Title: Determinants of innovation for emerging market MNEs: evidence from the chemical industry in India

Authors: Niti Bhasin; Harmanpreet Kaur

Addresses: Department of Commerce, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India ' Department of Commerce, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India

Abstract: Over a period of time, innovation has become the key for developing ownership advantages for emerging market MNEs. To examine the firm-level determinants of innovation for emerging market MNEs, this paper looks at the case of firms in the Indian chemicals and chemical products industry. The chemicals and chemical products industry is a high-technology and research-intensive industry and serves as a base for other industries. Hence, innovation in this sector can have spillover effects on other related industries as well. Employing panel data regression and using R&D (capital and current account) intensity and R&D (current account) intensity, empirical analysis has been conducted for the period 2009-2016. The results depict that young firms are more innovative. Growth, capital intensity, employee skills intensity, export intensity, import intensity and technology purchase intensity of firms significantly and positively affects innovation. In contrast, profit intensity negatively influences innovation.

Keywords: emerging market MNEs; innovation; chemicals industry; India; R&D intensity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2023.134892

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2023 Vol.32 No.3, pp.343 - 368

Received: 28 Sep 2020
Accepted: 21 May 2021
Published online: 16 Nov 2023 *

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