Abstract
Using innovation survey data on a sample of UK manufacturing firms,
Laursen and Salter [2006] documented a non-monotonous relationship
between external search strategies and firm-level innovative
performance. We find partially similar results in a combined sample of
Nigerian manufacturing and service firms. A major discrepancy is that
external search appears not to matter for radical innovation in our
sample. Based on multiple research streams including economics of
innovation and development economics, we develop and test new hypotheses
on sectoral differences and the role of the economic context. We find
that in a developing context, a wider range of innovation obstacles
implies broader external search and more intense obstacles require
deeper search. We explore the implications of these results for
management research and theory.
Laursen and Salter [2006] documented a non-monotonous relationship
between external search strategies and firm-level innovative
performance. We find partially similar results in a combined sample of
Nigerian manufacturing and service firms. A major discrepancy is that
external search appears not to matter for radical innovation in our
sample. Based on multiple research streams including economics of
innovation and development economics, we develop and test new hypotheses
on sectoral differences and the role of the economic context. We find
that in a developing context, a wider range of innovation obstacles
implies broader external search and more intense obstacles require
deeper search. We explore the implications of these results for
management research and theory.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Maastricht |
| Publisher | UNU-MERIT |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2014 |
Publication series
| Series | UNU-MERIT Working Papers |
|---|---|
| Number | 073 |