Approaching the technological innovation frontier: evidence from Chinese SOEs
研究中国大型国有企业如何接近技术创新前沿，识别出三种策略：技术转移、追求新兴技术和重塑成熟技术，其中重塑成熟技术最为重要。发现强大的内部研发能力是基础，而非制造能力。
This paper studies how large State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in China are approaching the technological innovation frontier and contributes to the literature on technological catching up and leapfrogging by identifying three models or strategies of approaching the innovation frontier. In addition to the well-recognised technology transfer based strategy, pursuing emerging technologies and reinventing mature technology could also be effective, with reinventing mature technology as the most important strategy. The paper also finds that strong internal R&D capability, rather than manufacturing capability as suggested by the extant literature, is the basis of all three models. This also implies that making big organisational transformations such as changing a technology transfer centred R&D function to a proprietary technology development centred R&D function, changing a manufacturing centred culture to an innovation centred culture, and reshaping the innovation network, is an important precondition to approach the innovation frontier.