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Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II
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Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 66013

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Katarzyna Szopik-Depczyńska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Corporate Management, Institute of Management, University of Szczecin, 70-453 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: green innovations; regional development; energy transformation; sustainable development; green growth and green economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a well-known fact that an enterprise is defined today as innovative if it is an intelligent organization of the future, characterized by flexibility, great involvement, the full use of teamwork potential, strong key competence, and a penchant for variety. The innovativeness of business entities is therefore understood as their ability and motivation to constantly search for and apply in practice the results of research and development, new concepts, ideas, and inventions. This means that enterprises that aim at winning a constant competitive advantage are forced to continually enhance their activity and search for various solutions to do so. The answer to this problem is research and development (R&D) aimed at defining opportunities and threats in the environment, which as a result can enable companies to redefine their business objectives. At present, enterprises have been facing new challenges in the form of more intense international competition and the development of new technologies, which, on the one hand, displace traditional methods of organization and management but on the other encourage change of attitudes towards innovation on the other. These conditions determine the existence of multiple factors determining research and development and innovation, which create a new context for innovation management in enterprises. They include mainly the following:

  • The globalization of markets;
  • The increasing significance of strategic alliances;
  • New entries to the global market—new countries whose technology can compete on a global level;
  • The increasing internationalization of enterprises, research, and innovation;
  • More and more intense interrelations between research and technology;
  • Increasing research costs, exceeding the capacity of individual organizations, regions, or even entire economies;
  • Growing unemployment;
  • The increasing relevance of environmental protection and sustainability issues

The innovativeness of an enterprise therefore depends on a variety of factors that determine its scope and level of activity. R&D activities in enterprises and the efficient application of innovation enable survival and winning a better position in the international market. The stimulation of R&D and innovative activities can constitute a basis for improvement in the competitive advantage of companies in domestic and international markets. This Special Issue will comprise a selection of papers addressing approaches to innovation and the R&D activity of enterprises and economies. Covered topics include the definition of the concept of business innovation, R&D, new product development and technological innovation, strategic alliances within the scope of innovation management, the internationalization of R&D, the determinants of innovation activity, case studies both in terms of functioning of innovation and the R&D sphere in enterprises, as well as the innovativeness of economies in the global market. Papers selected for this Special Issue are subject to a rigorous peer review procedure, with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Dr. hab. Katarzyna Szopik-Depczyńska
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • innovation
  • R&D
  • development
  • new product development
  • R&D internationalization
  • globalization
  • sustainable innovation, responsible innovation, competitiveness
  • technological innovations
  • business innovation

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Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3817 KiB  
Article
Creative and Culture Industry in Baltic Sea Region Condition and Future
by Monika Klein, Piotr Gutowski, Laima Gerlitz and Ewelina Gutowska
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4239; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084239 - 11 Apr 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3091
Abstract
The creative industries are recognized as one of the most perspective sectors of the economy with high potential to both contribute to local and regional prosperity and employment generation. Globally, the cultural and creative industries (CCIs, or culture and creative sector) became a [...] Read more.
The creative industries are recognized as one of the most perspective sectors of the economy with high potential to both contribute to local and regional prosperity and employment generation. Globally, the cultural and creative industries (CCIs, or culture and creative sector) became a large part of the economy in the first decade of the 21st century. They made a 3% contribution to the global economy. They generate US $2250 billion and create 29.5 million jobs worldwide. In parallel to economic benefits, the cultural and creative sectors also deliver benefits to people. They foster sustainable urban development, creativity, and culture. Furthermore, they support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Creativity and culture also have significant intangible value. They promote social inclusion and encourage dialogue and understanding between people. Culture is both a driver and an enabler of sustainable human development. It empowers people to take responsibility for their own development and boosts innovation and creativity, which can drive inclusive and sustainable development. The presence of CCI in a particular area is an important factor of competitiveness, image, and economic development. This paper presents the results of a study on the determinants of the development of creative industries in the Baltic Sea Region. The summary of the main results of the study focuses on the economic importance, innovation in creative enterprises, and the needs of organizations to grow. It shows that creative industries, which are characterized by rather small entities and elastic work organizations, acquire new ideas and approaches primarily through the mobility of independent employees. Since creative industries make a decisive contribution to the competitiveness of the national innovation system and enhance sustainable growth at the same time, it concludes with implications and challenges for regional innovation policies to improve the framework conditions for creative industries. This article presents the conclusions of research that was conducted in four countries of the Baltic Sea Region (Germany, Sweden, Lithuania, and Poland). The research was conducted by using a Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) survey. A total of 682 correctly completed questionnaires were obtained. The results were subjected to statistical inference, in which the technique of detecting hidden interdependencies between the examined phenomena using the V-Cramer method was also applied. The main aim of this article is to verify the state of the creative industry in the Baltic Sea Region. And the research hypothesis is that the organizations of creative sectors are doing well in turbulent circumstances, and, by doing so, they continually enhance the realization of sustainability goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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21 pages, 360 KiB  
Article
Methodology for Calculating the European Innovation Scoreboard—Proposition for Modification
by Edyta Bielińska-Dusza and Monika Hamerska
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2199; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042199 - 18 Feb 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4034
Abstract
The primary purpose of this article is to identify determinants affecting the Summary Innovation Index and, consequently, the positions of countries on the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). Then, based on the identified determinants, these countries are ranked using the linear ordering method. This [...] Read more.
