IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v102y2019icp151-162.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How does inconsistent negative performance feedback affect the R&D investments of firms? A study of publicly listed firms

Author

Listed:
  • Lv, David Diwei
  • Chen, Weihong
  • Zhu, Hang
  • Lan, Hailin

Abstract

We analyze the innovation incentives of firms in a model in which a firm's R&D investment is endogenous to performance comparisons due to performance feedback from historical and social comparisons. Performance feedback reveals relevant information to managers, improves their real decisions, and enhances their innovation efforts. This feedback effect has an asymmetric effect on R&D investing behavior: inconsistent (consistent) performance feedback decreases (increases) the R&D intensity of the firm. Such inconsistency gives rise to an endogenous limit to problemistic searches, whereby managers will refrain from initiating problemistic searches and increase R&D investment based on inconsistent negative performance feedback. Thus, inconsistent feedback is incorporated more slowly into R&D investments than consistent feedback, potentially leading to low R&D investment. Moreover, family control strengthens this asymmetry. Compared with non-family firms, the negative impact of inconsistent negative feedback on R&D investment is stronger in family firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Lv, David Diwei & Chen, Weihong & Zhu, Hang & Lan, Hailin, 2019. "How does inconsistent negative performance feedback affect the R&D investments of firms? A study of publicly listed firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 151-162.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:102:y:2019:i:c:p:151-162
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.04.045
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014829631930298X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.04.045?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert Mayberry & James Sanders Boles & Naveen Donthu, 2018. "An escalation of commitment perspective on allocation-of-effort decisions in professional selling," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 879-894, September.
    2. Elizabeth N. K. Lim, 2015. "The role of reference point in CEO restricted stock and its impact on R&D intensity in high-technology firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(6), pages 872-889, June.
    3. Wei Shi & Robert E. Hoskisson & Yan Anthea Zhang, 2017. "Independent director death and CEO acquisitiveness: Build an empire or pursue a quiet life?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 780-792, March.
    4. Choi, Young Rok & Zahra, Shaker A. & Yoshikawa, Toru & Han, Bong H., 2015. "Family ownership and R&D investment: The role of growth opportunities and business group membership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 1053-1061.
    5. Anderson, Ronald C. & Duru, Augustine & Reeb, David M., 2012. "Investment policy in family controlled firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1744-1758.
    6. Edwards, Jeffrey R. & Rothbard, Nancy P., 1999. "Work and Family Stress and Well-Being: An Examination of Person-Environment Fit in the Work and Family Domains," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 77(2), pages 85-129, February.
    7. Jingoo Kang & Ribuga Kang & Sang‐Joon Kim, 2017. "An empirical examination of vacillation theory," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(6), pages 1356-1370, June.
    8. Cuili Qian & Heli Wang & Xuesong Geng & Yangxin Yu, 2017. "Rent appropriation of knowledge-based assets and firm performance when institutions are weak: A study of Chinese publicly listed firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 892-911, April.
    9. Tversky, Amos & Kahneman, Daniel, 1992. "Advances in Prospect Theory: Cumulative Representation of Uncertainty," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 5(4), pages 297-323, October.
    10. Wei‐Ru Chen & Kent D. Miller, 2007. "Situational and institutional determinants of firms' R&D search intensity," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 369-381, April.
    11. Botond Kőszegi & Paul Heidhues, 2008. "Competition and Price Variation When Consumers Are Loss Averse," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(4), pages 1245-1268, September.
    12. John Joseph & Vibha Gaba, 2015. "The fog of feedback: Ambiguity and firm responses to multiple aspiration levels," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(13), pages 1960-1978, December.
    13. Jess H. Chua & James J. Chrisman & Pramodita Sharma, 1999. "Defining the Family Business by Behavior," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 23(4), pages 19-39, July.
    14. Xian Cao & Junyon Im, 2018. "Founder human capital and new technology venture R&D search intensity: the moderating role of an environmental jolt," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(3), pages 625-642, March.
    15. Elitsa R. Banalieva & Kimberly A. Eddleston & Thomas M. Zellweger, 2015. "When do family firms have an advantage in transitioning economies? Toward a dynamic institution-based view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(9), pages 1358-1377, September.
    16. Herhausen, Dennis, 2016. "Unfolding the ambidextrous effects of proactive and responsive market orientation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 2585-2593.
    17. Caroline Flammer & Pratima Bansal, 2017. "Does a long-term orientation create value? Evidence from a regression discontinuity," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(9), pages 1827-1847, September.
    18. Pasi Kuusela & Thomas Keil & Markku Maula, 2017. "Driven by aspirations, but in what direction? Performance shortfalls, slack resources, and resource-consuming vs. resource-freeing organizational change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1101-1120, May.
