Title: Innovation activities, sources of innovation and R&D cooperation: evidence from firms in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, China

Authors: Naubahar Sharif; Erik Baark; Antonio K.W. Lau

Addresses: Division of Social Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong. ' Division of Social Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong. ' Division of Social Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Abstract: In a globalised and knowledge-based economy, companies must innovate continuously. Recent studies suggest that companies create multiple types of innovation and should expand the boundaries of their knowledge-production processes to co-operate with external organisations for innovation. Extant empirical studies of relationships between internal and external innovation activities, R&D cooperation, and types of innovation in developed countries have yielded mixed results. As a prominent Asian newly industrialising economy (NIE), Hong Kong's innovation and technology management has rarely been studied. This study explores the innovation activities and performance of Hong Kong companies with operations in Guangdong. Using a survey – based on the community innovation survey 4 (CIS4) – of 492 companies, we have found that intramural and extramural R&D, acquisition of machinery, and R&D co-operation are important for product, process, organisational, or marketing innovation. A notable result is that market-related efforts play a key role in most innovation undertaken by firms under study.

Keywords: Guangdong; Hong Kong; R&D; research and development; China; co-operation; innovation management; market-related innovation; innovation activities; innovation sources; globalised economies; knowledge-based economies; globalisation; multiple innovation types; knowledge-production processes; external organisations; developed countries; newly industrialising economies; NIEs; newly industrialised countries; NICs; community innovation surveys; intramural acquisition; extramural acquisition; machinery; product innovation; process innovation; organisational innovation; marketing innovation; technology management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2012.047244

International Journal of Technology Management, 2012 Vol.59 No.3/4, pp.203 - 234

Received: 15 Feb 2011
Accepted: 01 Dec 2011

Published online: 06 Apr 2013 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article