{"title":"Rising to the Challenge: Top Executives with R&D Background, Risk-Taking and Corporate Innovation","authors":"Huicong Li, Erwei Xiang","doi":"10.1177/09717218221075153","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"More than half of Chinese high-technology firms are led by top executives (chairman and CEO) with R&D background. This study investigates whether and how top executives’ R&D background affects corporate innovation outcomes using a sample of listed firms in the high-technology industries in China. We find that the R&D background of top executives is positively related to innovation outcomes. We also find evidence on the mediating effect of R&D expenditure and moderating effect of corporate risk-taking on the above relationship. Our baseline results are robust to tests that address concerns caused by potential unobservable characteristics, reverse causality and other issues. Findings of our study have important implications for firms that aim to enhance their innovation outcomes and countries regarding their research policymaking and R&D management.","PeriodicalId":45432,"journal":{"name":"Science Technology and Society","volume":"46 9 1","pages":"233 - 255"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2022-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Science Technology and Society","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/09717218221075153","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
More than half of Chinese high-technology firms are led by top executives (chairman and CEO) with R&D background. This study investigates whether and how top executives’ R&D background affects corporate innovation outcomes using a sample of listed firms in the high-technology industries in China. We find that the R&D background of top executives is positively related to innovation outcomes. We also find evidence on the mediating effect of R&D expenditure and moderating effect of corporate risk-taking on the above relationship. Our baseline results are robust to tests that address concerns caused by potential unobservable characteristics, reverse causality and other issues. Findings of our study have important implications for firms that aim to enhance their innovation outcomes and countries regarding their research policymaking and R&D management.
期刊介绍:
Science, Technology and Society is an international journal devoted to the study of science and technology in social context. It focuses on the way in which advances in science and technology influence society and vice versa. It is a peer-reviewed journal that takes an interdisciplinary perspective, encouraging analyses whose approaches are drawn from a variety of disciplines such as history, sociology, philosophy, economics, political science and international relations, science policy involving innovation, foresight studies involving science and technology, technology management, environmental studies, energy studies and gender studies. The journal consciously endeavors to combine scholarly perspectives relevant to academic research and policy issues relating to development. Besides research articles the journal encourages research-based country reports, commentaries and book reviews.