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.     

Industry influence on firms' R&D and innovation

This paper examines the effect of peers on a firm's research and development (R&D) policy. We show that firms do not make R&D decisions in isolation, and that industry dynamics play an important role in defining a firm's R&D intensity. Using a large sample of 54,393 firm-year observations from 1991 to 2015 in the United States, we find that firms' R&D decisions are mainly driven by their industry peers' R&D policies. Moreover, we find that R&D mimicking is significant only in the presence of strong product market competition, whereas we do not find any evidence of information-based herding in R&D investments. Our additional analysis shows that our main conclusions remain valid even in the presence of financial constraints, and regardless of the firms' market positions. Finally, we provide evidence that R&D mimicking increases firms' future values, future patent outputs, and estimated patent dollar values. Our findings are robust to endogeneity concerns, and to using alternative sample compositions, R&D intensity proxies, and different industry classifications.     

Types of innovation and inter-firm co-operation

The paper presents the results of an empirical study that aims to investigate the impact of interfirm co-operation over innovation on four different types of innovation: product, process, incremental and radical innovation. Drawing on the innovative milieu literature, the impact on the above four types of innovation was tested for both external and internal factors of innovation such as inter-firm co-operation over innovation, production networking, as well as R&D investment and R&D personnel. Four probit models were run by using a unique data set compiled as part of the Regional Innovation Strategy for the West Midlands (UK) Project. The main findings of the paper seem to provide substantial evidence that, for any of the four types of innovation considered, firms' capacity to innovate could greatly improve if they co-operated with other firms over innovation in addition to or instead of investing in R&D. Innovation policy should not overlook, therefore, the systemic component of innovation and ought to attempt to initiate and support inter-firm co-operation. This would mean a renewed and more focused analysis of firms' clusters as part of a multi-faceted approach to innovation policy.     

R&D and Tobin's q in an emerging financial market: the case of the Athens Stock Exchange

This paper aims at providing further evidence on the consequences of R&D investment on Tobin's q for firms publicly traded in an emerging financial market. Panel data methodology is applied using data for the manufacturing and computer firms listed in the Athens Stock Exchange, a market classified as emerging by the major securities analysts, for the period 1996–2004. The empirical findings show first, that the Greek firms' R&D investment effect on the market value of a firm is consistent with other US and European studies. Second, the impact of the R&D investment on the market value is higher for small firms. The findings of this paper may have significant industrial and technological policy implications for other emerging markets sharing similar characteristics to Greece. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determinants of industrial innovation in China: Evidence from its recent economic census

This study examines the sources of technological innovation in Chinese industries using the 2004 economic census data. On the one hand, it analyzes the relationships between patent grants and new product sales. On the other hand, it analyzes the relationships among in-house R&D, technology transfer from foreign and Chinese domestic technology markets, spillover effects of foreign investment, as well as export. The study reveals that in-house R&D has become the most important source for industrial innovation in China. In-house technological efforts are critical for developing original innovations as well as for absorbing the technologies transferred from external agencies. However, neither technologies transferred from foreign countries nor those from the domestic technology market are playing significant roles in China’s industrial innovation. The spillover effect of foreign investment on patent grants is strong and significant, though its impact on new product sales is insignificant. Export shows negative, though insignificant, impact on patent grants, but positive, strong, and significant effects on new product development. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate the critical role of in-house R&D in China’s industrial innovation.     

R&D investment as a signal in corporate takeovers

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects that takeover threats have on firms' preacquisition R&D intensity. Critics of takeovers usually argue that takeover threats may reduce target firms' R&D investments. However, I find that target firms may increase R&D investment in order to signal their compatibility with the acquiring firm. The identity of the acquired firm depends on the market size and target firms' efficiency and compatibility. Through R&D investments, target firms may affect this result, signaling potential outsiders the kind of competition they may face, and forcing them to accept lower takeover offers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

研发投资、舞弊风险与审计费用

以2007—2018年中国A股市场研发投资额大于零的非金融类上市公司为研究对象,实证研究研发投资强度对财务舞弊风险和审计费用的影响以及CPA审计治理效果。研究结果表明：研发投资强度与财务舞弊风险和审计费用均正相关,并且财务舞弊风险在研发投资强度对审计费用的影响中存在部分中介效应。使用工具变量法进行内生性分析发现,研发投资强度在前三种度量方式（研发投入额÷总资产、研发投入额÷净资产、研发投入额÷公司员工数）下具有很强的外生性,而在第四种度量方式（研发投入额÷营业收入）下是内生的。对审计治理效果进行分析发现,虽然高审计收费保证了CPA较高的执业努力程度,但与审计合谋正相关的异常审计费用的存在使得CPA审计治理效果并不佳,并且对研发投资强度大的客户、财务舞弊风险高的客户和高新技术企业收取更高的异常审计费用通常与更高的审计合谋倾向有关。     

