Size matters: When small and large firms look for the best partners to innovate

Frédéric Le Roy (), Marc Robert and Paul Chiambaretto
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Frédéric Le Roy: MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVM - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School - UM - Université de Montpellier
Marc Robert: MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVM - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School - UM - Université de Montpellier
Paul Chiambaretto: MRM - Montpellier Research in Management - UPVM - Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 - UPVD - Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School - UM - Université de Montpellier, CRG I3 - Centre de recherche en gestion i3 - X - École polytechnique - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - Université Paris-Saclay - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: This article aims at studying who the best partners to innovate are for small and large firms. Considering the contradicting results of the literature on alliances and product innovation, we study the role of the size of the focal partner on these relationships. Using the French CIS04 database, we study the impact of cooperation with various partners on product innovation for small and large firms. Our results highlight that, for small firms, customers and competitors are the only partners increasing the likelihood of developing product innovation. If public research institutions are not significant, it appears that cooperation with suppliers is actually harmful for small firms. Regarding large firms, customers and public research institutions are the most attractive partners in terms of product innovation potential. The other partners (competitors and suppliers) do not increase or decrease significantly the likelihood of developing product innovation. Our results contribute thus to the emerging literature that emphasizes the specificities of alliances for small and large firms.

Keywords: Alliance; Innovation; Partner selection; Size; Small firms; Large firms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-06-03
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Published in XXIVème Conférence Annuelle de l’Association Internationale de Management Stratégique - AIMS 2015, Jun 2015, Paris, France

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02057292

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