Share:


Cooperative and non-cooperative R&D in product innovation and firm performance

    Adam Karbowski   Affiliation

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the impacts of cooperative and non-cooperative R&D strategies on product innovation and firm performance. Based on the industrial economics literature and the optimisation model, R&D competition, R&D cartelisation, and full industry cartelisation strategies of firms operating on a market with differentiated goods and simultaneous price and quality competition are considered. It is showed that R&D cartelisation entails a loss of firm’s product innovation compared with R&D competition. However, profit-maximising firms do not prefer the R&D competition strategy. They prefer to pursue either R&D cartelisation or full industry cartelisation strategies, depending on the elasticity of demand with respect to the firm’s investment in R&D. The social cost of R&D cartelisation is a loss of product innovation, and the social cost of full industry cartelisation is both the loss of product innovation and the loss of consumer surplus due to a relatively high price and low output of the final product. The latter results carry significant implications for the modern business and public policy.

Keyword : R&D, strategy, innovation, firm performance, price competition, quality competition

How to Cite
Karbowski, A. (2019). Cooperative and non-cooperative R&D in product innovation and firm performance. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 20(6), 1121-1142. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2019.11050
Published in Issue
Sep 3, 2019
Abstract Views
2641
PDF Downloads
1601
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Acs, Z., & Audretsch, D. (1987). Innovation, market structure, and firm size. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 69, 567-574. https://doi.org/10.2307/1935950

Aguiar, L., & Gagnepain, P. (2017). European cooperative R&D and firm performance: Evidence based on funding differences in key actions. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 53, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2016.12.007

Anderton, B. (1999). Innovation, product quality, variety, and trade performance: an empirical analysis of Germany and the UK. Oxford Economic Papers, 51, 152-167. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/51.1.152

Arslan-Ayaydin, O., Barnum, D., Karan, M. B., & Ozdemir, A. H. (2014). How is moral hazard related to financing R&D and innovations? European Research Studies, XVII, 111-131. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2377788

Aschhoff, B., & Schmidt, T. (2008). Empirical evidence on the success of R&D cooperation – happy together? Review of Industrial Organization, 33, 41-62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-008-9179-7

Atallah, G. (2002). Vertical R&D spillovers, cooperation, market structure, and innovation. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 11, 179-209. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438590210903

Becker, B. (2015). Public R&D policies and private R&D investment: A survey of the empirical evidence. Journal of Economic Surveys, 29, 917-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12074

Becker, W., & Dietz, J. (2004). R&D cooperation and innovation activities of firms – evidence for the German manufacturing industry. Research Policy, 33, 209-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2003.07.003

Belderbos, R., Carree, M., & Lokshin, B. (2004). Cooperative R&D and Firm Performance. Research Policy, 33, 1477-1492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2004.07.003

Belderbos, R., Carree, M., & Lokshin, B. (2006). Complementarity in R&D cooperation strategies. Review of Industrial Organization, 28, 401-426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11151-006-9102-z

Belderbos, R., Gilsing, V., Lokshin, B., Carree, M., & Sastre, J. (2018). The antecedents of new R&D collaborations with different partner types: On the dynamics of past R&D collaboration and innovative performance. Long Range Planning, 51, 285-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.10.002

Belleflamme, P., & Peitz, M. (2010). Industrial organization. markets and strategies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511757808

Blattberg, R., & Wisniewski, K. (1989). Price-induced patterns of competition. Marketing Science, 8, 291-309. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.8.4.291

Bourreau, M., & Dogan, P. (2010). Cooperation in product development and process R&D between competitors. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 28, 176-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2009.07.010

Bourreau, M., Dogan, P., & Manant, P. (2016). Size of RJVs with partial cooperation in product development. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 46, 77-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2016.04.004

Brod, A., & Shivakumar, R. (1997). Domestic versus international R&D spillovers. Economics Letters, 56, 229-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-1765(97)81905-2

Burns, T., & Stalker, G. (1961). The management of innovation. London: Tavistock Publications.

Bustinza, O., Gomes, E., Vendrell-Herrero, F., & Baines, T. (2019). Product-service innovation and performance: the role of collaborative partnerships and R&D intensity. R&D Management, 49, 33-45. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12269

Capuano, C., & Grassi, I. (2019). Spillovers, product innovation and R&D cooperation: a theoretical model. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 28, 197-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599.2018.1461333

Chioveanu, I. (2012). Price and quality competition. Journal of Economics, 107, 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00712-011-0259-z

Cohen, W., Levin, R., & Mowery, D. (1987). Firm size and R&D intensity: a re-examination. NBER Working Papers, No. 2205. https://doi.org/10.3386/w2205

Connor, J., & Lande, R. (2005). How high do cartels raise prices? Implications for optimal cartel fines. Tulane Law Review, 80, 513-516.

