IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jtecht/v48y2023i3d10.1007_s10961-022-09942-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How do competitors and partners shape corporate R&D investments

Author

Listed:
  • Xincheng Wang

    (Tongji University)

  • Ye Hou

    (University of Greenwich)

  • Wan Cheng

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Jingzhou Guo

    (East China University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

Strategy management alludes to the organizational and environmental factors that shape firms’ propensities to make research and development (R&D) investments. We complement this literature by building on vicarious learning to explain how a firm determines its own R&D investment level based on the R&D investment patterns of partners and competitors. Using panel data on firms publicly traded in China, we show an inverted U-shaped relationship between a firm’s R&D investment pattern and the R&D investment patterns of its partners and competitors. Convergence is driven by imitation and legitimation while divergence is explained by risk perception. We conclude that competitors represent a more valuable reference than partners. Our findings advance research on vicarious learning and the antecedents of R&D investments, underscoring the role of interdependence in influencing firms’ R&D investment decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Xincheng Wang & Ye Hou & Wan Cheng & Jingzhou Guo, 2023. "How do competitors and partners shape corporate R&D investments," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 1106-1125, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:48:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s10961-022-09942-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-022-09942-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10961-022-09942-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10961-022-09942-0?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. Mila Beyer & Dirk Czarnitzki & Kornelius Kraft, 2012. "Managerial ownership, entrenchment and innovation," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(7), pages 679-699, October.
    2. Eric L. Chen & Riitta Katila & Rory McDonald & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 2010. "Life in the fast lane: Origins of competitive interaction in new vs. established markets," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(13), pages 1527-1547, December.
    3. Hirschey, Mark & Skiba, Hilla & Wintoki, M. Babajide, 2012. "The size, concentration and evolution of corporate R&D spending in U.S. firms from 1976 to 2010: Evidence and implications," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 496-518.
    4. Hart E. Posen & Sangyoon Yi & Jeho Lee, 2020. "A contingency perspective on imitation strategies: When is “benchmarking” ineffective?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(2), pages 198-221, February.
    5. Peter M. Madsen & Vinit Desai, 2018. "No Firm Is an Island: The Role of Population-Level Actors in Organizational Learning from Failure," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(4), pages 739-753, August.
    6. Zona, Fabio, 2016. "Agency models in different stages of CEO tenure: The effects of stock options and board independence on R&D investment," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 560-575.
    7. Keller, Kevin Lane & Staelin, Richard, 1987. "Effects of Quality and Quantity of Information on Decision Effectiveness," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 14(2), pages 200-213, September.
    8. Joel A. C. Baum & Paul Ingram, 1998. "Survival-Enhancing Learning in the Manhattan Hotel Industry, 1898--1980," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(7), pages 996-1016, July.
    9. Raji Srinivasan & Pamela Haunschild & Rajdeep Grewal, 2007. "Vicarious Learning in New Product Introductions in the Early Years of a Converging Market," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(1), pages 16-28, January.
    10. Henrik Bresman, 2010. "External Learning Activities and Team Performance: A Multimethod Field Study," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 81-96, February.
    11. Richard F. J. Haans & Constant Pieters & Zi-Lin He, 2016. "Thinking about U: Theorizing and testing U- and inverted U-shaped relationships in strategy research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(7), pages 1177-1195, July.
    12. 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.
    13. Hart E. Posen & John S. Chen, 2013. "An Advantage of Newness: Vicarious Learning Despite Limited Absorptive Capacity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(6), pages 1701-1716, December.
    14. Min, Jungwon, 2019. "No pain, yet gain?: Learning from vicarious crises in an international context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 227-234.
    15. John V. Gray & Enno Siemsen & Gurneeta Vasudeva, 2015. "Colocation Still Matters: Conformance Quality and the Interdependence of R&D and Manufacturing in the Pharmaceutical Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(11), pages 2760-2781, November.
    16. Le, Son Anh & Walters, Bruce & Kroll, Mark, 2006. "The moderating effects of external monitors on the relationship between R&D spending and firm performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(2), pages 278-287, February.
    17. Michelle Gittelman & Bruce Kogut, 2003. "Does Good Science Lead to Valuable Knowledge? Biotechnology Firms and the Evolutionary Logic of Citation Patterns," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 366-382, April.
    18. Jerker Denrell, 2003. "Vicarious Learning, Undersampling of Failure, and the Myths of Management," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(3), pages 227-243, June.
