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Identifying the factors determining cooperative innovation effect in emerging economies: Evidence from Chinese firms

Xuemei Xie (School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China)
Saixing Zeng (Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China)
Zhipeng Zang (East China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai, China)
Hailiang Zou (Shanghai University, Shanghai, China)

Chinese Management Studies

ISSN: 1750-614X

Article publication date: 7 August 2017

706

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors determining collaborative innovation effect of manufacturing firms in emerging economies.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey of 1,206 Chinese manufacturing firms and using structural equation modelling, this study explores the factors determining the effect of collaborative innovation among manufacturing firms (namely, internal capabilities, government policies, collaboration mechanisms and social networks) and examines the relationship between collaborative innovation effect and innovation performance.

Findings

The study finds that there are significantly positive relationships between firms’ internal capabilities, government policies, collaboration mechanisms and social networks and collaborative innovation effect among firms.

Practical implications

These findings reveal that policymakers should create an effective institutional culture and market environment to facilitate firms’ collaborative innovation.

Originality/value

This paper draws on the resource-based view of firms and contributes to understanding of how the development of factors determining firms’ collaborative innovation effect can improve innovation performance. This study extends established frameworks on collaborative innovation in relation to four dimensions, namely, firms’ internal capabilities, government policies, collaboration mechanisms and social networks, uniquely identifying the limits of specific dimensions. Moreover, this study addresses government policies and “Guanxi culture” specific to China that provide new insights into how firms’ collaborative innovation is improved from the perspectives of business–governmental relations and social networks.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number: 71472118; 71390525; 71620107004; 71503160) and “Shu Guang” project of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and Shanghai Education Development Foundation (Grant number: 13SG41).

Citation

Xie, X., Zeng, S., Zang, Z. and Zou, H. (2017), "Identifying the factors determining cooperative innovation effect in emerging economies: Evidence from Chinese firms", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 366-386. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-01-2017-0013

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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