This study of changes in Product R&D intensity in business units supplements past studies by including two major classes of independent variables which have not been examined previously: the competitive strategy of the business and role of the business in the overall corporate portfolio. Multiple regression analysis is used on a sample drawn from the PIMS data base. The results suggest that R&D decisions in growth businesses are responsive to competition, evolving strategies, and intra-firm resource flows. In mature businesses, a pattern of stability and R&D equilibrium is evident, even in the face of changes by competitors. Managerial implications are noted.research and development, economics, statistics: regression

This study investigated the effects of handedness and gender on manual asymmetry in the performance of a complex coincidence-anticipation task. Left-handed (N=63) and right-handed (N=93) undergraduate students (78 males, 78 females) were required to press six buttons sequentially in conjunction with visual stimulation provided by a coincidence-anticipation apparatus. Participants were further separated into subgroups based on the degree of hand preference. Timing accuracy (AE, CE, VE) and timing response (IT, MT, AT) were analysed. Results showed that, concerning accuracy, (i) strong left-handers were more accurate than the other groups; (ii) performance with the preferred hand was superior to that of the non-preferred hand; and (iii) males outperformed females. Concerning timing response, (i) the preferred hand was faster than the non-preferred hand for movement time and (ii) males were faster in initiating the movement than females. These findings indicate that coincidence-anticipation competence appears to be influenced by hand preference, performing hand, and gender. In addition, findings are discussed in the framework of the hemispheric functional lateralisation for the planning and organisation of movement execution.

Right-and left-handed performance presents different degrees of manual functional asymmetry, because left-handers usually present lower asymmetry in several tasks. Thus, we asked 27 right-handed and 33 left-handed male and female adolescents to perform a coincidence-anticipation task. Absolute, constant, and variable errors were calculated for each participant, for the preferred and non-preferred hand, as well as the performance asymmetry index. Results demonstrated that: (i) right-and left-handers performed to a similar level; (ii) both right-and left-handers were less variable when using their left hand; (iii) males were more accurate and less variable than their female counterparts. Although handedness failed to show a significant effect, our results demonstrate that both performing hand and gender have an influence on coincidence timing ability. The gender-related effect lends support to the idea that differences exist in the neural mechanisms of visuospatial processing between the sexes, and the performing hand-related effect is supposed to reflect the right hemisphere advantage in movement planning.

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This study investigated stimulus velocity effect on manual asymmetry during planning and execution of a complex coincidence-anticipation task. Left-and right-handers were required to press six buttons sequentially in conjunction with visual stimulus provided by a coincidence-anticipation device. Results showed that (1) stimulus velocity affected timing response and timing accuracy only for right-handers, who responded faster but less accurately in the fast stimulus velocity, (2) manual asymmetries for both handedness groups revealed a left-hand advantage for initiating the movement, and a preferred-hand advantage for movement time. The preferred-hand advantage in timing accuracy was only observed in the fast stimulus velocity. These findings are discussed in the framework of the hemispheric functional lateralisation.