Innovation in international mid-sized corporations: understanding their RD offshoring characteristics

Josephine Igoe, Chad Trevithick and Esther Tippmann

Chapter 5 in Research Handbook on Innovation in International Business, 2022, pp 99-113 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Most studies of R&D offshoring, deemed essential for innovation in international firms, have focused on SMEs and large corporations. Little is known about R&D offshoring in the context of mid-sized corporations - firms that have 500 – 4,999 employees and generate an annual turnover of less than $4bn. Based on prior literature, we identify typical firm size-specific characteristics of R&D offshoring. We explore the manifestations of these characteristics using a single case study of Alpha Group, a European multinational active in over 100 countries and offshores R&D. We find that R&D offshoring involves a unique ability to leverage the beneficial characteristics of both large corporations and SMEs in a hybrid manner. The main contribution of this study is to the literature on R&D offshoring, detailing the unique characteristics of R&D offshoring in the context of mid-sized corporations. We also contribute to the firm size literature, which has heretofore understudied mid-sized corporations.

Keywords: Asian Studies; Business and Management; Economics and Finance; Innovations and Technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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