Internationalization and Indigenous Technological Efforts of Emerging Economy Firms: The Effect of Multiple Knowledge Sources

Getting engaged in competitive international markets motivates exporting firms to enhance their technological competitiveness and invest in research and development (R&D). While in-house R&D investment is important for getting advanced technologies, the technologies needed by exporters located in emerging economies (EEs) typically readily exist overseas. Drawing on organizational learning literature, we argue that the R&D intensity stimulated by exporting may be reduced when 1) EE exporters are better prepared and motivated to absorb foreign knowledge, 2) foreign sources of knowledge are more available, and/or 3) local technology supply is poor. An analysis on 5592 automobile parts and component manufacturers in China during 2005–2007 supports these arguments. To compete in markets abroad, Chinese firms' R&D intensity increases with export intensity when their export intensity is low. As the export intensity exceeds a certain threshold, their R&D intensity starts to decrease as intensive exporters are better prepared and motivated to acquire knowledge from foreign sources. When substitutive foreign knowledge sources such as foreign parents and FDI spillovers in the local industry is available, firms' R&D intensity stimulated by exporting can be further reduced. Better local technology supply can increase the R&D intensity stimulated by exporting.     

The performance evaluation of regional R&D investments in China: An application of DEA based on the first official China economic census data

R&D (Research and Development) activities represent the basic core of corporate science and technology activities, and play a crucial role in enhancing the ability of companies to achieve rapid and sustainable growth. In recent years, the total R&D investments in China have increased significantly and the proportion of the industrial investments in R&D activities relative to national R&D investments has increased rapidly. In order to investigate the effectiveness of these R&D investments, we utilize Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models to evaluate the relative efficiencies of 30 regional R&D investments using the First Official China Economic Census Data in 2004. Our investigation and study indicate the following: (1) Only six provinces are global technical efficient and the performance of regional R&D investments in China needs to improve dramatically. (2) Increasing returns to scale have not yet occurred in any province. Constant returns to scale have prevailed in most provinces in the Western region, and decreasing returns to scale have prevailed in most provinces in the Eastern and Central regions. (3) There are no direct relationships between global technical efficiency and the amount of R&D investment. The Western region has the highest average radial efficiency score, followed by the Eastern region, and then by the Central region. (4) The Eastern region has advantages in local technical efficiency, the Western region has advantages in scale efficiency, while the Central region has neither technical efficiency advantages nor scale efficiency advantages. Suggestions are proposed to improve efficiencies of regional R&D investments.     

Policies to Attract R&D-related FDI in Small Emerging Countries: Aligning Incentives With Local Linkages and Absorptive Capacities in Chile

Over the last decade we have witnessed an unprecedented growth in the number of cross-border R&D investments towards large emerging countries such as China and India. However, small middle-income countries have played a marginal role as recipients of R&D-related FDI despite increasing policy efforts. In particular, several Latin American countries have recently launched new policy programs with the aim of attracting this kind of investments, but it remains uncertain whether public incentives can be useful to compensate for other locational disadvantages. The case of Chile provides an interesting empirical setting to explore these issues because during the last decade its government has been actively promoting R&D-related FDI through a new policy mix. This article suggests that for national innovation systems to benefit from the attraction of internationally-mobile R&D it is critical for public policies to ensure that appropriate linkages are established with local actors that hold absorptive capacities. Equally important for a small emerging economy like Chile is to prioritize R&D-related FDI in strategic technology niches where the country can realistically attain critical mass.     

Internationalization of R&D and Innovation Performance in the Pharma Industry

This research investigates the effect of R&D internationalization and contingency variables on innovation performance. A number of prior studies addressing this question have concluded in diverse and inconsistent findings, which can be attributed only partly to sample selection and measurement discrepancies. Using a longitudinal dataset of global pharmaceutical firms, we partly solve this ambiguity in the R&D internationalization and innovation performance relationship. The results reveal an S-shaped relationship, suggesting the benefits of R&D internationalization ultimately overcome the costs after critical levels of R&D internationalization. This finding combines and unites prior findings of a U-shaped, followed by an inverse U-shaped curve. In addition, we find that the experience in conducting R&D internationally, but not the degree of general internationalization, moderates the relationship between degree of R&D internationalization and performance. This suggests that the effect is contingent on the knowledge of internationalization path of the firm but can flourish in the absence of overall internationalization as well. Implications for theory and practice are derived.     

