Working Paper #2013-048
Beyond technological catch-up: An empirical investigation of further innovative capability accumulation outcomes in latecomer firms with evidence from Brazil
This article examines outcomes that are achieved by latecomer firms from
the accumulation of innovative capabilities. Drawing on fieldwork
evidence from pulp and paper firms in Brazil (1950-2010), it was found
that: (1) the firms accumulated innovative capabilities that turned them
into world leaders in the segment of the global pulp and paper industry
based on eucalyptus forestry; (2) besides this technological catch-up,
the accumulation of these innovative capabilities resulted in outcomes
that generated benefits within these firms such as (i) implemented
inventive and innovative activities; (ii) consistent improvement of
several parameters of operational and environment-related performance;
(iii) varied patterns of corporate growth; (3) these outcomes were
achieved not only by research-based and patent-related capabilities but
mainly by a mix of innovative capability levels, with differing degrees
of novelty and complexity for diverse technological functions.
Therefore, the accumulation of a wide range of types and levels of
innovative capabilities does pay off for the innovative firms, their
industries and, ultimately, their economies. By combining a novel
approach to examining firm capabilities with findings from an inductive
fieldwork, this article provides new empirical and methodological
insights for the long-standing debate on innovative capabilities as the
fundamental source of firm competitive performance. The article draws
managers' attention to the importance of a multiplicity of types and
levels of capabilities to achieve relevant outcomes, and policy makers
in developing economies to adopt a comprehensive view on innovative
activities and place firm-centred innovation capability accumulation at
the centre of industrial innovation policies.
- Keywords
-
- innovative capability accumulation
- latecomer firms
- catch-up
- competitive performance
- Brazil
- JEL codes
-
- M16
- O32
- Q16
- Q18
Cite this as
APA 7th ed.Figueiredo, P. N. (2013). Beyond technological catch-up: An empirical investigation of further innovative capability accumulation outcomes in latecomer firms with evidence from Brazil (UNU-MERIT Working Paper No. 2013-048). UNU-MERIT. https://unu-merit.nl/publications/working-papers/abstract/?id=5010