How does collaboration between universities and R&D firms influence performance?

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 2436-2476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-You Lin

Purpose How does university-firm collaboration affect the performance of both universities and firms? The purpose of this paper is to evaluate university-firm collaborations aimed at expanding the treatment effects of collaboration ambition on university academic performance as well as collaboration ambition focused on the firm’s production of innovation and financial performance for the top 110 US universities and the top 200 US R&D performing firms. Design/methodology/approach “Two studies, based on the three archival data sets (National Bureau of Economic Research-Rensselaer Scientific Papers Database and the Harvard Dataverse Network (DVN) US Patent Citations database and Compustat database), are undertaken in the top 110 US universities and the top 200 US R&D performing firms.” The study introduces a theoretical model that explicitly addresses collaboration diversity, number of collaborations, knowledge stock and the endogeneity problem that is generated by self-selection of collaboration ambition in university and firm’s performance. Findings The results suggest that the effects of adopting proactive collaboration decision on academic performance are insignificant in the firm subsample. However, more interestingly, the authors find supporting evidence of the negative impact of collaboration on university groups. The authors also find that collaboration diversity, knowledge stock and collaboration ambition lead to stronger firm performance but the number of collaborations is smaller on firm performance. Furthermore, the authors find that collaboration ambition moderates the positive effect of the number of collaborations on firm performance. Practical implications University-firm collaboration is a multifaceted relationship, suggesting that the empirical analysis can be interpreted through the university and the firm view to enhance the understanding of the collaboration for performance creation. This study articulates the positive role of collaboration diversity, knowledge stock and collaboration ambition and the negative role of the number of collaborations on university-firm collaboration in terms of university and firm performance. Moreover, proactive collaboration ambition has the positive effect of a higher number of collaborations on firm performance. The authors conclude that policy should refrain from overly focusing on collaboration diversity, number of collaborations, knowledge stock and collaboration ambition, and the authors consider the interactions between the number of collaborations and collaboration ambition on university-firm collaboration when discussing their effects on mutual performance. Originality/value This study demonstrates the effects of university-firm collaboration on academic performance. In addition, the authors discuss the factors that influence collaboration to help the firm to increase its innovation and financial performance. Therefore, it would be interesting to see simultaneously how university-firm collaboration affects the performance of both partners.

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 678-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Ibrahim Fallatah

Purpose The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between the value of created knowledge and financial performance. It also assesses how knowledge breadth moderates the aforementioned relationship. Design/methodology/approach Focusing on the US biotechnology industry, the study matches patents data from the National Bureau of Economic Research and the United States Patent and Trademark Office with firms’ data from COMPUSTAT. Generalized least squares estimation is used as an analytical technique, and random-effects models are used to evaluate effects of the independent variables based on both within- and between-organization variances. Findings The findings reveal that biotechnological firms that create knowledge of higher values are likely to have higher financial performance than those creating knowledge of less value. Moreover, knowledge breadth is shown to positively moderate the relationship between knowledge value and firm performance. Research limitations/implications Some of the limitations include not controlling for more firm-related and environmental factors that might have influenced firm performance. Practical implications The study provides evidence that the quality of knowledge should be significantly considered when creating new knowledge. That is, managers should prioritize the creation of highly valuable knowledge, even if it occasionally results in creating fewer numbers of patents. The paper also suggests that creating valuable knowledge that is broad and flexible should be an important objective for managers as it provides more opportunities to generate future rents. Originality/value The study emphasizes how the value of created knowledge impacts the financial performance of firms. It also illustrates how knowledge breadth moderates that relationship. The paper contributes to a stream of research that links knowledge management abilities and firm performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawit Bahta ◽  
Jiang Yun ◽  
Md Rashidul Islam ◽  
Muhammad Ashfaq

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its effect on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) innovation capability and financial performance from the perspective of a developing country. It also aims to explore the role of innovation capability as a mediating factor in the linkage between CSR and SMEs’ financial performance. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was distributed among managers/owners of the sampled companies. Using a data set of 402 Eritrean firms and partial least squares structural equation modeling, direct and mediating effects were tested. Findings The result reveals that CSR has a positive and significant effect on the financial performance and innovation capability of SEMs. Besides, innovation capability has a positive and significant effect on the business performance of SMEs. The result also supports a partial mediation effect of innovation capability on the association between CSR and firm performance. Practical implications The findings from this research could enhance the awareness of the entrepreneurs, researchers and policymakers on CSR-SMEs’ relationship and help understand the importance of CSR as a crucial driver mechanism for companies to become more innovative and competitive. Originality/value By empirically examining the relationship between CSR, innovation capability and performance in SMEs, this study contributes to the ongoing scholarly discussion on the linkage between CSR and financial performance. Also, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other study investigated the mediating role of innovation capability on the link between CSR activities and firms’ financial performance in SMEs from a developing country perspective, making substantial contributions to research in terms of theory, practice and policy.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Imtiaz Mostafiz ◽  
Murali Sambasivan ◽  
See Kwong Goh

