Role of basic research in industrial innovation: An empirical investigation.

摘要

This retrospective study examined the relationship between basic research and commercialization success in a sample of 102 manufacturing firms. The research is a descriptive study leading to empirical hypotheses testing.; A primary focus of the research was to explore the hypothesis which suggests that firms who allocate relevant basic research effort to their research and development portfolios are more likely to produce commercially successful products and processes. The descriptive study lead to additional hypotheses exploring the relationships between contextual nature of the laboratory's research and development projects and (1) amount of basic research effort expended by the laboratory, and (2) commercialization success of the laboratory's projects.; Hypotheses were tested using structural equations modeling. The full research consists of descriptive analyses, confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses and structural equations modeling. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS and linear structural relations (LISREL).; The goal of the research was to examine the value of basic research in a firm's growth. The research did not uncover a statistically significant relationship between basic research and firm productivity. Plausible explanations and research confounds are discussed. The research provides an in-depth theoretical discussion on basic research and allocation of research and development funds.; A model to facilitate understanding of innovation factors influencing new product and process success in manufacturing firms is developed through the research. The model is a modification of a theoretical model proposed by Balachandra and Friar. The model is offered for additional empirical testing.; Future research directions are discussed. These include the need for future research to focus on: issues inherent in defining and measuring the independent and dependent variables, accommodations for influential factors internal and external to the firm, and investigation of a curvilinear relationship between BR and commercial success of innovations.