A Research On Chinese Companies' R&D Internationalization Intensity,Diversity And Innovation Performance

With the acceleration of globalization and constant upgrade of technology,many developed-country multinational corporations started to establish cooperative R&D innovation network through cooperation,and they are engaged in R&D internationalization activities in order to expand their markets and adapt to the new environment and market changes.Through R&D internationalization,multinational corporations can make full use of their own technological advantages and enhance their technological capabilities through geographical dispersion of knowledge acquisition and technology diversification and complementarity,which can improve their competitiveness in the whole world.In recent years,multinational corporations in China have also carried out R&D activities in foreign countries and increased its intensity and diversity in order to increase their opportunities to obtain advanced foreign technologies and resources,speed up the transfer of innovative resources to their parent companies,and enhance their technological innovation ability and catch up with developed countries.The innovation effect of R&D internationalization intensity and diversity is particularly important to Chinese enterprises,because it is conducive to the development and implementation of R&D internationalization strategy of Chinese companies and contributes to promote the strategic transformation and innovation catch-up of enterprises.This thesis applies a method of the combination of theoretical research and empirical research and systematically reviews the relevant literature on the motivation and innovative consequence of R&D internationalization and the regulatory mechanism of absorptive capacity,summarizing the current research on the relationship between R&D internationalization and innovation performance and absorptive capacity;Then,based on the analysis of the existing literature and the internal regularity of the R&D internationalization practice of Chinese companies,this thesis puts forward the research hypothesis;Finally,using Poisson regression,this thesis analyzes the micro-level data of 250 listed companies in the list of overseas investment enterprises of the Ministry of Commerce of People's Republic of China,and tests the relationship between R&D intensity and diversification and innovation performance,and moderating effect of absorptive capacity in this process.The results show that:(1)The impact of R&D internationalization intensity and diversity on innovation performance is not a simple linear relationship,but a "U" curve relationship;in addition,The impact of R&D internationalization intensity and diversity on three different types of innovation performance respectively expressed by the number of invention patents,utility model patents and design patents is a "U" curve relationship generally,which is consistent with the results of the total patent regression;the regression results of the sample of manufacturing enterprises showed more significant "U" curve relationship,indicating that there are industry differences in the innovation effect of R&D internationalization intensity and diversity.(2)The absorptive capacity of enterprises has a regulatory effect on the relationship between R&D internationalization intensity and diversity and innovation performance.Different types of absorptive capacity have different effects.R&D ability has positive moderating effects on the relationship between R&D internationalization diversity and innovation performance,while cannot dramatically moderate the relationship between R&D internationalization intensity and innovation performance.What's more,international experience positively regulates the relationship between R&D internationalization diversity and innovation performance,while has negative regulating effects on the relationship between R&D internationalization intensity and innovation performance.Therefore,for Chinese enterprises dedicated to pursuing innovation catch-up,R&D internationalization is a long-term strategic choice.Chinese enterprises should enhance and expand the intensity and diversity of R&D internationalization and enhance their absorptive capacity to promote innovation ability continuously.