The primary purpose of this article is to identify determinants affecting the Summary Innovation Index and, consequently, the positions of countries on the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). Then, based on the identified determinants, these countries are ranked using the linear ordering method. This article presents the concept of innovation as an unwavering subject of interest for researchers from around the world. Issues relating to measuring innovation, which is necessary for the efficient management of an organization, as well as to the study of innovation in individual countries, are discussed. Special attention is drawn to the methodological aspects of constructing the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). The identification of determinants affecting the level of the Summary Innovation Index is performed through stepwise regression. This makes it possible to reduce the number of factors utilized in the EIS ranking procedure from 27 to 22. This was the inspiration to apply an innovative approach and use the linear ordering method, in order to show that it is possible to obtain a ranking that is very similar to the EIS ranking with a reduced number of indicators. These results may be significant, both for units developing this type of ranking and for users, such as decision-makers, using the results to make strategic decisions. In our opinion, this innovative approach—that is, using the linear ordering method and a reduced number of indicators—makes it possible to create a more transparent EIS ranking. This article is of theoretical, methodological, and empirical interest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
23 pages, 797 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Specificities of Local Innovation Accelerators: A Case of Poland
by Konrad Szczukiewicz and Marek Makowiec
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1689; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041689 - 4 Feb 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2886
Abstract
Accelerators are one of the most recent and prominent institutions that support start-up development. The phenomenon of accelerators impacts academia as well as policy makers and practitioners. However, the research on accelerators is still very scant and the majority of research concerns the [...] Read more.
Accelerators are one of the most recent and prominent institutions that support start-up development. The phenomenon of accelerators impacts academia as well as policy makers and practitioners. However, the research on accelerators is still very scant and the majority of research concerns the most prestigious and successful American accelerators. The purpose of this paper is to outline the characteristics of Polish accelerators and their specificities, with the focus on the differences between public and private accelerators. The collateral aim of the authors was to describe characteristics and components of an innovation accelerator and its placement in the ecosystem of institutional support for start-ups. The first part of the study focuses on the definition of an accelerator, the review of relevant literature and the differences between other well established institutions such as incubators and business angels. The second part of the study presents the current state of accelerators in Poland. It is observed that the majority of the accelerators in Poland are publicly funded and accelerators avoid taking equity in accelerated start-ups. This is an effect of the competition from public accelerators, which offer a sizable equity-free grant of 200,000 PLN. This study enriches the research on different models of local accelerators and their acceleration programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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15 pages, 777 KiB  
Article
Influence of Ethical Leadership on Employees’ Innovative Behavior: The Role of Organization-Based Self-Esteem and Flexible Human Resource Management
by Qiuxiang Wen, Yingxuan Wu and Jing Long
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1359; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031359 - 28 Jan 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 7203
Abstract
Employees’ innovative behavior is a vital source for promoting the sustainable survival and development of enterprises. Innovation is a complicated and high-risk mental process, where in each stage employees’ innovative attitude and behavior will be affected by the varying behaviors of their direct [...] Read more.
