Innovation capability, network embeddedness and economic performance: profiling solar power innovators in China

Abstract

This paper discusses the technological upgrading of China in photovoltaics technology. It explores the patterns of innovation and network-embeddedness and their impact on economic performance at the firm level. Identifying the main innovators over 1995-2014 with patent and market-share indicators, the landscape of their activities is inspected through two hierarchical cluster analyses in parallel: First, against the quantity, quality and diversity of patents, and second, against global-integration, component-size and position in technological knowledge networks. The resulting clusters are cross-related to understand their interrelations with age, size, turnover and productivity of actors. The multivariate analysis of variance shows a significant relationship between innovation-network concurrency and the age, turnover and productivity. Globalintegration in small-world networks is significantly related with economic performance. Quality of innovation shows higher importance than quantity and diversity. While specialization in hightech fields has positive impact on turnover, production-oriented firms with low-tech focus have higher productivity.

Reinforcing green business strategies with Industry 4.0 and governance towards sustainability: Natural‐resource‐based view and dynamic capability

“…Prior studies provide evidence of the effects of collaborative activities on organizational performance in various industry sectors, including biotechnology (Powell et al, 1996), semiconductors, steel (Rowley et al, 2000), and technology (Shubbak, 2018). Zheng et al (2011) viewed the concept underlying dynamic capabilities as a company's ability to acquire, create, and integrate knowledge resources to sense and respond to environmental dynamics.…”

How Do Clusters Drive Firm Performance in the Regional Innovation System? A Causal Complexity Analysis in Chinese Strategic Emerging Industries

“…For example, when a firm faces capacity constraints and cannot implement an ambidexterity strategy or dual-network embeddedness, the firm can focus on exploitative innovation and rely on local or non-local networks to obtain resources that match its capabilities, thereby improving its performance. • Generally, NE enhances cluster firms' performance [40,120,123].…”

“…On the other hand, the literature has widely acknowledged the positive effects of network embeddedness on cluster firms' performance (e.g., [40]). However, a few studies reveal that excessive network embeddedness may undermine performance, since overwhelming network ties could damage knowledge diversity [41] and restrict the reputation benefits of firms in a central position of cluster network [42].…”

The technological system of production and innovation: The case of photovoltaic technology in China

“…Recent studies about the PV technology in China can be divided into four groups: investigations of PV sector development, policy analysis, comparative studies, and network analysis (Table 2.1). Network Analysis Shubbak (2018); Dominguez Lacasa, Shubbak (2016;2018) Source: Authors' own elaboration Binz and Anadon (2016) analysed emergence of the Chinese PV industry based on systemic approach, taking into account four key resources for the industry formation: knowledge, markets, financial investment and technology legitimacy. Their research shows that most of crucial knowledge had international origins.…”

“…The dramatic growth in China's market share occurred despite a relatively modest growth in its transnational patent applications until 2008. Even with a faster growth rate in the following years, China's transnational patent application share is still far behind the traditional leading countries in the field (Dominguez Lacasa & Shubbak, 2016;2018).…”