PurposeThe international entrepreneurial capability has achieved its legitimacy in international business literature. Leveraging capabilities to recognise opportunities is considered a pivotal strategy to achieve success. Drawing on the entrepreneurship literature and opportunity perspective, this study aims to investigate the role of international entrepreneurial capability in enhancing the international opportunity recognition (IOR) process and the performance of export manufacturing firms.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modelling has been used to test the hypothesised relationship on 388 export manufacturing entrepreneurial firms operating in the apparel industry of Bangladesh.FindingsThe results signify that three international entrepreneurial capabilities, namely, international networking, learning and marketing capability, positively enhance the IOR process of export manufacturing firms. The IOR process positively mediates the relationships between these international entrepreneurial capabilities and firm performance.Originality/valueMerely having the international entrepreneurial capability is not sufficient to escalate the firm performance. It must be amplified by various strategic actions such as the IOR process. Entrepreneurs need to capitalise on the international entrepreneurial capability to leverage the IOR process and generate non-financial performance success. Entrepreneurial firms that focus more on stimulating non-financial performance can secure better financial performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismail Kalash

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to examine how financial distress risk and currency crisis affect the relationship between financial leverage and financial performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses data of 200 firms listed on Istanbul Stock Exchange during the period from 2009 to 2019, resulting in 1950 firm-year observations. Pooled ordinary least squares, random effects, firm fixed effects and two-step system GMM models are used to investigate the hypotheses of this study.FindingsThe results reveal that financial leverage has negative and significant effect on financial performance, and that this effect is stronger for firms with higher financial distress risk. Furthermore, the findings provide moderate evidence that currency crisis exacerbates the negative association between leverage and performance.Practical implicationsThe results of this study have important implications for firms in emerging markets. Managers can enhance firm performance by reducing the level of financial leverage, especially in firms with higher financial distress risk. These firms incur higher debt costs, and then they can benefit more from the decreases in debt ratio in their capital structure. Moreover, the decreases in debt level have more importance in currency crisis times, when the access to external finance becomes more expensive and more difficult.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge, this research is the first to examine the effect of currency crisis on the financial leverage–financial performance relationship and is one of few that investigate the role of financial distress risk in determining the linkage between leverage and firm performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Lichtenthaler

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework and propositions on a capability-based view that examine the role of a firm’s primary type of alliances, i.e., exploration or exploitation, in the determinants and impact of alliance portfolio capability. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual research paper, which builds on prior conceptual and empirical management research. Findings – Regarding determinants, capability-based arguments indicate that firms with an emphasis on exploration alliances have higher levels of alliance portfolio capability. However, a focus on exploration alliances aggravates the development of alliance portfolio capability through alliance experience and a dedicated alliance function. Regarding impact, alliance portfolio capability may positively affect a firm’s alliance, innovation, and financial performance. While alliance portfolio capability is assumed to have an equally positive effect on alliance performance for all types of alliance portfolios, a relative focus on exploration alliances is expected to limit the positive effects of alliance portfolio capability on innovation and subsequent financial performance. Originality/value – These new conceptual arguments help to reconcile inconsistent earlier findings, and they deepen the understanding of interfirm differences in alliance portfolio capability and performance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdifatah Ahmed Haji ◽  
Nazli Anum Mohd Ghazali

Purpose The purpose of this paper is primarily to explore the extent of intangible assets and liabilities of large Malaysian companies. The authors also examine whether intangible assets and liabilities of a firm have similar or contrasting roles in firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Using a direct and straightforward measure of intangible assets and liabilities, the authors examine a large pool of data from large Malaysian companies over a six-year period spanning from 2008 to 2013. Findings The longitudinal analyses show a significant number of the sample companies, between 34 and 59.33 percent, have a consistent pattern of intangible liabilities. The authors also find firms with intangible liabilities have significantly underperformed financially than a control group of firms. In addition, the authors find that intangible liabilities have significant negative impact on firm performance whereas intangible assets have a contrasting positive impact on firm performance. Research limitations/implications One limitation of this study is that the authors have only used a single measure of intangible assets and liabilities. Albeit the measures used are straightforward and more objective, there could be other measures to capture intangibles. Practical implications The research findings have several theoretical as well as policy implications. Theoretically, the authors extend the resource-based view to the intangible asset-liability mix, affirming the crucial role of intangible resources in financial performance whilst introducing the unfavorable role of intangible liabilities in corporate financial performance. In terms of policy implications, the research findings provide initial empirical input to emerging calls for broader perspectives of intangibles, beyond intangible assets to include intangible liabilities, and therefore belong to an emerging paradigm toward the nature of intangibles. Originality/value This study documents a rare empirical account of the contrasting roles of intangible assets and liabilities in corporate financial performance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhining Wang ◽  
Nianxin Wang ◽  
Huigang Liang

