<p>Over the last few decades, the industrialized world in general and the automobile industry in particular was hit by immense changes which strongly influence the management of R&D. Trends such as globalization and sharp competition on worldwide open markets, increasing product complexity in order to meet the customers’ desires for more variety and individualization, technology fusion and cross industry innovations, high level of technological and competitive uncertainty, increasing pressure to reduce R&D budgets, and shorter time to market and reduced innovation cycles in consequence of rising competition, force companies to source external knowledge and to bring in and exploit outside-in innovations instead of reinventing them their selves. In the same way, the Open Innovation concept highlights the need for organizations to open up their innovation processes. As a consequence, many R&D organizations are being transformed in order to meet the upcoming challenges and established technological listening posts to source external knowledge in centers of technological excellence and innovation.</p><p>This study focus on the knowledge acquisition, transformation and transfer from innovation cluster to central R&D, and examines the roles and typologies of technological gatekeepers. Based on a sound literature review and in-depth qualitative study of the case company BMW, this thesis explores how technological listening posts can take the mediating role of technology gatekeepers and how different mechanisms and typologies for gatekeeping can be deployed for optimal transformation and transfer of external knowledge into internal innovation.</p>

Over the last few decades, the industrialized world in general and the automobile industry in particular was hit by immense changes which strongly influence the management of R&amp;D. Trends such as globalization and sharp competition on worldwide open markets, increasing product complexity in order to meet the customers’ desires for more variety and individualization, technology fusion and cross industry innovations, high level of technological and competitive uncertainty, increasing pressure to reduce R&amp;D budgets, and shorter time to market and reduced innovation cycles in consequence of rising competition, force companies to source external knowledge and to bring in and exploit outside-in innovations instead of reinventing them their selves. In the same way, the Open Innovation concept highlights the need for organizations to open up their innovation processes. As a consequence, many R&amp;D organizations are being transformed in order to meet the upcoming challenges and established technological listening posts to source external knowledge in centers of technological excellence and innovation. This study focus on the knowledge acquisition, transformation and transfer from innovation cluster to central R&amp;D, and examines the roles and typologies of technological gatekeepers. Based on a sound literature review and in-depth qualitative study of the case company BMW, this thesis explores how technological listening posts can take the mediating role of technology gatekeepers and how different mechanisms and typologies for gatekeeping can be deployed for optimal transformation and transfer of external knowledge into internal innovation.

Yes / Although previous studies have shown the positive effect of research and development (R&D) intensity on new product performance (NPP), our understanding about the mechanisms through which R&D intensity influence NPP is less understood. In this paper, we focus on the mediating role of international R&D teams in explaining the effect of R&D intensity on NPP. Since R&D teams are dispersed across the globe, thus examining the role of international R&D teams will provide a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms through which R&D intensity contributes to NPP. Using survey data from 201 Ghanaian firms engaged in internationalization activities, the results suggest that the use of international R&D teams mediates the relationship between R&D intensity and NPP. Moreover, the findings indicate that the use of international R&D teams improves NPP and that this linkage is amplified when the knowledge creation process inside the firm is stronger. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice.

Le sujet de cette thèse de doctorat s’articule autour de l’analyse des politiques de la Chine, des investissements directs étrangers, et de la collaboration internationale en matière d’innovation. Le premier chapitre, co-écrit avec Ilja Rudyk, explore la montée des inventions chinoises en Europe, ainsi que le développement des politiques d’innovation de la Chine. Notre étude évalue les effets de ces politiques sur la propriété nationale dans les technologies stratégiques en utilisant des données sur les brevets européens. De plus, notre méthodologie permet d’évaluer les effets de ces politiques sur les caractéristiques des brevets, réémettant la qualité de ces derniers. Le second chapitre est un travail conjoint avec Anthony Howell et Jia Lin qui examine les effets des fusions et acquisitions transfrontalières sur les innovations chinoises et sur la performance financière des entreprises qui réalisent ces investissements directs étrangers. Le troisième chapitre traite de la relation entre la collaboration internationale et la qualité des brevets en analysant les demandes de brevet chinois en Europe. Il examine la structure des co-inventions internationales chinoises en Europe et analyse le rôle que joue les co-inventions transfrontalières sur la qualité des demandes de brevet chinoises à l’étranger. Ce chapitre contribue ainsi à la compréhension de l’internationalisation et du rattrapage technologique de la Chine. / The subject of this doctoral thesis revolves around the analysis of China’s policies, foreign direct investment, and international collaboration with regard to innovation. Chapter one, co-written with Ilja Rudyk, explores the rise of Chinese inventions in Europe, China’s innovation policies, and assesses their effect with regard to domestic ownership in strategic technologies through the lens of European patent data. Further, our methodology allows for an assessment of effects of the policies on characteristics of the patents, reflecting their quality. Chapter two, joint work with Anthony Howell and Jia Lin, investigates the effects of Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions on the domestic innovation activities and financial performance of the firms engaging in such foreign direct investment. The third chapter addresses the relationship between international collaboration and patent quality through an analysis of Chinese patent applications in Europe. It investigates the pattern of Chinese international co-inventions in Europe and scrutinizes the role cross-border co-invention play for the quality of Chinese overseas patent applications. It thereby contributes to the understanding of China’s internationalization and technological catch-up.

