Reciprocity and R&D search: Applying the behavioral theory of the firm to a communitarian context
研究了在社群主义文化（如日本）中，企业行为理论对研发搜索的适用性需要调整，因为互惠和嵌入性会影响搜索决策；当业绩超出预期时，社群主义导向的企业会更多增加研发搜索以帮助利益相关者。
We propose that the behavioral theory of the firm perspective on R & D search requires modification when applied to “communitarian” cultures such as Japan because reciprocity and embeddedness can influence the search decision. When performance exceeds aspirations, communitarian‐oriented firms are more inclined to use their privileged position to help their less fortunate stakeholders by engaging in additional R & D search that should yield greater payoffs for these stakeholders in the future. Our results indicate that while Japanese firms engage in “problemistic” search in a manner similar to what has been found in other contexts, they respond differently when performance exceeds expectations. We find that as performance rises above aspirations, communitarian‐oriented firms raise R & D search to a greater extent than do firms that lack a communitarian orientation . Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.