Acquisition as a means for external technology sourcing: Complementary, substitutive or both?

This paper addresses the question of how a target firm's innovation activities relate to the acquiring firm's R&D characteristics, and more specifically, if the former substitute for, or complement the acquirer's activities. It investigates this question in three narrowly defined high technology industries by analysing the association of three R&D characteristics of acquiring firms with different measures of acquisition extent and content. The R&D characteristics referred to are: addressing R&D efforts, R&D outputs and absorptive capacity. Data was collected in each case for those firms whose combined sales revenue makes up 80% of the industry total and is used to test a set of hypotheses derived from extant literature. The findings confirm a substitutive relationship between acquisitions and acquirer research efforts as well as between acquirer and target patent output, whereas absorptive capacity is complementary to acquisition activities. The results reveal that acquirers target firms that hold a large number of patents in the fields where acquirer patenting is weak, and so address weaknesses in their own R&D output. This finding extends the extant literature on the role of external technology sourcing in the high technology context. Research findings are presented along with their implications and directions for future research.     

The contribution of outward direct investment to productivity changes within China, 1991–2007

There has been a marked growth in recent years in outward direct investment (ODI) by developing countries, and in particular, by China. Previous studies have examined the impact on developing countries productivity of foreign direct investment (FDI) from developed countries. This paper looks at the effects of China's outward direct investment on growth in its own productivity, and at two specific reasons for this growth: technology sourcing and improvements in efficiency. These are examined using data from China's ODI in eight developed countries during the period 1991 to 2007. It appears that Chinese outward direct investment has had beneficial spill-over effects in improving total factor productivity growth over the period of the study, and that gains in efficiency have been the chief reason for this. Our vector auto regression (VAR) decomposition analysis also suggests that domestic R&D capital stocks are the most important source of productivity growth with greater contribution to technological progress. China is likely to continue to expand its ODI and it will be interesting to see whether the productivity gains continue at the same rate, and whether other developing countries also increase their ODI and reap the same benefits.     

Globalisation and trends in international R&D alliances

The growth of collaborative activity is greatly influenced by the process of globalisation. This paper focuses on the narrow area of collaborative R&D activity, and takes a ‘macro,’ as well as a firm perspective of the effects of these developments. Globalisation has affected the need of firms to collaborate, in that firms now seek opportunities to cooperate, rather than identify situations where they can achieve majority control. The use of collaboration is particularly acute in capital- and knowledge-intensive sectors. These are also the sectors where firms have expanded internationally fastest, as they need to compete in various markets simultaneously, but also to exploit and acquire assets and technology that may be specific to particular locations. The increasing similarity of technologies across countries and cross-fertilisation of technology between sectors, coupled with the increasing costs and risks associated with innovation has led firms to consider R&D alliances as a first-best option in many instances.     

Integration and Cospecialization of Emerging Complementary Technologies by Startups

We analyze the market entry problem faced by startups that must integrate their service or product with one or more complementary technologies. The problem is especially challenging when the complementary technologies have uncertain cost reduction potentials. The entrepreneurship literature suggests that startups should pursue focused strategies for various reasons, including bounded rationality and budget constraints, but generally overlooks startups entering markets with complementary technologies. The advice for mature firms investing in complementary technologies is often to diversify investment across multiple complements to manage technological uncertainty. Given competing guidance, we seek to extend the entrepreneurship literature by modeling startups' entry decisions for markets in which complementary technologies exhibit strong learning effects. We find that, consistent with the extant entrepreneurship literature, startups generally achieve higher expected returns by channeling their integration investment to only one complementary technology. However, the mechanisms driving our results differ significantly by hinging on nonlinear feedback effects that occur when firms concentrate integration investment in only one complementary technology. Interestingly, this focused strategy often does not yield the highest market share or the lowest likelihood of bankruptcy. We characterize the situations under which each finding holds and describe the implications of these findings for theory, practice, and policy.     

