International Journal of Technology Management (7 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Overtaking in the Rain: Performance Feedback and Firm Innovation during Decoupling Period  
  by Haobang Chen, Shuzhe Jia, Jizhen Li, Donghong Li 
  Abstract: This research explores the behavioural mechanism of firm innovation in the context of the U.S.-China decoupling since 2018. Under suddenly increasing environmental uncertainty, while most firms are risk-aversion, firms with a social performance feedback leap (i.e., pre-shock underperforming firms outperforming others after the shock) get promising information from the leap and thus are more likely to take risks and launch innovation. The effect is stronger for firms with a promotion focus, which are more likely to identify and positively interpret the leap and take action to sustain the advantage. We find support for the arguments using data from 330 Chinese listed firms engaged in trade with the U.S. Our study introduces a behavioural mechanism to understand the impact of decoupling on innovation and contributes to the Behaviour Theory of the Firm (BTOF) with a novel concept.
  Keywords: innovation; decoupling; environment uncertainty; shock; social performance feedback leap; performance feedback; aspiration; regulatory focus; TMT promotion focus.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2024.10068562
   
  
• Relationship between Profitability and U.S. Firm Strategies for Research and Development Intensity and Capital Investment  
  by Takayuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Imahashi, Kiminori Gemba 
  Abstract: Research and development (R&D) has been associated with the accomplishment of business results through capital investment. In recent years, the efficiency of R&D investment by U.S. firms has declined; however, there is a lack of empirical evidence. Therefore, this study empirically analyses the relationship between R&D, capital investments, and the U.S. firms' profitability. A regression analysis was conducted using data from U.S. stock market-listed firms between fiscal years (FY) 2010 to 2021. The results indicate a significantly negative R&D ratio coefficient for all years. Additionally, the capital investment ratio coefficient was significantly positive in FY2019 and FY2021. However, for FY2011 it was positive but insignificant. The coefficients were significantly negative for all other years. The results indicate decreased efficiency of R&D investments by U.S. firms, indicating opportunities to enhance their profitability. Moreover, the findings contribute to the existing literature and will assist practitioners make more informed management-related decisions.
  Keywords: research and development expenses; capital expenditure; profitability; research and development intensity; U.S. firms' strategy; investment efficiency; quantitative analysis; longitudinal study.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2025.10069662
   
  
• Unveiling the Structural Dimensions of Catch-Up Oriented Innovation Policy and its Impact on Enterprises' Technological Capabilities  
  by Hongjun Geng, Guowei Dong, Chang Wang, Jingdong Li, Cuihong Zhang 
  Abstract: The Catch-Up Oriented Innovation Policy (CuOIP) represents a tailored application of mission-oriented innovation policies in latecomer countries. This study exploresthe structural dimensions of CuOIP and empirically examines its impact on enterprises' technological capabilities. Our findings reveal that CuOIP is a systematic policy encompassing five key types of policy instruments: entity cultivation, capacity building, market creation, platform construction, and institutional strategy. Moreover, the empirical results demonstrate that CuOIP positively influences enterprises' technological capabilities. Industrial competition pressure and enterprises' resource application capability positively moderates the relationship between the CuOIP and enterprises' technological capabilities. By delving into the theoretical underpinnings of mission-oriented innovation policies, this study contributes valuable practical insights for emerging countries aiming to achieve technological capability catch-up.
  Keywords: catch-up oriented innovation policy; enterprises' technological capabilities; structural dimensions; policy effects.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2025.10069747
   
  
• How can technology intelligence experts benefit from the use of structured analytical frameworks? Proposals based on the technological innovation system approach  
  by Marina Flamand, Vincent Frigant 
  Abstract: Technology intelligence as an information practice for decision support in innovation is attracting increasing interest from companies. This exploratory article discusses an underestimated way to improve technology intelligence practices: the use of structured analysis frameworks. We present an opportunity for technology intelligence experts to incorporate the lessons of innovation studies into the way they study the dynamics of innovation, thereby consolidating and diversifying the insights they are likely to provide to decision makers. More specifically, we show how the technological innovation systems approach can contribute to technology intelligence analysis. We argue that this approach can provide a relevant analytical tool for analysing and evaluating the development of a particular technological field. As a result, the analyses produced will be richer and the professionalisation of the technology intelligence experts can be expected to improve.
  Keywords: technology intelligence; technological innovation system; structured analytical framework; technological field study.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2025.10069659
   
  
• The measurement and influencing factors of technology standardisation capability of enterprises: the case of Chinese industry standards  
  by Chen Tian, Junyan Zhang, Dayong Liu 
  Abstract: An enterprise's technology standardisation capability (TSC) plays an important role in building competitive advantage. Thus, under the 'technology-organisation-environment' (TOE) framework, this study empirically examines 1,234 Chinese industry standards to explore the influence of different factors on firms' TSC. More importantly, we propose a TSC measurement model based on patent and technical standard texts to accurately identify the differences in TSC among different companies. The results show that: 1) technology dependence (TD) affects enterprise TSC negatively, and there is a U-shaped relationship between technology complementarity (TC) and TSC; 2) the negative effect of technology dependence on enterprise TSC diminishes as organisational embeddedness (OE) increases; 3) in more competitive industries, enterprises need to increase technology complementarity more extensively to improve TSC; 4) there are differences in the effects of different factors on standardised and non-standardised active enterprises.
  Keywords: technology-organisation-environment; TOE; technology standardisation capability; TSC; industry standard; text analysis.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2024.10068053
   
  
• Selection of collaborative partners for ambidextrous technological innovation: an approach based on community detection  
  by Chunhua Ju, Qianwen Cao 
  Abstract: The selection of an appropriate partner plays a crucial role in overcoming technological barriers via technological innovation. This study aims to propose a methodology for the selection of technological innovation partners, focusing on recommending different potential partners based on ambidextrous technological innovation. This article presents a comprehensive framework for partner selection in collaborative innovation. The construction of collaboration networks relies on the existing collaborative relationships. The Louvain algorithm is employed to partition networks into distinct communities, while the number of times of co-citation is utilised for selecting the appropriate community. The community members are divided into two parts of partners for radical innovation and partners for incremental innovation based on their technical distance from the enterprise requiring partners. The partner selection methods proposed in this study demonstrate remarkable efficacy in expanding the range of partner selection options, improving selection efficiency and enhancing pertinence.
  Keywords: collaboration network; community detection; technological innovation; radical innovation; incremental innovation.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2024.10067996
   
  
• Exporting and innovation in a digital age: an attention-based perspective  
  by Yunwen Shao, Wei Xie 
  Abstract: How does exporting drive innovation? Existing studies provide limited insights into this question, particularly from the perspective of managerial cognition within firms. This paper revisits the three core premises of the attention-based view proposed by Ocasio (1997) to explore the mechanisms by which export activities influence innovation. Drawing on an attention-allocation perspective, we reveal that export intensity exhibits an inverted U-shaped effect on innovation performance. High product concentration amplifies this curvilinear relationship by focusing managerial attention on the main product. Conversely, a decentralised organisational structure, characterised by multiple operating units, mitigates or reverses the inverted U-shaped effect. In the context of digital transformation, the relationship between export intensity and innovation performance becomes more pronounced.
  Keywords: attention-based view; ABV; exporting; innovation performance; digital transformation; product concentration; multiple operating units; China.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2024.10069399