    19. Geoffrey Martin & Remzi Gözübüyük & Manuel Becerra, 2015. "Interlocks and firm performance: The role of uncertainty in the directorate interlock-performance relationship," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(2), pages 235-253, February.
    20. Navid Asgari & Vivek Tandon & Kulwant Singh & Will Mitchell, 2018. "Creating and taming discord: How firms manage embedded competition in alliance portfolios to limit alliance termination," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(12), pages 3273-3299, December.
    21. Yi Lu & Greg Shailer & Mark Wilson, 2016. "Corporate Political Donations: Influences from Directors’ Networks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(3), pages 461-481, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Sam Tavassoli & Viroj Jienwatcharamongkhol & Pia Arenius, 2023. "Colocation of Entrepreneurs and New Firm Survival: Role of New Firm Founder’s Experiential Relatedness to Local Entrepreneurs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(4), pages 1421-1459, July.
    2. Min, Jungwon, 2019. "No pain, yet gain?: Learning from vicarious crises in an international context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 227-234.
    3. Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph, 2011. "Learning from the failures of others: The effects of post-exit knowledge spillovers on recipient firms," MPRA Paper 89223, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Tavassoli, Sam & Jienwatcharamongkhol, Viroj & Arenius, Pia, 2021. "Colocation of Entrepreneurs and New Firm Survival: Role of New Firm Founder’s Experiential Relatedness to Local Entrepreneurs," Papers in Innovation Studies 2021/13, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    5. Wang, I. Kim & Seidle, Russell, 2020. "Ambition in innovation: Vicarious learning in the nascent electric scooter market in Taiwan," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    6. Emre Yildiz, H. & Morgulis-Yakushev, Sergey & Holm, Ulf & Eriksson, Mikael, 2022. "How do the source and context of experiential knowledge affect firms’ degree of internationalization?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 378-391.
    7. David Maslach & Oana Branzei & Claus Rerup & Mark J. Zbaracki, 2018. "Noise as Signal in Learning from Rare Events," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 225-246, April.
    8. Steffen Runge & Christian Schwens & Matthias Schulz, 2022. "The invention performance implications of coopetition: How technological, geographical, and product market overlaps shape learning and competitive tension in R&D alliances," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(2), pages 266-294, February.
    9. Linda Argote & Sunkee Lee & Jisoo Park, 2021. "Organizational Learning Processes and Outcomes: Major Findings and Future Research Directions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(9), pages 5399-5429, September.
    10. 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.
    11. Purkayastha, Anish & Karna, Amit & Sharma, Sunil & Bhadra, Dhiman, 2021. "Board’s human capital resource and internationalization of emerging market firms: Toward an integrated agency–resource dependence perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 391-407.
    12. Oerlemans, Leon & Chan, K.Y. & Knoben, Joris & Vermeulen, P.A.M., 2018. "Structural and geographical conditions for exploitative innovation : Evidence from South African manufacturing firms," Other publications TiSEM 4abcf615-a0d4-49ef-ba25-c, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    13. Jing-Yuan Chio & Laura Magazzini & Fabio Pammolli & Massimo Riccaboni, 2012. "The Value of Failures in Pharmaceutical R&D," Working Papers 1/2012, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, revised Jan 2012.
    14. June-Young Kim & Ji-Yub (Jay) Kim & Anne S. Miner, 2009. "Organizational Learning from Extreme Performance Experience: The Impact of Success and Recovery Experience," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(6), pages 958-978, December.
    15. Hart E. Posen & John S. Chen, 2013. "An Advantage of Newness: Vicarious Learning Despite Limited Absorptive Capacity," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(6), pages 1701-1716, December.
    16. Jiao, Hao & Wang, Tang & Yang, Jifeng, 2022. "Team structure and invention impact under high knowledge diversity: An empirical examination of computer workstation industry," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    17. Azzam, Ala'a & Alhababsah, Salem, 2023. "Does age similarity between board chair and CEO matter for R&D investments? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PD).
    18. Liliana Pérez-Nordtvedt & Debmalya Mukherjee & Ben L. Kedia, 2015. "Cross-Border Learning, Technological Turbulence and Firm Performance," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 23-51, February.
    19. Wang, Jianxin & Huang, Cailing & Xu, Lin & Zhang, Junhuan, 2023. "Drinking into friends: Alcohol drinking culture and CEO social connections," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 982-995.
    20. Naldi, Lucia & Criaco, Giuseppe & Patel, Pankaj C., 2020. "Related and unrelated industry variety and the internationalization of start-ups," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(10).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    R&D investments; Partners’ and competitors’ R&D investments; Vicarious learning;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:kap:jtecht:v:48:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s10961-022-09942-0. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.