IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i22p14688-d966312.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Technological Innovation, Risk-Taking and Firm Performance—Empirical Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies

Author

Listed:
  • Hui Zhang

    (National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok 10240, Thailand)

  • Vesarach Aumeboonsuke

    (National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok 10240, Thailand)

Abstract

Technological innovation can restructure the production factors of enterprises, and it is an important factor for enterprises to meet market demand, improve competitiveness, form long-term competitive advantages and obtain sustainable development. This study focuses on the practical issue of the impact of technology innovation on firm performance. Taking 1166 listed companies in China from 2012 to 2020 as research samples, this study systematically investigates and reveals the impact of technological innovation on firm performance and its internal impact mechanism. The research shows that technological innovation significantly reduces firm performance, and that conclusion holds after an endogeneity test and a robustness test. The analysis of the impact mechanism shows that risk-taking is an important transmission path of corporate technological innovation affecting corporate performance and that technological innovation reduces firm performance by improving the risk-taking capacity. Finally, a heterogeneity test regarding the firm ownership shows that technological innovation has a significantly stronger negative impact on the performance of non-state-owned enterprises than on that of state-owned enterprises. The relevant government departments and market subjects should fully understand and give attention to the impact of enterprise technological innovation on firm performance and its mechanism, which has important practical significance for standardizing and strengthening enterprise R&D management, reducing the market and technological risks of firm technological innovation and perfecting modern enterprise systems. It is helpful for firms to form a sustainable technology innovation cycle development mode.

