Innovation and Competitive Advantage

Paul Geroski

No 159, OECD Economics Department Working Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: This paper examines the effects of the production of major innovations and patents on various measures of corporate performance. The analysis draws on panel data for 440 UK firms over the period 1972-1982. The observed direct effects of innovations on performance are relatively small. The paper also shows that little evidence can be found on innovation spillovers, associated with the production of either innovations or patents elsewhere in each firm's two-digit industry, raising performance. The benefits from innovation are more likely to be indirect, namely for user industries. However, innovative firms seem to be less susceptible to cyclical pressures than non-innovative firms. Firms in a competitive environment also seem more likely to engage in innovative activities than other firms ... Cette étude examine les effets des activités d'innovation sur des différentes mesures de performance des firmes. L'analyse s'appuie sur un panel de 440 firms du Royaume-Uni et concerne la période 1972-82. Les effets observés des innovations sur les indicateurs de performance sont relativement faibles. En outre, les résultats de l'étude ne permettent pas de conclure que les innovations produisent des effets sur les performances des autres firms à l'intérieur de la même industrie (au niveau de la classification à deux chiffres de la nomenclature). Les bénéfices de l'innovation sont plutôt indirects, notamment pour les industries utilisatrices. Cependent, les firmes innovatrices semblent moins susceptibles d'être affectées par les fluctuations conjoncturelles que les firms qui n'innovent pas. Un environnement compétitif semble aussi favoriser l'activité innovatrice des firmes ...

Date: 1995-01-01
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