Employees’ innovative behavior is a vital source for promoting the sustainable survival and development of enterprises. Innovation is a complicated and high-risk mental process, where in each stage employees’ innovative attitude and behavior will be affected by the varying behaviors of their direct leaders. Therefore, exploring the intricate relationship between leadership behavior and employees’ innovative behavior is necessary. Based on social exchange theory, this study builds a cross-level moderation model to investigate the impact of ethical leadership on employees’ innovative behavior and the mediating role of organization-based self-esteem and the moderating role of flexible human resource management. On the basis of a questionnaire survey of 146 supervisors and 365 subordinates in the mainland of China, the empirical results show that: (a) Ethical leadership positively affects employees’ innovative behavior significantly; (b) Organization-based self-esteem has a partial mediating relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ innovative behavior; and (c) flexible human resource management plays a positive moderating role in the relationship between organization-based self-esteem and employees’ innovative behavior, and it also positively moderates the mediating effect of organization-based self-esteem on the relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ innovative behavior. The findings reveal the internal mechanism and boundary condition of ethical leadership influencing employees’ innovative behavior, which provide a reference for enterprises to encourage employees to innovate, and have important practical significance for employees to actively pursue innovative activities in the workplace. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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19 pages, 1860 KiB  
Article
Cross-Sector Partnerships for Innovation and Growth: Can Creative Industries Support Traditional Sector Innovations?
by Monika Klein and Monika Spychalska-Wojtkiewicz
Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 10122; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310122 - 4 Dec 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 8387
Abstract
At the turn of culture and economics, cultural and creative industries (CCIs) stimulate business, technology, and society and drive innovations within individual regions, as well as on a cross-border level. This makes CCIs and thus culture, creativity, and design significant elements of the [...] Read more.
At the turn of culture and economics, cultural and creative industries (CCIs) stimulate business, technology, and society and drive innovations within individual regions, as well as on a cross-border level. This makes CCIs and thus culture, creativity, and design significant elements of the modern, post-industrial, and knowledge-based economy. The purpose of the paper is to outline the expectations and needs of entrepreneurs in both the creative and traditional sectors for the future cooperation and implementation of cross-sectoral innovations. It is assumed that there are no guidelines on establishing a cross-sectorial process for the efficient transfer of knowledge for innovation between the two sectors, establishing a strong platform of international cooperation for innovations in the region. To obtain information in this area quantitative and qualitative research was done. A series of expert interviews were conducted, and empirical expert observations were made in the form of qualitative surveys and expert assessments. The presented results are based on the summary reports of empirical research activities. The results of the analysis allowed us to determine that the assumption was true and that representatives of both the traditional and creative sectors lack proven models of cooperation and commercialization for joint innovations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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21 pages, 1437 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Formal and Informal External Collaboration on Innovation Performance of SMEs: Evidence from China
by Chang Lu and Bo Yu
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9636; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229636 - 18 Nov 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3776
Abstract
External collaboration is an effective way for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve innovation performance and obtain sustainable competitiveness. This study focuses on the influence of external collaboration on innovation performance of SMEs. Specifically, this study classifies external collaboration into formal and [...] Read more.
External collaboration is an effective way for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve innovation performance and obtain sustainable competitiveness. This study focuses on the influence of external collaboration on innovation performance of SMEs. Specifically, this study classifies external collaboration into formal and informal external collaboration, and explores their different impacts on innovation performance of SMEs, respectively. Moreover, this study examines the moderating effects of managers’ entrepreneurial orientation and organizational legitimacy on the relationships between formal and informal collaboration and innovation performance of SMEs. Survey data from 213 high-tech manufacturing SMEs in China reveals that: (1) Both formal and informal external collaboration have positive effects on innovation performance of SMEs, and informal external collaboration offers greater benefits than formal external collaboration; (2) managers’ entrepreneurial orientation positively moderates the relationship between informal external collaboration and SMEs’ innovation performance; (3) organizational legitimacy positively moderates the relationships between formal and informal external collaboration and SMEs’ innovation performance. This study enriches the research on the relationship between external collaboration and innovation performance of SMEs, and advances the understanding of the contextual factors between formal and informal external collaboration-SMEs’ innovation performance relationships through elucidating the moderating role of managers’ entrepreneurial orientation and organizational legitimacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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15 pages, 897 KiB  
Article
Research on Innovation Catering Behavior and Its Economic Consequences—An Empirical Analysis Based on Threshold Regression Model
by Yue Zhu, Ziyuan Sun, Ling Wang, Xiaoping Wang and Lu Zhang
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8198; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198198 - 5 Oct 2020
Viewed by 2163
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to develop the subjective initiative and enhance the sense of independent innovation in the process of high-tech enterprises, so as to guarantee the sustainable development of innovation ability. Based on the relevant data of high-tech enterprises from [...] Read more.