跨國企業的發展已建構出一個極為龐大的全球商業體系，其涵蓋了全球生產總值的25％，國際貿易行為的65％，國際技術貿易的60％至70％，產品研發的80％至90％，換言之跨國企業實際上掌握了全球的國際貿易與技術研發。而過往跨國企業多群集於技術領先之處進行海外研發活動，近年來卻轉往以亞洲為主的開發中國家。其中OECD甚至表示跨國企業對於中國研發的投入已經使中國在2006年超越日本，成為研發投入全球第二的國家。 因此本論文便以此為出發點，希冀瞭解跨國企業國際投資行為，並將以跨國企業（摩托羅拉、諾基亞）在中國的投資行為為觀察對象，以瞭解跨國企業如何應對東道國之產業政策，以及如何利用東道國的政策法令、市場地位來極大化其跨國經營的效益，並在最後以臺灣廠商（明基）在中國的研發佈局為對照，指出臺灣廠商未來可以努力的方向。研究後所得整理如下： 1.跨國企業進入資本輸入國的型態已經呈現多元化的趨勢，多數的國際投資開始藉由離岸公司或是多國籍的方式進入資本輸入國。 2.資本輸入國時常會利用法令政策為手段來培植齊國內產業，而跨國企業也會藉由合資、併購等手段來避開資本輸入國法令政策的羈絆。 3.對於中國3G標準（TD-SCDMA）跨國企業之參與不遺餘力。 4.研發行為全球化型態已經成為目前跨國企業研發的方式，藉由建立全球研發管理平台跨國企業更能掌握全球資源。 5.臺灣廠商應盡力往技術研發方向佈局，並應盡力建立跨國研發管理平台，避免一味的追逐製造行為以為滿足，以免在中國本土廠商技術提升之後，淪為替人家代工或是必須遷往成本更低廉的地方。 / The development of Transitional Corporations has already created an enormously complicated business structure in the world. It includes 25％of the gross world product, 65％of the international trade, 60％~70％of the international technology licensing, 80％~90％of the R&D. In other words, Transitional Corporations has manipulated the trade and R＆D activities of the world. Moreover, Transitional Corporations are now spreading their R&D activities to developing countries（mainly in Asia）. OECD even mentioned that China will surpass Japan by the end of 2006 in R&D spending to become the world's second R&D investor after United States. This thesis examines the international investment strategies of Transitional Corporations. We discuss the international investment law and the foreign investment legal system in China（host country in this thesis）first. Then we focus on the investment strategies of Motorola and Nokia in China to realize how they arrange their R&D centers in China and how they deal with the policies of the host country to maximize their investment interests. In conclusion, we study the investment strategies of BenQ in China to give Taiwan corporations some advice about their international investment strategies. Our conclusions are as followed： 1.Transitional Corporations enter into the host country with diversified nationalities and through the establishment of offshore company. 2.The host country will have certain policies to foster their own industries, Transitional Corporations should use Joint Venture company or M＆A action to evade this kind of restrictions. 3.Transitional Corporations spare no effort to affect and join the development of 3G standardization（TD-SCDMA）in China. 4.Globalization R&D has played a major role in the R&D model of Transitional Corporations. Through the built of international R&D management platform, Transitional Corporations are more capable of controlling their global resources. 5.Taiwan Corporations should focus their investment on valuable activities, such as R&D, instead of just pursing manufacture interests.