul

I revisit the empirical relationship between R&D investments and financial structure by trying to replicate seminal paper of Aghion et al. (J Eur Econ Assoc 2:277–288, 2004). In the widely cited study, Aghion et al. (2004) found evidence of a nonlinear (an inverted U-shape) relationship—firms with positive R&D tend to use more debt than firms with zero R&D, but the use of debt falls with R&D intensity—in a sample of U.K. firms from 1990 to 2002. In order to review their significant findings, I use panel data of 177 Turkish manufacturing firms listed in Borsa ?stanbul from 2007 to 2016. Using Aghion et al.’s (2004) model specifications, I found no evidence of an inverted U-shape relationship or of any effect of R&D intensity on the leverage ratio. The study thus suggests that the effect of R&D investments on the financial structure may vary with the different samples of countries and cannot be universally generalized.     

Externalities of R&D Expenditures

Innovation is generally recognized as a major source of economic growth. R&D investments explicitly aim at generating innovations and creating knowledge. Since knowledge has certain public good properties, positive externalities are likely to exist. In this paper, we extend well-known concepts from the input-output literature (backward multipliers) to indicate at which commodities stimuli should be targeted to enhance R&D and its positive externalities in the economy as a whole. Next, we argue that there may also be negative externalities of R&D, due to increased prices. This issue can be studied by means of forward multipliers. Both concepts are applied to the United States, 1977-90.     

Knowledge accumulation in US agriculture: research and learning by doing

Journal of Productivity Analysis - We investigate the role of public research investment (R&D) and learning by doing (LBD) in improving productivity through an empirical examination of the...