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of knowledge sharing (KS) on firm performance and the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC). Design/methodology/approach – A research model was developed based on prior KS and IC studies. A survey was administered to a sample of high technology firms in China and 228 usable responses were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the research model. Findings – Tacit KS significantly was found to contribute to all three components of IC, namely human, structural and relational capital, while explicit KS only has a significant influence on human and structural capital. Human, structural and relational capital, enhance both operational and financial performance of firms. The effect of KS on firm performance is mediated by IC. Explicit KS has a greater effect on financial performance than operational performance, whereas tacit KS has a greater impact on operational performance than financial performance. Research limitations/implications – The sample of high technology firms in China might limit the generalization of the findings. Nonetheless, this study takes its lead from and extends prior research, thus providing a deepened understanding of the role of KS in organizational settings. Practical implications – The paper suggests that managers can enhance firm performance by enhancing their KS and IC. Managers can develop corresponding strategies based on the findings to achieve their specific performance goals. Originality/value – This is one of the first papers to examine how KS contributes to firm performance through the mediation of IC. It will add significant value for organizations trying to enhance their performance though KS practices.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeti Mathur ◽  
Satish Chandra Tiwari ◽  
T. Sita Ramaiah ◽  
Himanshu Mathur

PurposeThis research paper aims to explore the relationship of financial performance and capital structure of Indian pharma firms of BSE 500, the impact of research and development (R&D) expenditure on financial performance and also explore the moderating role of competitive intensity between the existing relationship of capital structure and firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe balanced panel data of listed pharma firms of BSE 500 are used for the research study, and the present study adopts both the panel and ordinary least square (OLS) estimation techniques to draw the results.FindingsThe results exhibit that the high debt ratio is harmful for the accounting performance of the selected sample of pharma firms of BSE 500. Besides, market competition negatively moderates the relationship between capital structure and firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe research findings provide evidence for the policymakers/regulators that the sample firms should discourage the high debt financing in the presence of competitive intensity in the product marketplace.Originality/valueThe core contribution of the current research is to examine impact of R&D expenditure on financial performance and the moderating role of market competition on the relationship of capital structure and firm performance to the best of the authors' knowledge, and no single study has previously explored this relationship in the context of BSE 500 pharma firms.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nnachi Egwu Onuoha

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore human capital and corporate financial performance link from the perspective of human capital theory, resources-based view and balanced score card approach, and the mediating role of structural capital in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Overall, a data set was drawn from five-year annual reports of deposit money banks (DMBs) in Nigeria. Additionally, the bootstrap procedure was performed to test the mediating role of structural capital. Findings Specifically, the paper results indicate that whereas human capital has significant positive effect on corporate financial performance and structural capital, structural capital has significant positive effect on corporate financial performance. Additionally, the study finds structural capital to mediate the effect of human capital on organizational financial performance. Research limitations/implications This paper focused on 12 DMBs in Nigeria and their five year annual reports. Accordingly, future studies in this area should increase the number of banks and years, and include firms operating in insurance, manufacturing, telecommunication and oil and gas industries to permit comparability of results and broader basis for generalizability. Moreover, the study results provide insights that would serve as robust empirical basis for policy makers to insist on enhancement of the value of human and structural capital variables. Practical implications The managers of DMBs should commit to development of their employees through improvement in their training and health programs, among others. Also, they should ensure continuous improvement of their structural capital to enable the investments in their employee to translate to enhanced corporate financial performance. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to explore the mediation effect of structural capital on the human capital-corporate financial performance link using evidence from DMBs in Nigeria and, thus, extends and deepens extant literature on human capital-organizational performance nexus.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Latif Alhassan ◽  
Kalwani Zyambo ◽  
Mary-Ann Afua Boakye

Purpose This paper examines the role of corporate governance on the financial performance of life insurers in South Africa. Specifically, the paper tests two competing hypotheses on the role of boards as effective monitors of opportunistic behaviour of executives, as prescribed by the agency theory or as an effective resource, as advocated by the resource dependency view. Design/methodology/approach The paper estimates both static and dynamic panel data of 68 insurers from 2007 to 2014 using random effects, panel corrected standard error ordinary least squares and generalized method of moment’s estimation techniques. Board size, audit committee size, board independence and audit committee independence are used as the governance indicators while profitability is measured as returns on assets and equity. Findings The findings support both the resource dependency and agency theoretic views of boards. Specifically, the results indicate that large board and audit committees improve financial performance which supports the view of boards as effective resources for insurers. In addition, the role of non-executive directors in addressing agency conflict is reflected in the positive effect of board independence on financial performance. However, the long-run causal positive effect is only reported for audit committee size on return on assets. In addition, the paper also finds evidence of profitability persistence in the life insurance market. Finally, reinsurance usage, insurer size and market concentration were found to have a negative effect on financial performance. Practical implications The findings re-enforce the important role of boards in their oversight responsibilities and as effective resources in the operations of highly specialized insurance businesses. Originality/value As far as the authors are concerned, this empirical analysis documents the first evidence of the linkages between governance mechanisms and financial performance of an insurance market in Africa.


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