文化距离与跨国公司创新:高管海外背景重要吗?

Cultural Distance and Multinational Innovation: Do Returnee Executives Matter?

寻求海外战略技术是新兴经济体跨国公司进行OFDI的主要动机。以中国为例,结合高阶理论,基于2005~2014年中国沪深上市制造业企业微观数据,探讨了文化距离和高管海外背景对中国跨国公司创新的影响,并采用Cox比例风险模型分层考察了海归高管在文化距离与跨国公司创新持续时间关系中的调节作用。结果表明:(1)文化距离阻碍海外子公司向国内母公司转移技术知识,抑制企业创新,而高管海外背景可以有效地促进跨国公司创新绩效,且显著延长了OFDI企业创新持续时间;(2)高管海外背景负向调节文化距离与企业创新绩效及创新持续期的关系,即高管海外背景能够有效减弱文化距离对企业创新的负向影响。实证结果表明,应继续加大与海外国家或地区的文化交流,高度重视海归高管在OFDI过程中的作用,从根源降低创新风险,延长OFDI企业创新持续时间。

Seeking overseas strategic technology is the main motive of MNCs doing OFDI in emerging economies.This article takes China as an example and combines high order theory,based on the microdata of China’s Shanghai and Shenzhen listed manufacturing enterprises from 2005 to 2014,discusses the influence of cultural distance and returnee executives on the innovation performance of OFDI of multinational enterprises,and uses the survival analysis method to investigate the relationship between the cultural distance and the innovation duration of multinational firms.The results show:(1)Cultural distance prevents overseas subsidiaries from transferring technical knowledge to domestic parent companies,and checks the enterprise innovations.The returnee executives can effectively promote the innovation performance of multinational companies,and significantly extend the duration of OFDI enterprise innovation.(2)The adjustment of returnee executives on the influence of cultural distance on enterprise innovation performance and innovation duration is negative.That is,the returnee executives can effectively reduce the negative impact of cultural distance on enterprise innovation.Empirical results show that we should continue to increase cultural exchange with overseas countries,and attach great importance to the role of returnee executives in the OFDI process,so as to reduce the risk of innovation from the source and prolong the duration of OFDI innovation.