Title: A corporate R&D metric

Authors: Kevin J. Kennedy, John D. Holmfeld

Addresses: ASME Congressional Fellow, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Washington D.C., USA. ' Study Director, Science Policy, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Washington D.C., USA

Abstract: An examination of corporate R&D expenditure and science publication patterns is presented. In general, large corporations with traditionally excellent research centres maintain a strong science publication performance. However, large companies with correspondingly significant R&D expenditures, such as the top two automobile manufacturers, can exhibit relatively poor scientific publication performance per R&D dollar spent, depending upon the industrial sector. Pharmaceutical companies, typically with 20,000 to 40,000 employees, exhibit R&D expenditures of the order of 6.5 to 12% of sales. These companies achieve the highest individual and aggregate publication performance, per R&D dollar invested. Smaller, high-technology firms, often with fewer than 5000 employees, evidence little or no science publication contributions. In these firms, either product development assumes R&D expenditures or technology transfer via scientific publication is not taking place. Hence, corporate restructuring and disaggregation may significantly alter the nature of the technological enterprise.

Keywords: R&D expenditure; innovation; technology transfer; corporate restructuring; science publication; publication patterns; disaggregation; research and development; R&D metrics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1989.026025

International Journal of Technology Management, 1989 Vol.4 No.6, pp.665 - 672

Published online: 26 May 2009 *

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