The purpose of this research is to develop the subjective initiative and enhance the sense of independent innovation in the process of high-tech enterprises, so as to guarantee the sustainable development of innovation ability. Based on the relevant data of high-tech enterprises from 2012 to 2017, a threshold regression model was established to study the existence of innovative “incentive” catering behaviors in the process of identifying high-tech enterprises. First, the empirical test results support the hypothesis of innovative “incentives” catering behavior, identified by high-tech enterprises, with a threshold of 0.0370. The empirical results show that the one-size-fits-all objective identification standard will indeed encourage some companies to adopt catering behaviors. Next, the paper verifies that high-tech companies that do not adopt “incentive” catering behaviors will have higher innovation efficiencies. Moreover, the R&D investment and R&D subsidy of high-tech enterprises without catering behaviors will be higher. Finally, through a stepwise regression test, it was found that R&D investment and R&D subsidies play an intermediary role in the relationship between innovation “incentives” catering behavior and corporate innovation efficiency. High-tech enterprises affect the innovation efficiency of enterprises through the transmission mechanism of R&D investment and R&D subsidies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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21 pages, 329 KiB  
Article
Impact of Government Subsidies on Manufacturing Innovation in China: The Moderating Role of Political Connections and Investor Attention
by Shuang Wang, Shukuan Zhao, Dong Shao and Hongyu Liu
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7740; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187740 - 18 Sep 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5814
Abstract
Although government subsidies have gradually become a crucial means of endorsing public innovation policies, there remains no unified conclusion on the mechanism of their role in enterprise sustainable innovation investment. Employing sample data of listed Chinese manufacturing companies between 2011 and 2019, this [...] Read more.
Although government subsidies have gradually become a crucial means of endorsing public innovation policies, there remains no unified conclusion on the mechanism of their role in enterprise sustainable innovation investment. Employing sample data of listed Chinese manufacturing companies between 2011 and 2019, this study aims to discuss the incentive effect of government subsidies on enterprise innovation investment based on different enterprise ownership. With the combination of resource dependency theory and stakeholder theory, the findings suggest that the intensity of government subsidies exerts an incentive effect on corporate innovation investment; however, the incentive effect is different under the influence of political connections and investor attention. In particular, political connections inhibit the incentive effect and investor attention promotes the incentive effect. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence for the rational allocation of resources by the Chinese government and the acquisition of innovation investment by enterprises of different ownerships and the development of innovation capabilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
21 pages, 314 KiB  
Article
Impact of CEOs’ Academic Work Experience on Firms’ Innovation Output and Performance: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies
by Dong Shao, Shukuan Zhao, Shuang Wang and Hong Jiang
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7442; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187442 - 10 Sep 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4777
Abstract
To date, the effect of the specific type of prior work experience of chief executive officers (CEOs) on innovation and firm performance remains poorly understood. Using upper perspective theory, this study argues that CEOs’ academic work experience affects firms’ innovation output, which in [...] Read more.
To date, the effect of the specific type of prior work experience of chief executive officers (CEOs) on innovation and firm performance remains poorly understood. Using upper perspective theory, this study argues that CEOs’ academic work experience affects firms’ innovation output, which in turn determines how research and development (R&D) activities affect firm performance. Analyzing a sample of 1210 Chinese publicly traded firms from 2013–2017, we found that firms with CEOs who were previously associated with universities or research institutions had better innovation output and performance than firms led by CEOs without such background. In addition, we found that former academics spent more on R&D investment, resulting in lower firm performance compared to firms that were not led by CEOs with an academic background. Furthermore, the innovation output was even higher, and performance was inversely reduced for ventures where state ownership is significant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
16 pages, 543 KiB  
Article
Configurational Theory in Traditional Manufacturing Industries: A New Model of High-Performing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
by José Pla-Barber, Cristina Villar and German Benito-Sarriá
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6818; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176818 - 22 Aug 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3254
Abstract
The goal of this study is to provide a model of high-performing small and medium-sized companies to address the new environmental challenges in traditional manufacturing industries. Adopting a configurational logic and following an inductive approach based on four high-performing firms, this paper provides [...] Read more.
