Relationship between firm total factor productivity and performance: the case of the Czech high-tech industry

Abstract

The study aimed to empirically assess the relationship between total factor productivity and financial performance to enrich the ongoing discussion on the determinants of high-tech enterprises' success. We studied the financial performance of 267 Czech high-tech companies over the years 2002-2018. Our analysis is also controlled for other firm characteristics such as company age, size, legal form, capital structure, sectoral and regional affiliation. We found that firm performance is significantly dependent on total factor productivity. The obtained results also show that large firms seem to achieve significantly higher performance both in terms of sales and in terms of EBIT when compared with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study points out the need to expand knowledge on the factors influencing success in the high-tech industries and provides several future research directions. Scholars may investigate, for instance, how prevailing market orientation or firm management quality influence the performance of high-tech enterprises.