    19. Michael N. Young & Mike W. Peng & David Ahlstrom & Garry D. Bruton & Yi Jiang, 2008. "Corporate Governance in Emerging Economies: A Review of the Principal–Principal Perspective," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 196-220, January.
    20. Richard Gentry & Clay Dibrell & Jaemin Kim, 2016. "Long–Term Orientation in Publicly Traded Family Businesses: Evidence of a Dominant Logic," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(4), pages 733-757, July.
    21. Hussinger, Katrin & Dick, Johannes M.H. & Czarnitzki, Dirk, 2018. "Ownership concentration and innovativeness of corporate ventures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 527-541.
    22. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02312103, HAL.
    23. Murat Tarakci & Nüfer Yasin Ateş & Steven W. Floyd & Yoojung Ahn & Bill Wooldridge, 2018. "Performance feedback and middle managers’ divergent strategic behavior: The roles of social comparisons and organizational identification," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 1139-1162, April.
    24. Vibha Gaba & John Joseph, 2013. "Corporate Structure and Performance Feedback: Aspirations and Adaptation in M-Form Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(4), pages 1102-1119, August.
    25. Ohad Ref & Zur Shapira, 2017. "Entering new markets: The effect of performance feedback near aspiration and well below and above it," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 1416-1434, July.
    26. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02276703, HAL.
    27. Yung-Ming Shiu & Shou-Lin Yang, 2017. "Does engagement in corporate social responsibility provide strategic insurance-like effects?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 455-470, February.
    28. Linda Argote & Henrich R. Greve, 2007. "A Behavioral Theory of the Firm ---40 Years and Counting: Introduction and Impact," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(3), pages 337-349, June.
    29. Thomas Dalziel & Richard J. Gentry & Michael Bowerman, 2011. "An Integrated Agency–Resource Dependence View of the Influence of Directors' Human and Relational Capital on Firms' R&D Spending," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48, pages 1217-1242, September.
    30. Balagopal Vissa & Henrich R. Greve & Wei-Ru Chen, 2010. "Business Group Affiliation and Firm Search Behavior in India: Responsiveness and Focus of Attention," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(3), pages 696-712, June.
    31. Audia, Pino G. & Brion, Sebastien, 2007. "Reluctant to change: Self-enhancing responses to diverging performance measures," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 102(2), pages 255-269, March.
    32. James, Barclay E. & McGuire, Jean B., 2016. "Transactional-institutional fit: Corporate governance of R&D investment in different institutional contexts," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 3478-3486.
    33. Wei-Ru Chen, 2008. "Determinants of Firms' Backward- and Forward-Looking R&D Search Behavior," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 609-622, August.
    34. Andrew D. Henderson & Michael E. Raynor & Mumtaz Ahmed, 2012. "How long must a firm be great to rule out chance? Benchmarking sustained superior performance without being fooled by randomness," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 387-406, April.
    35. Cesinger, Beate & Hughes, Mathew & Mensching, Helge & Bouncken, Ricarda & Fredrich, Viktor & Kraus, Sascha, 2016. "A socioemotional wealth perspective on how collaboration intensity, trust, and international market knowledge affect family firms’ multinationality," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 586-599.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gang Chen & James J. Zhang & N. David Pifer, 2019. "Corporate Governance Structure, Financial Capability, and the R&D Intensity in Chinese Sports Sector: Evidence from Listed Sports Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-19, November.
    2. Rodrigues, Ricardo & Samagaio, António & Felício, Teresa, 2020. "Corporate governance and R&D investment by European listed companies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 289-295.
    3. Li, Junbao & Shi, Zhanzhong & He, Chengying & Lv, Chengshuang, 2023. "Peer effects on corporate R&D investment policies: A spatial panel model approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Yongbo Sun & Zichen Qiu, 2022. "Positive Performance Feedback and Innovation Search: New Ideas for Sustainable Business Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Yangyang Qi & Jiong Wu, 2023. "Performance feedback, succession process and innovative activities of family firms: evidence from China," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(2), pages 765-791, April.
    6. Zhangsheng Jiang, 2020. "Can the Gap and Rating of Market Expectation Promote Innovation Input of China Manufacturers?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-19, March.
    7. Dong, Meitong & Wang, Liwen & Yang, Defeng & Zhou, Kevin Zheng, 2022. "Performance feedback and export intensity of Chinese private firms: Moderating roles of institution-related factors," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3).
    8. Ploeg, Matthias & Knoben, Joris & Vermeulen, Patrick, 2022. "We are in it together: Communitarianism and the performance-innovation relationship✰," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(5).
    9. Hu, Baiye & Hong, Gang, 2023. "Management equity incentives, R&D investment on corporate green innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PD).
    10. María del Pilar Casado-Belmonte & María de las Mercedes Capobianco-Uriarte & Rubén Martínez-Alonso & María J. Martínez-Romero, 2021. "Delineating the Path of Family Firm Innovation: Mapping the Scientific Structure," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(8), pages 2455-2499, November.