The goal of this study is to provide a model of high-performing small and medium-sized companies to address the new environmental challenges in traditional manufacturing industries. Adopting a configurational logic and following an inductive approach based on four high-performing firms, this paper provides new empirical evidence on how the steps followed by these firms are adjusted to the high-performance models prescribed by the literature. In doing so, it also offers a dynamic view of the interrelationships between the strategy and the new conditions of the environment. At a practitioner level, the paper illustrates which recipes are more appropriate to prescribe recommendations for a more robust model that reinforces competitiveness in these industries. This research suggests that competitive success in traditional manufacturing industries requires movement along five complementary and interlinked strategic-development axes: the use of cooperation agreements, the combination of local and international manufacturing, the greater control of the distribution channel, the sale of customized products, and an increasing concern for sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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12 pages, 387 KiB  
Article
Coping with Supervisor Sanctions During Organizational Change: Core Members’ Active Change Behavior and Followers’ Middle Way Thinking
by Yuan Jing Luo, Yan Ping Li and Jing Du
Sustainability 2020, 12(15), 6277; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156277 - 4 Aug 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2616
Abstract
Recent research has shown that an organizational change implementation tactic is vital for influencing employee reactions to change. Hard tactics, such as supervisor sanction, are generally verified as obstructive to employees’ positive change behavior. The aim of this study is to identify the [...] Read more.
Recent research has shown that an organizational change implementation tactic is vital for influencing employee reactions to change. Hard tactics, such as supervisor sanction, are generally verified as obstructive to employees’ positive change behavior. The aim of this study is to identify the contingency circumstances under which sanction would be less harmful or even effective to change. By identifying the organizational situational influence of core members’ active change behavior and followers’ individual differences of middle way thinking, this study constructed a model that offers insight into the effectiveness of supervisor sanctions during change. Data from 250 employees in China were gathered by questionnaires. Results from hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that core members’ behavior neutralized the negative effect of supervisor sanctions on followers’ active change behavior. Moreover, this moderating effect was further magnified by followers’ personal middle way thinking value. The conclusions emphasized the roles of core members’ supportive behavior to change, which acts as role model, and of the individual middle way thinking values that have sustained Eastern Asia for thousands of years in successfully implementing change. The findings provide insights for the successful implementation tactics in organization change and enrich the understanding of the organizational change process. Research should continue to treat followers’ change reactions as a synergy output of situational factors and individual characteristics and examine the variables of these dimensions in the work environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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14 pages, 3559 KiB  
Article
Trends of Business-to-Business Transactions to Develop Innovative Cancer Drugs
by Arisa Djurian, Tomohiro Makino, Yeongjoo Lim, Shintaro Sengoku and Kota Kodama
Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5535; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145535 - 9 Jul 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2961
Abstract
A key concept in the pharmaceutical industry is open innovation, in which pharmaceutical companies contribute to human health and adapt to a changing business environment by acquiring external knowledge. As successful drug discoveries and developments have become challenging, pharmaceutical companies must proactively pursue [...] Read more.
A key concept in the pharmaceutical industry is open innovation, in which pharmaceutical companies contribute to human health and adapt to a changing business environment by acquiring external knowledge. As successful drug discoveries and developments have become challenging, pharmaceutical companies must proactively pursue the open innovation of new drugs through various inter-firm partnerships to be more sustainable. This study aims to interpret the trend of inter-firm partnerships in the development of cancer drugs and to evaluate their effectiveness by examining inter-firm transactions related to cancer drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is a novel approach to exercise this on each product instead of at the company level. The findings revealed that the number of inter-firm transactions in the oncology field has increased over the past 20 years. Furthermore, the annual number of transactions related to biologics has surpassed that of small molecules since 2015 and has been primarily driven by three PD-(L)1 inhibitors: Keytruda, Opdivo, and Tecentriq. Moreover, the average number of inter-firm transactions related to biologics is significantly higher than that of small molecules in total, in alliances, and in financing, suggesting that inter-firm transactions for biologic cancer drugs actively occur through various means. Additionally, a positive and significant correlation exists between the number of transactions and the average number of approved indications for biologics, but not for small molecules. These results suggest that the observed trend of active inter-firm transactions is key in increasing the probability of success in cancer drug research and development. This could provide a potential breakthrough in this industry for the successful development of innovative drug candidates to address unmet medical needs. Further study is necessary to confirm the applicability of this paradigm in broader drug discoveries and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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15 pages, 1055 KiB  
Article
Impact of Research and Development Strategy on Sustainable Growth in Multinational Pharmaceutical Companies
by Fumio Teramae, Tomohiro Makino, Yeongjoo Lim, Shintaro Sengoku and Kota Kodama
Sustainability 2020, 12(13), 5358; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135358 - 2 Jul 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6895
Abstract
Research and development (R&D) productivity is continuously declining, and it is said that the conventional model of pharmaceutical business is becoming obsolete. Many research studies on R&D productivity focus on inputs (e.g., strategic transactions to absorb external innovation, R&D expenditures), outputs (e.g., approvals [...] Read more.
