Firms’ Supply Chain Integration, R&D Collaboration, and Impact on Competitiveness: Evidence from Czechia

Viktor Květoň () and Petr Horák
Additional contact information
Viktor Květoň: Charles University
Petr Horák: Charles University

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2024, vol. 15, issue 2, No 32, 5817-5840

Abstract: Abstract This paper aims to reveal associations between firm strategies for vertical supply chain integration and strategy for horizontal R&D collaboration through the analysis of four Czech regions. Drawing on evolutionary economic geography and global production networks literature, we applied a combinatorial and dynamic view on firms’ supply chain integration, R&D collaboration, and impact on competitiveness. Conceptually, we argue that companies not only produce and sell goods at different levels (global, national, regional), but are located in differently developed regions and innovation systems with different institutional qualities. Therefore, various modes of engagement within vertical supply chains and at the same time different R&D collaboration strategies influence competitiveness of firms. Empirically, we revealed that the vertical integration strategy drives levels of regional R&D collaboration for a firm. It turns out that globally more connected and technologically sophisticated firms are not highly interconnected by R&D collaboration within regional/national innovation systems. Moreover, technologically capable firms with little or no R&D collaboration may be highly profitable on average, but they are vulnerable in the long run. Furthermore, an intensive involvement in R&D collaboration had the highest resistance towards economic shocks. We also found statistically significant positive relationship with medium R&D collaboration and productivity of firms.

Keywords: R&D Collaboration; Global Production Networks; Competitiveness; Czechia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13132-023-01242-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:15:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s13132-023-01242-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/13132

DOI: 10.1007/s13132-023-01242-8

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of the Knowledge Economy is currently edited by Elias G. Carayannis

More articles in Journal of the Knowledge Economy from Springer, Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().