内部控制、研发强度与管理短视——基于中国上市公司的经验证据

研发投入具有长期性和不确定性等特征,企业的研发行为会降低当期会计盈余。在研究内部控制质量对企业研发强度影响的基础上,深入分析内部控制作用于企业研发活动的两个路径——抑制管理机会主义风险和抑制研发项目运营风险,结果表明：企业内部控制质量与研发投入强度正相关,内部控制能够显著降低企业的管理机会主义风险和研发项目运营风险,最终有利于提高企业的研发强度,这不仅揭示了内部控制在研发投入方面发挥作用的内在机制,也为我国上市公司的内部控制及研发活动提供了新的经验证据。     

高管激励、R&D投入与高新技术企业绩效——基于内生视角下的研究

基于内生视角,选取2009—2017年A股中小板块的高新技术企业数据为研究样本,以附加价值的资本增值率来衡量企业绩效状况,构建联立方程组模型,实证分析研发投入、管理者薪酬激励和股权激励对高新技术企业绩效的影响。研究结果表明：薪资激励对R&D投入和企业绩效均存在倒U型关系,股权激励与企业绩效正相关,与R&D投入存在倒U型关系,R&D投入对当期企业绩效存在负向影响,但其对企业绩效的滞后效应为正。进一步研究发现,上述结论在民营企业中普遍存在,而在国有企业中并不明显。     

Modes of innovation,resources and their influence on product innovation: Empirical evidence from R&D active firms in Norway

Evolutionary theory of the firm argues that firms follow different approaches to innovation with implications for their performance. Consistent with evolutionary theory, this paper develops a taxonomy of innovation modes which capture the variation in firms' approaches to product innovation. The taxonomy is based on the open/closed innovation and exploration/exploitation literatures and identifies the following modes: “Open exploration”, “closed exploration” “open exploitation”, and “closed exploitation”. The paper theorizes that the identified innovation modes influence product innovation through their effect on the firms' technological and market resources. Using survey data from over 1000 R&D active firms in Norway analyzed with structural equation modelling it is shown how four modes of innovation are related to actual product innovation.     

R&D in a strategic delegation game

This paper studies how a separation of ownership and management affects firms' R&D and production decisions in Cournot quantity competition. It is found that when R&D spillovers are small, owners strategically direct their managers away from profit maximization towards sales. Consequently, managerial firms invest more in R&D and have higher output and lower prices compared to their entrepreneurial counterparts. On the other hand, when spillovers are large, owners ‘penalize’ managers for sales. In this case, managerial firms have lower R&D, lower output and higher prices. Nonetheless, managerial firms have lower profits than their entrepreneurial counterparts regardless of spillovers. This paper also examines the welfare effects of a separation of ownership and management. It is found that in terms of first-best social welfare, managerial firms are more (less) efficient than their entrepreneurial counterparts with low (high) spillovers. However, in terms of second-best social welfare, managerial firms are less efficient with all spillovers. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金融业开放与中国制造业竞争力提升

研究目标：探究外资银行进入对制造业企业加成率变化的影响和作用机制。研究方法：基于异质性企业和新增长理论,将企业异质性和新熊彼特模型有机整合到统一框架中提出命题,根据中国工业企业和海关数据库,通过外资银行进入这一外生冲击对银行业开放后的制造业企业“加成率效应”进行实证研究。研究发现：总体上外资银行进入后,进入区域内企业平均加成率显著增加。行业层面异质性渠道检验表明,行业与技术前沿差距越小、行业外部融资依赖度越高、与银行业投入产出关联度越大,外资银行进入“加成率效应”越大。分所有制类型的结果显示,民营和外资企业的正向效应更为显著,且大型民营企业的正向效应值最大。分地区和要素密集度的结果显示,东部和劳动密集型企业的正向“加成率效应”较大。研究创新：首次从企业盈利水平视角出发探讨外资银行进入对下游制造业加成率的影响。研究价值：证实金融业开放有利于提升我国制造业企业市场势力。     

A qualitative response analysis of UK firms' employment and output decisions

This paper investigates firms' employment and output decisions and presents some empirical evidence concerning the rationality of firms' expectations. The dymanic model is based on the assumptions of convex adjustment costs and monopolistic competition in the product market. The results are obtained using categorical information on individual firms contained in business surveys collected by the Confederation of British Industry. Ordered probit models are used to estimate the employment and output equations. We find that expected demand is a critical determinant of firms' decisions, the effect of changes in cost conditions is not as well determined, and the data are not consistent with the rational expectations hypothesis.     