Czarnitzki, D., Ebersberger, B., & Fier, A. (2007). The relationship between R&D collaboration, subsidies and R&D performance: Empirical evidence from Finland and Germany. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 22, 1347-1366. https://doi.org/10.1002/jae.992

d’Aspremont, C., Jacquemin, A., Gabszewicz, J., & Weymark, J. (1983). on the stability of collusive price leadership. The Canadian Journal of Economics, 16, 17-25. https://doi.org/10.2307/134972

d’Aspremont, C., & Jacquemin, A. (1988). Cooperative and noncooperative R&D in duopoly with spillovers. American Economic Review, 78, 1133-1137.

De Bondt, R., & Veugelers, R. (1991). Strategic investment with spillovers. European Journal of Political Economy, 7, 345-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/0176-2680(91)90018-X

Ding, M., Ross, W., & Rao, V. (2010). Price as an indicator of quality: implications for utility and demand functions. Journal of Retailing, 86, 69-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2010.01.002

Donsimoni, M., Economides, N., & Polemarchakis, H. (1986). Stable cartels. International Economic Review, 27, 317-327. https://doi.org/10.2307/2526507

Dosi, G. (1988). Sources, procedures, and microeconomic effects of innovation. Journal of Economic Literature, 26, 1120-1171.

Dwicahyani, A., Rosyidi, C., & Pujiyanto, E. (2019). Minimizing gap of utility between consumer and producer in a duopoly market considering outsourcing decision, price, and product tolerance. Production & Manufacturing Research, 7, 23-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2019.1571957

Flath, D. (2012). Are there any cournot industries in Japan?. The Japanese Economy, 39, 3-36. https://doi.org/10.2753/JES1097-203X390201

Geroski, P. (1995). Do spillovers undermine the incentive to innovate? In S. Dowrick (Ed.), Economic approaches to innovation. Aldershot: Edward Elgar.

Goldberg, P. (1995). Product differentiation and oligopoly in international markets: the case of the U.S. automobile industry. Econometrica, 63, 891-951. https://doi.org/10.2307/2171803

Gostkowski, M. (2018). Elasticity of consumer demand: estimation using a quadratic almost ideal de-
mand system. Econometrics, 22, 68-78. https://doi.org/10.15611/eada.2018.1.05

Griliches, Z. (1998). R&D and productivity: the econometric evidence. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226308906.001.0001

Hinloopen, J. (2000). Strategic R&D cooperatives. Research in Economics, 54, 153-185. https://doi.org/10.1006/reec.1999.0211

Hofman, E., Faems, D., & Schleimer, S. (2017). Governing collaborative new product development: toward a configurational perspective on the role of contracts. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 34, 739-756. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12412

Horvath, R. (2001). Cooperation in research and development. Barcelona: Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona.

Hult, G., Hurley, R., & Knight, G. (2004). Innovativeness: its antecedents and impact on business performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 33, 429-438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2003.08.015

Hurley, R., & Hult, G. (1998). Innovation, market orientation, and organizational learning: an integration and empirical examination. Journal of Marketing, 62, 42-54. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299806200303

Inkmann, J. (2000). Horizontal and vertical R&D cooperation. Centre of finance and econometrics at the university of Konstanz, discussion paper 02/2000.

Kaiser, U., & Licht, G. (1998). R&D cooperation and R&D intensity: theory and micro econometric evidence for German manufacturing industries. ZEW discussion paper 98-26.

Kaiser, U. (2002). An empirical test of models explaining research expenditures and research cooperation: evidence for the German service sector. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 20, 747-774. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-7187(01)00074-1

Kamien, M., Muller, E., & Zang, I. (1992). Research joint ventures and R&D cartels. American Economic Review, 82, 1293-1306.

Kamien, M., & Zang, I. (2000). Meet me halfway: research joint ventures and absorptive capacity. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 18, 995-1012. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-7187(00)00054-0

Karbowski, A. (2016). The elasticity-based approach to enterprise innovation. International Journal of Management and Economics, 49, 58-78. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijme-2016-0004

Karbowski, A., & Prokop, J. (2018). R&D activities of enterprises, product market leadership, and collusion. Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics: Journal of Economics and Business, 36, 735-753.

Katz, M. (1986). An analysis of cooperative research and development. RAND Journal of Economics, 17, 527-543. https://doi.org/10.2307/2555479

Kim, K. (2018). Diminishing returns to R&D investment on innovation in manufacturing SMEs: Do the technological intensity of industry matter? International Journal of Innovation Management, 22, 1850056. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1363919618500561

Kleinknecht, A., van Montfort, K., & Brouwer, E. (2002). The non-trivial choice between innovation indicators. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 11, 109-121. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438590210899

Klomp, L., & van Leeuwen, G. (2001). Linking innovation and firm performance: a new approach. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 8, 343-364. https://doi.org/10.1080/13571510110079612

Lafay, T., & Maximin, C. (2017). How R&D competition affects investment choices. Managerial and Decision Economics, 38, 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.2745

Lee, C.-Y. (1999). A Theory of the Determinants of R&D. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.

