The impact of absorptive capacity on product innovativeness

Abstract

Abstract: As minor improvements on extant products can hardly ensure its competitive advantage, a firm needs to develop highly innovative products. Product innovativeness is highly related to the knowledge committed into the new product development process. Absorptive capacity enables to introduce external new knowledge into the new product development process, thus it may impact product innovativeness. Yet, few studies have investigated this issue. This study investigates the relationship between absorptive capacity and product innovativeness as well as the potential mediating effect of knowledge creation capability on this relationship. Based on a data set of 212 firms, this study finds that absorptive capacity has an inverted U-shaped impact on both product innovativeness and knowledge creation capability, knowledge creation capability positively impacts product innovativeness, and knowledge creation capability mediates the relationship between absorptive capacity and product innovativeness.

Key words: absorptive capacity, knowledge creation capability, product innovativeness

CLC Number:

F273.1

Su Zhongfeng, Li Jia. The impact of absorptive capacity on product innovativeness[J]. Science Research Management, 2014, 35(5): 62-69.

References

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