Endogenous R&D spillovers and locational choice with discriminatory pricing

We present a model of spatial price discrimination where R&D spillovers are endogenous as they depend on firms' location. We establish that both the distance between locations and R&D efforts are an increasing function of the transportation cost coefficient and show that there is a continuum of cases where firms will choose an intermediate location. The managerial implications from the model are discussed using examples of marketing behavior by Internet retailers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF PUBLIC SUBSIDIES ON FIRM R&D INVESTMENT: A SURVEY

This survey examines the empirical literature on the relationship between public R&D subsidies and private R&D investment over the past five decades. The survey reveals a considerable heterogeneity of empirical results that cannot be explained fully by methodological issues. We aim to provide further explanations of the possible causes of that heterogeneity. In particular, we emphasise a set of issues that, in our view, are critical to understanding the potential effect of public R&D subsidies on private R&D spending. Special attention is paid to the dynamic aspects and composition of firm R&D, the constraints faced by the firm (such as financial constraints), and the amount and source of public subsidies. None of these issues have been investigated in depth. We formulate a set of research assumptions to guide future empirical research in this field.     

PUBLIC R&D POLICIES AND PRIVATE R&D INVESTMENT: A SURVEY OF THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

The importance of R&D investment in explaining economic growth is well documented in the literature. Policies by modern governments increasingly recognise the benefits of supporting R&D investment. Government funding has, however, become an increasingly scarce resource in times of financial crisis and economic austerity. Hence, it is important that available funds are used and targeted effectively. This paper offers the first systematic review and critical discussion of what the R&D literature has to say currently about the effectiveness of major public R&D policies in increasing private R&D investment. Public policies are considered within three categories, R&D tax credits and direct subsidies, support of the university research system and the formation of high‐skilled human capital, and support of formal R&D cooperations across a variety of institutions. Crucially, the large body of more recent literature observes a shift away from the earlier findings that public subsidies often crowd‐out private R&D to finding that subsidies typically stimulate private R&D. Tax credits are also much more unanimously than previously found to have positive effects. University research, high‐skilled human capital, and R&D cooperation also typically increase private R&D. Recent work indicates that accounting for non‐linearities is one area of research that may refine existing results.     

企业研发决策、政府资助方案及最优资助配比

本文对企业和政府在企业研发决策中研发组织方式进行了理论分析,研究了不同市场和不同决策下的政府的资助方案及最优资助配比。研究发现,在独立研发的情况下,封闭市场需要政府资助诱导企业私人研发的投入,且最优配比为1:2;出口导向型市场政府资助对企业私人研发的投入无诱导作用;进口导向型市场企业无需政府资助亦会进行私人研发投入。在产学研合作的情况下,封闭市场中支付学研机构的研发费用率k和政府资助s满足(1+s)(1-k)=1.5时达最优资助配比。     

管理层持股、研发投入与股权资本成本

企业研发投入具有风险性,会导致资本成本提高,研发融资负担加重,进而对企业研发活动的积极性产生负面影响。利用2007—2013年中国A股上市公司数据,对研发投入的资本成本效应和公司治理机制缓解研发投入资本成本效应的作用进行研究,结果显示：企业研发投入与股权资本成本之间显著正相关,研发投入的资本成本效应明显;提高高级管理者、董事会与监事会成员等管理层的持股比例有助于降低研发投入的资本成本效应。进一步研究发现,研发企业的信息披露程度对高级管理者持股降低研发投入资本成本效应具有替代作用;研发投入带来的收益率增加有助于抵消研发投入导致的股权资本成本提高。     

The role of human capital philosophy in promoting firm innovativeness and performance: test of a causal model

In the present study, we developed and tested a causal model of the relationships between firm strategy, industry environment, human capital philosophy, innovativeness, and firm performance. Our results indicate that a differentiation-oriented strategy influences the relative use of an empowerment-oriented human capital philosophy of the firm, moderated by a firm's industry environment. Moreover, firms' human capital philosophies moderated the relationship between strategy and firm innovativeness. We also found support for the proposition that innovativeness mediated the relationship between human capital philosophy and firm performance. In addition, results also indicate that industry dynamism influences new product sales directly and industry survival difficulty moderates the relationship between firm strategy and new product sales. Survival difficulty also had a negative effect on firm profit. Overall, we found support for the mediating roles of human capital philosophy and innovativeness in the relationships between firm strategy, industry environment and firm performance. Implications are discussed.