Suggested Citation

  • Hui Zhang & Vesarach Aumeboonsuke, 2022. "Technological Innovation, Risk-Taking and Firm Performance—Empirical Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-15, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:22:p:14688-:d:966312
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/22/14688/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/22/14688/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sapra, Haresh & Subramanian, Ajay & Subramanian, Krishnamurthy V., 2014. "Corporate Governance and Innovation: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 49(4), pages 957-1003, August.
    2. Mara Faccio & Maria-Teresa Marchica & Roberto Mura, 2011. "Large Shareholder Diversification and Corporate Risk-Taking," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(11), pages 3601-3641.
    3. Zhou, Bing & Li, Yu-meng & Sun, Fang-cheng & Zhou, Zhong-guo, 2021. "Executive compensation incentives, risk level and corporate innovation," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    4. Wakelin, Katharine, 2001. "Productivity growth and R&D expenditure in UK manufacturing firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1079-1090, August.
    5. Leung, T.Y. & Sharma, Piyush, 2021. "Differences in the impact of R&D intensity and R&D internationalization on firm performance – Mediating role of innovation performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 81-91.
    6. Erik Stam & Karl Wennberg, 2009. "The roles of R&D in new firm growth," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 77-89, June.
    7. Baixauli-Soler, J. Samuel & Belda-Ruiz, Maria & Sanchez-Marin, Gregorio, 2015. "Executive stock options, gender diversity in the top management team, and firm risk taking," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 451-463.
    8. Bhagat, Sanjai & Welch, Ivo, 1995. "Corporate research & development investments international comparisons," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2-3), pages 443-470, April.
    9. Hagendorff, Jens & Vallascas, Francesco, 2011. "CEO pay incentives and risk-taking: Evidence from bank acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 1078-1095, September.
    10. Boeing, Philipp & Mueller, Elisabeth & Sandner, Philipp, 2016. "China's R&D explosion—Analyzing productivity effects across ownership types and over time," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 159-176.
    11. Narjess Boubakri & Jean-Claude Cosset & Walid Saffar, 2011. "Corporate Risk-Taking in Privatized Firms: International Evidence on the Role of State and Foreign Owners," Cahiers de recherche 1110, CIRPEE.
    12. Wu, Hsueh-Liang, 2008. "When does internal governance make firms innovative," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 141-153, February.
    13. Yanmei Zhu & Xinhua Wittmann & Mike Peng, 2012. "Institution-based barriers to innovation in SMEs in China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 1131-1142, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Małgorzata Okręglicka & Prabhat Mittal & Valentinas Navickas, 2023. "Exploring the Mechanisms Linking Perceived Organizational Support, Autonomy, Risk Taking, Competitive Aggressiveness and Corporate Sustainability: The Mediating Role of Innovativeness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohammad-Hossein Setayesh & Gholamreza Rezaei & Mostafa Kazemnezhad, 2016. "Corporate Governance, Investment in Research and Development and Company Performance: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach Based on Data from a Developing Country," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 6(3), pages 1114-1122.
    2. Giau Bui, Dien & Chen, Yehning & Lin, Chih-Yung & Lin, Tse-Chun, 2021. "Risk-taking of bank CEOs and corporate innovation," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    3. Zhang, Cheng & Yang, Chunhong & Liu, Cheng, 2021. "Economic policy uncertainty and corporate risk-taking: Loss aversion or opportunity expectations," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    4. Miller, Steve & Qiu, Bin & Wang, Bin & Yang, Tina, 2022. "Monitoring institutional ownership and corporate innovation," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 144-165.
    5. Tu Nguyen & Jing Zhao, 2021. "Industry tournament incentives and corporate innovation," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(9-10), pages 1797-1845, October.
    6. Niklas Kreilkamp & Sascha Matanovic & Maximilian Schmidt & Arnt Wöhrmann, 2023. "How executive incentive design affects risk-taking: a literature review," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(7), pages 2349-2374, October.
    7. Kun Su & Liuchuang Li & Rui Wan, 2017. "Ultimate ownership, risk-taking and firm value: evidence from China," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 10-26, January.
    8. Martin Falk, 2012. "Quantile estimates of the impact of R&D intensity on firm performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 19-37, July.
    9. Su, Kun & Wu, Ji & Lu, Yue, 2022. "With trust we innovate: Evidence from corporate R&D expenditure," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    10. Tian, Guangning & Zhou, Shuyuan & Hsu, Sara, 2020. "Executive financial literacy and firm innovation in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    11. Mbanyele, William, 2021. "Staggered boards, unequal voting rights, poison pills and innovation intensity: New evidence from the Asian markets," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    12. Ahsan Habib & Mostafa Monzur Hasan, 2017. "Firm life cycle, corporate risk-taking and investor sentiment," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(2), pages 465-497, June.
    13. Rui Li & Yongmei Cui & Yajun Zheng, 2021. "The Impact of Corporate Strategy on Enterprise Innovation Based on the Mediating Effect of Corporate Risk-Taking," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, January.
    14. Panta, Humnath, 2020. "Does social capital influence corporate risk-taking?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(C).
    15. Lyu, Xiaoliang & Ma, Jiameng & Zhang, Xiaochen, 2023. "Social trust and corporate innovation: An informal institution perspective," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    16. Çolak, Gönül & Korkeamäki, Timo, 2021. "CEO mobility and corporate policy risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    17. Wei, Yu & Nan, Haoxi & Wei, Guiwu, 2020. "The impact of employee welfare on innovation performance: Evidence from China's manufacturing corporations," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    18. Du, Yunzhou & Kim, Phillip H. & Fourné, Sebastian P.L. & Wang, Xiaowei, 2022. "In times of plenty: Slack resources, R&D investment, and entrepreneurial firms in challenging institutional environments," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 360-376.
    19. Zhong, Ma, 2014. "认知的桎梏:从稳定型财务业绩到企业过度投资 ——基于中国上市公司的证据 [Cognitive shackles: from Consistency of financial performance to Corporate Over-investment ——Evidence-based China Listed Companies]," MPRA Paper 55476, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Kenneth Yung & Chen Chen, 2018. "Managerial ability and firm risk-taking behavior," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 1005-1032, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:22:p:14688-:d:966312. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.