The integration of TQM and technology/R&D management in determining quality and innovation performance

This paper presents an empirical study which examines the co-alignment between Total Quality Management (TQM) and technology/research and development (R&D) management in predicting organizational performance in terms of quality and innovation. This study improves our understanding of the relationship between TQM and innovation based on the following two major issues. First, this study contributes to the understanding of the co-alignment between TQM and technology management along with R&D management by bridging the gap between the two areas which are often addressed in a separate fashion. Second, this study also examines the impact of the integration between TQM and technology/R&D on quality and innovation performance which have been considered as the primary sources of a competitive advantage. The empirical data was drawn from 194 Australian organizations and analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The findings indicate that TQM shows a strong predictive power against quality performance but no significant relationship against innovation performance. On the other hand, technology and R&D management shows a significant relationship with quality performance but at a lower level than that of TQM, and shows much stronger relationship with innovation performance. In addition, there is strong and positive correlation between TQM and technology/R&D management. The major implication of this study is that technology/R&D management is an appropriate resource to be used in harmony with TQM to enhance organizational performance, particularly innovation.     

R&D internationalization,product diversification and international performance for emerging market enterprises: An empirical study on Chinese enterprises

One motivation behind R&D internationalization for emerging market multinationals (EM MNEs) is to expand international markets. This paper analyzes whether the R&D internationalization of EM MNEs contributes to an improvement in international performance measured by foreign sales as a percentage of total sales (FSTS). Using panel data on China's listed companies, this paper introduces more scientific and normative indicators for measuring R&D internationalization in terms of geographic distribution (breadth) and overseas investment (depth). The results reveal an inverted U-shape relationship between R&D internationalization and international performance that is initially positive and eventually becomes negative. Product diversification has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between R&D internationalization breadth and international performance.     

Creating a European high-tech network: A regional approach to a more dynamic internal market

Network Europe or RECIT (Réseau Européen pour la Compétitivité et l'Innovation Technologique) is a collaborative venture of regional development agencies promoting business co-operation, R&D collaboration, and transfer of technology across the national frontiers of Europe. It is partly funded under the European Commission's SPRINT programme. In a short period of time, Network Europe and its progenitor organisations have implemented an active programme of co-operation between European regions.The authors, who belong to a constituent organization in Network Europe, set out the potential benefits of such inter-regional networks in Europe. They argue that if co-operation is not widely achieved soon, Europe may find itself on the losing side in the battle for competitivity in world markets.     

Determinants of foreign ownership in international R&D joint ventures: Transaction costs and national culture

In this study, we integrate the transaction costs economics and national culture perspectives by examining the determinants of foreign equity ownership in international R&D joint ventures. Specifically, we focus on the impact of different uncertainty dimensions–environmental and behavioral–on the share of equity that multinational enterprises take in their overseas R&D joint ventures. We further investigate the roles that two national culture components–power distance and uncertainty avoidance–play in this process. Using 543 international R&D joint venture announcements by foreign enterprises in China, India, Japan, and the United States during the period of 1985 to 2004, our results provide support for both transaction costs economics and the national culture perspectives.     

An economic decision model for technology transfer

Technology transfer is essential in the economic development of developing countries. Problems created by technology transfer are often identified in the literature. The mode of implementation to achieve success of technology transfer has not been adequately treated. It is the author's contention that some developing countries fail to identify the “appropriate” technology which will suit their needs. In order to achieve successful technology transfer, the right type of technology must be identified. At times, the different types of technology may not be mutually exclusive. This requires the ranking of the different technologies for a particular country. The priority ranking will help developing countries determine how to allocate their limited resources to achieve their overall goal of successful technology transfer. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is suggested as a method to determine the appropriate technology.     

How can MNEs benefit from internationalizing their R&D across countries with both weak and strong IPR protection?

Although MNEs internationalize their R&D not only in developed countries but also in emerging economies that typically feature weak protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), it remains unclear how this strategic decision affects their productivity performance. This limitation has resulted in a rather incomplete understanding of why some MNEs become more productive through R&D internationalization while others do not. This study develops a new explanation, suggesting that R&D internationalization does not affect the productivity of all MNEs equally because of differences in the idiosyncratic way in which MNEs geographically distribute their R&D units across weak and strong IPR protection countries. In advancing this explanation, the study challenges the view that weak IPR protection is disadvantageous for MNEs by showing that (and specifying how) it: 1) increases the efficacy of MNEs' internal R&D, 2) strengthens the advantages of accessing globally dispersed knowledge, and (3) improves MNEs' ability to exploit cross-country differences in IPR protection. The study enhances understanding of the complex role of IPR protection, shifts scholarly attention from the degree of R&D internationalization to how MNEs should internationalize their R&D, and clarifies how the IPR context of their location choices matters.     