Research and development (R&D) productivity is continuously declining, and it is said that the conventional model of pharmaceutical business is becoming obsolete. Many research studies on R&D productivity focus on inputs (e.g., strategic transactions to absorb external innovation, R&D expenditures), outputs (e.g., approvals of a new drug), and outcomes (e.g., total sales, incomes). However, few prior studies address the relationship among these three components simultaneously. Therefore, we comprehensively analyzed factors affecting R&D productivity by statistically examining a sample of 30 large multinational companies. Our results show that strategic transactions do not increase the number of approved drugs and negatively affect growth in terms of total sales. Additionally, our results show that a home-region-oriented international strategy positively affects total sales, thus indicating that responsiveness to local medical needs is important for sustainable growth. This paper contributes to the body of research on R&D productivity in the pharmaceutical industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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27 pages, 991 KiB  
Article
Ambidextrous Knowledge and Learning Capability: The Magic Potion for Employee Creativity and Sustainable Innovation Performance
by Lucía Muñoz-Pascual and Jesús Galende
Sustainability 2020, 12(10), 3966; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12103966 - 12 May 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4646
Abstract
This paper studies the effect that ambidextrous knowledge, i.e., oriented knowledge within a firm towards the development of exploitation activities and oriented knowledge towards the development of exploration activities, has on employee creativity, research and development, and sustainable product innovation. We contend that [...] Read more.
This paper studies the effect that ambidextrous knowledge, i.e., oriented knowledge within a firm towards the development of exploitation activities and oriented knowledge towards the development of exploration activities, has on employee creativity, research and development, and sustainable product innovation. We contend that both tacit and explicit knowledge affect employee creativity, research and development, and sustainable product innovation. We empirically tested our hypotheses by using multisource data collected from 245 Spanish firms across fourteen industries. Our structural equation models indicate that these two types of individual knowledge predict employee creativity, which in turn strengthens research and development projects, and sustainable product innovation performance. The results confirm that the relationships between knowledge, creativity, research and development, and sustainable product innovation performance are strong with a high learning capability. A multi-group structural analysis also reveals that positive relations between tacit and explicit knowledge, employee creativity, research and development, and sustainable product innovation performance are stronger within firms that have employees with high learning capability. We provide pertinent recommendations for managers. The efforts and investments made in knowledge support the development of new ideas, new research and development projects, and sustainable product innovation success; employee learning capability has a strong influence on knowledge, creativity, and sustainable product innovation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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12 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
Regional Differences and Firms’ Innovation Self-Choice Behavior: Insights from China
by Jianfeng Zhao and Jiguang Wang
Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3866; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093866 - 9 May 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2211
Abstract
Although many studies examine the influence of external factors (e.g., financial development, institutional condition, government intervention, and degree of marketization) on firms’ innovation behavior, they are rarely related to the core issue of heterogeneity in entrepreneurship. The different levels of entrepreneurs’ characteristics usually [...] Read more.
Although many studies examine the influence of external factors (e.g., financial development, institutional condition, government intervention, and degree of marketization) on firms’ innovation behavior, they are rarely related to the core issue of heterogeneity in entrepreneurship. The different levels of entrepreneurs’ characteristics usually mean huge differences in the skill level or efficiency of firms. Thus, the differences that exist in innovation ability and innovation behavior also reflect the difference of susceptibility to external factors. The core issue of heterogeneity determines not only the self-choice mode of a firm’s innovation but also the degree and pattern of an internal condition imposed by external factors, and it then influences the firm’s innovation behavior. Based on the perspective of entrepreneurship, this paper integrates heterogeneous trade theory into firms’ R&D analysis frameworks by using the data of listed companies on the Growth Enterprise Market to explore the heterogeneous influence mechanism of financial development and government intervention on firms’ R&D input. First, by constructing a theoretical model, this study finds that the innovation self-choice phenomenon exists in heterogeneous firms. A higher financial development and a lower government intervention lead to an increase in firms’ R&D input benefits. Second, the empirical research finds that financial development reduces the innovation‒cash flow sensitivity. Moreover, the reduction of government intervention alleviates the degree of capital misallocation of financial development and promotes R&D input. Third, as a moderator variable, entrepreneurs’ risk-taking propensity strengthens the promotion effect of financial development and government intervention on firms’ R&D investment. Financial development would strengthen the effect of government intervention on innovation self-choice behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and the Development of Enterprises II)
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