Measuring Multinationals＇ R＆D Activities in China on the Basis of a Patent Database： Comparing European, Japanese and US Firms  

作　　者：Kazuyuki Motohashi 

机构地区：[1]Professor, Department of Technology Management for Innovation, University of Tokyo, Japan.

出　　处：《China & World Economy》2015年第6期1-21,共21页中国与世界经济（英文版）

摘　　要：Using an internationally linked patent database, this paper compares the types of R ＆D activities undertaken by multinationals in China by home country and industry. In China, multinationals recently began investing in R＆D, mainly in the areas of product and manufacturing process development. However, US firms, which are the most actively invested in R＆D, are involved in some technology-driven R＆D activities; European firms are inclined toward market-driven R ＆D, while Japanese firms, which lag behind the other two, focus on production-driven R ＆D. This pattern may be related to the relative competitiveness of each country： Japanese firms are strong in electronics and automobiles, where production process improvement is important, while US firms flourish in science-based industries, such as pharmaceuticals and software, where interacting with the local science base is a critical factor.Using an internationally linked patent database, this paper compares the types of R ＆D activities undertaken by multinationals in China by home country and industry. In China, multinationals recently began investing in R＆D, mainly in the areas of product and manufacturing process development. However, US firms, which are the most actively invested in R＆D, are involved in some technology-driven R＆D activities; European firms are inclined toward market-driven R ＆D, while Japanese firms, which lag behind the other two, focus on production-driven R ＆D. This pattern may be related to the relative competitiveness of each country： Japanese firms are strong in electronics and automobiles, where production process improvement is important, while US firms flourish in science-based industries, such as pharmaceuticals and software, where interacting with the local science base is a critical factor.

关 键 词：multinationals＇ R＆D intemational comparison patent database 

分 类 号：F279.313[经济管理—企业管理] TP392[经济管理—国民经济]