Lee, C.-Y., & Sung, T. (2005). Schumpeter’s legacy: A new perspective on the relationship between firm size and R&D. Research Policy, 34, 914-931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2005.04.006

Lee, R., & Murphy, J. (2008). The moderating influence of enjoyment on customer loyalty. Australasian Marketing Journal, 16, 11-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3582(08)70011-9

Leibowicz, B. (2018). Welfare improvement windows for innovation policy. Research Policy, 47, 390-398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.12.009

Li, W., & Chen, J. (2018). Pricing and quality competition in a brand differentiated supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 202, 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2018.04.026

Lin, B-W., Lee, Y., & Hung, S-C. (2006). R&D intensity and commercialization orientation effects on financial performance. Journal of Business Research, 59, 679-685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.01.002

Liu, W., & Atuahene-Gima, K. (2018). Enhancing product innovation performance in a dysfunctional competitive environment: The roles of competitive strategies and market-based assets. Industrial Marketing Management, 73, 7-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.01.006

Liu, J., Lu, K., & Cheng, S. (2018). International R&D Spillovers and Innovation Efficiency. Sustainability, 10, 3974. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113974

Lööf, H., & Heshmati, A. (2002). Knowledge capital and performance heterogeneity: a firm-level innovation study. International Journal of Production Economics, 76, 61-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5273(01)00147-5

Martin, S. (2006). Competition policy, collusion, and tacit collusion. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 24, 159-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijindorg.2006.04.007

Mazzeo, M. (2002). Product choice and oligopoly market structure. RAND Journal of Economics, 33, 221-242. https://doi.org/10.2307/3087431

Medda, G. (2018). External R&D, product and process innovation in European manufacturing companies. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-018-9682-4

Milbergs, E., & Vonortas, N. (2006). Innovation metrics: measurement to insight. White paper for National Innovation Initiative.

Miyagiwa, K. (2009). Collusion and research joint ventures. The Journal of Industrial Economics, 57, 768-784. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6451.2009.00399.x

Mosconi, F. (2015). The new European industrial policy. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315761756

Motta, M. (1992). Cooperative R&D and vertical product differentiation. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 10, 643-661. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-7187(92)90064-6

Park, S. (2011). R&D intensity and firm size revisited. Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles.

Petrakis, E., & Poyago-Theotoky, J. (2002). R&D Subsidies versus R&D cooperation in a duopoly with spillovers and pollution. Australian Economic Papers, 41, 37-52. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8454.00148

Prokop, J. (1999). Process of dominant-cartel formation. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 17, 241-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-7187(97)00040-4

Qiu, L. (1997). On the dynamic efficiency of Bertrand and Cournot equilibria. Journal of Economic Theory, 75, 213-229. https://doi.org/10.1006/jeth.1997.2270

Ruff, L. (1969). Research and technological progress in a Cournot economy. Journal of Economic Theory, 1, 397-415. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0531(69)90025-8

Scherer, F. (1980). Industrial market structure and economic performance. Chicago: Rand McNally College Publishing Company.

Scherer, F. (1984). Using linked patent and R&D data to measure technology flows. In Z. Griliches (Ed.), R&D patents, and productivity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Spence, M. (1984). Cost reduction, competition, and industry performance. Econometrica, 52, 101-121. https://doi.org/10.2307/1911463

Storper, M. (1985). Oligopoly and the product cycle: essentialism in economic geography. Economic Geography, 61, 260-282. https://doi.org/10.2307/143561

Turulja, L., & Bajgoric, N. (2019). Innovation, firms’ performance and environmental turbulence: is there a moderator or mediator? European Journal of Innovation Management, 22, 213-232. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-03-2018-0064

Tushman, M., & Smith, W. (2002). Organizational technology. In J. Baum (Ed.), Companion to organization. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Van Beers, C., & Zand, F. (2014). R&D cooperation, partner diversity, and innovation performance: an empirical analysis. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31, 292-312. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12096

Vonortas, N. (2018). International perspectives on innovation: introduction. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 43, 259-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-017-9569-9

Wan, M., Huang, Y., Zhao, L., Deng, T., & Fransoo, J. (2018). Demand estimation under multi-store multi-product substitution in high density traditional retail. European Journal of Operational Research, 266, 99-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2017.09.014

Whelan, P. (2013). Cartel criminalization and the challenge of “moral wrongfulness”. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 33, 535-561. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqt010

Zhou, X., Shan, M., & Li, J. (2018). R&D strategy and innovation performance: the role of standardization. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 30, 778-792. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2017.1378319

Ziss, S. (1994). Strategic R&D with spillovers, collusion and welfare. The Journal of Industrial Economics, 17, 375-393. https://doi.org/10.2307/2950444