Do environmental management systems improve business performance in an international setting?

With the worldwide increase in the adoption of environmental management systems (EMSs), some research has emerged that evaluates the reasons why facilities adopt them. However, there is little information about how these motivations extend to different international settings, and the link between the comprehensiveness of an EMS and business performance has yet to be demonstrated. While both institutional pressures and resources and capabilities may encourage EMS adoption and improved business performance, questions remain about whether organizations that are motivated mainly by their resources and capabilities benefit to the same extent as organizations that are driven to adopt an EMS mainly because of institutional pressures. We analyze these relationships using OECD survey data from manufacturing facilities operating in Canada, Germany, Hungary, and the United States. Our results show that facilities that are motivated to adopt more comprehensive EMSs because of their complementary resources and capabilities, such as export orientation, employee commitment and environmental R&D, (as opposed to institutional pressures) observe greater overall facility-level business performance.     

Can a Previous Alliance Between an Acquirer and a Target Affect Acquisition Performance?

Throughout the 1990s, organizations have been combining resources through acquisitions and alliances in record numbers. An acquirer’s previous alliance with a target may give an acquirer target-specific information and experience that may be an advantage-producing resource in selection, valuation and integration of the target. This study investigates whether a previous alliance between an acquirer and a target affects post-acquisition performance and finds that a previous alliance between an acquirer and a target correlates positively with acquisition performance. Acquirers’ previous R&D, technology transfer, manufacturing and marketing alliances with targets benefit acquisition performance more than their previous licensing alliances with targets. Furthermore, target-specific learning effects are strongest and most beneficial to acquisition performance in acquirers’ previous technology transfer and manufacturing alliances with targets.     

基于内生增长理论与GVAR模型的能源消费控制目标下经济增长与碳减排研究

本文通过引入使用可替代能源生产的中间产品,构建能源约束和碳排放约束下的内生经济增长模型,并运用全局向量自回归(GVAR)模型,实证分析了具有空间关联性的中国各省(区市)能源消费控制对经济增长和碳排放的动态影响。研究结果表明:在不影响经济增长且受碳排放约束条件下完成能源消费总量考核的目标,可以通过研发可再生能源、提高碳排放清洁技术水平、增加碳基能源的边际产出等实现;能源消费总量的考核目标对能源消费强依赖地区约束性较强,对其余地区的约束力较弱,其余地区可节能潜力较强;能源结构逆向调整的存在使得控制能源消费总量对少部分省(区市)无法达到减排效果。进一步地,本文实证分析了目前节能减排实施过程中可能存在的问题:科技进步对能源结构顺向调整效果不显著、可再生新能源的研究效率低下,技术进步对碳排放清洁方面无显著效果;依靠传统能源价格的调整虽能有效减排却会抑制经济增长。     

Contextual influences on international subsidiaries' product technology strategy

We seek to test a broad range of factors that influence the technology sourcing decision of international subsidiaries in acquiring product technology from outside the firm (i.e., outsourcing) versus internal development. A regression model, used to analyze data from 187 international subsidiaries in six industries and with parents based in 14 countries, identifies the environmental, strategic, configurational, and resource endowment factors that influence the technology sourcing decision. Specifically, the level of product dynamism in the subsidiary's industry and the distance between the subsidiary's primary marketing and R&D operations are associated with a greater reliance on outsourcing. A differentiation goal, a low-cost goal, along with the level of the subsidiary's human and financial resources are associated with a greater reliance on internal development.     

Organisation of new product development in Asia and Europe: results from Western multinationals R&D sites in Germany,India, and China

From research on Western new product development (NPD) practices a rich body of literature has emerged. However, the impact of country specific and cultural influences has not been examined in this context yet. This study is a first attempt to identify differences in NPD practices between Research and Development (R&D) subsidiaries in Germany, China and India within multinational companies. Data has been generated by qualitative interviews with R&D executives in those countries across multiple cases. The study samples strategic, organizational and operational aspects indicates definite differences in process coordination, rewarding systems, market orientation and the average age of NPD teams. Other aspects like strategic targets, the management involvement, etc. show rather slight differences across the countries. Hence, findings suggest that while some aspects are universally applicable across cultural frontiers, Western companies have to understand different expectations regarding NPD in India and China by adjusting practices accordingly.