    11. Liying Huang & Lerong He & Guangqing Yang, 2021. "Performance Shortfalls and R&D Investment Change: Aspirations, Actions, and Expectations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, March.
    12. Guo, Jianquan & Cheng, He, 2024. "Performance feedback on sales growth and M&A: Evidence from China," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    13. Shinkle, George A. & Hodgkinson, Gerard P. & Gary, Michael Shayne, 2021. "Government policy changes and organizational goal setting: Extensions to the behavioral theory of the firm," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 406-417.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Diwei Lv, David & Zhu, Hang & Chen, Weihong & Lan, Hailin, 2021. "Negative performance feedback and firm cooperation: How multiple upward social comparisons affect firm cooperative R&D," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 872-883.
    2. Cheng, Lulu & Xie, En & Fang, Junyi & Mei, Nan, 2022. "Performance feedback and firms’ relative strategic emphasis: The moderating effects of board independence and media coverage," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 218-231.
    3. Verver, Hugo & van Zelst, Marino & Lucas, Gerardus Johannes Maria & Meeus, Marius, 2019. "Understanding Heterogeneity in the Performance Feedback – Organizational Responsiveness Relationship: A Meta-Analysis," OSF Preprints hq4uw, Center for Open Science.
    4. Elizabeth Lim & Pino G. Audia, 2020. "Problem-Solving or Self-Enhancing? Influences of Diversification and Bright Spot on Corporate Resource Allocation Responses to Performance Shortfalls," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(4), pages 348-368, December.
    5. Stephen J. Smulowitz & Horacio E. Rousseau & Philip Bromiley, 2020. "The behavioral theory of the (community‐oriented) firm: The differing response of community‐oriented firms to performance relative to aspirations," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(6), pages 1023-1053, June.
    6. Min, Byung-seong, 2021. "Heterogeneity of R&D in family firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 88-95.
    7. Deb, Palash & David, Parthiban & O'Brien, Jonathan P. & Duru, Augustine, 2019. "Attainment discrepancy and investment: Effects on firm performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 186-196.
    8. Lin-Hua Lu & Poh-Kam Wong, 2019. "Performance feedback, financial slack and the innovation behavior of firms," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(4), pages 1079-1109, December.
    9. Hanqing “Chevy” Fang & Kulraj Singh & Taewoo Kim & Laura Marler & James J. Chrisman, 2022. "Family business research in Asia: review and future directions," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 1215-1256, December.
    10. Montserrat Manzaneque & Alfonso A. Rojo-Ramírez & Julio Diéguez-Soto & Maria J. Martínez-Romero, 2020. "How negative aspiration performance gaps affect innovation efficiency," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 209-233, January.
    11. Michael Lounsbury & Christine M. Beckman, 2015. "Celebrating Organization Theory," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 288-308, March.
    12. Jin-hui Luo & Xue Li & Linda C. Wang & Yue Liu, 2021. "Owner type, pyramidal structure and R&D Investment in China’s family firms," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 1085-1111, September.
    13. Christopher Kurzhals & Lorenz Graf‐Vlachy & Andreas König, 2020. "Strategic leadership and technological innovation: A comprehensive review and research agenda," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 437-464, November.
    14. Arpita Agnihotri & Saurabh Bhattacharya, 2019. "ESOPs AND NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH: CONDITIONAL EFFECTS OF FINANCIAL SLACK AND OWNERSHIP CONCENTRATION," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 24(03), pages 1-21, April.
    15. Pasi Kuusela & Thomas Keil & Markku Maula, 2017. "Driven by aspirations, but in what direction? Performance shortfalls, slack resources, and resource-consuming vs. resource-freeing organizational change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(5), pages 1101-1120, May.
    16. Szewczyk, Justin & Kurzhals, Christopher & Graf-Vlachy, Lorenz & Kammerlander, Nadine & König, Andreas, 2022. "The family innovator’s dilemma revisited: Examining the association between family influence and incumbents’ adoption of discontinuous technologies," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    17. Saridakis, Charalampos & Angelidou, Sofia & Woodside, Arch G., 2023. "How historical and social aspirations reshape the relationship between corporate financial performance and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    18. Weiwen Li & Garry D. Bruton & Xinchun Li & Shuang Wang, 2022. "Transgenerational Succession and R&D Investment: A Myopic Loss Aversion Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(1), pages 193-222, January.
    19. Katrin Hussinger & Wunnam Basit Issah, 2022. "Trade Secret Protection and R&D Investment of Family Firms," DEM Discussion Paper Series 22-11, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    20. Hanqing “Chevy” Fang & Esra Memili & James J. Chrisman & Linjia Tang, 2021. "Narrow‐Framing and Risk Preferences in Family and Non‐Family Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(1), pages 201-235, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:102:y:2019:i:c:p:151-162. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.