Scientists in the Corporate Research Environment

Abstract

The symposium features four papers that examine understudied theoretical questions and phenomena related to the role of scientists in driving innovation in the private sector. The four papers use diverse theoretical frameworks, methodologies, levels of analysis, and empirical contexts to address an interesting set of questions. In particular, they investigate the influence of corporate board directors with a scientific background on firm innovation, the role of open science policies on scientist hiring in firms, and the impact of national intellectual property rights institutions on the direction of scientists’ research and their mobility at the international level. Together, they yield insights on how technology firms may leverage the particularities of their research environment to attract high quality scientific human capital and improve their innovative performance, thereby contributing to the establishment of their competitive advantage. The symposium will be of interest to scholars of strategic management (STR) and technology and innovation management (TIM). Independent Board and Firm Innovation: Does Director Background Matter? Presenter: Waverly W. Ding; U. of Maryland Presenter: Fenmian Wang; U. of International Business and Economics Presenter: Hong Zhang; Wuhan U. Presenter: Shi Chen; Southwestern U. of Finance and Economics The Big Reveal: Human Capital Shortage and Firm-level Publications Strategy in AI Presenter: Nuruddin Ahmed; MIT Sloan School of Management How TRIPS Implementation Influenced the Exportation of Science from Low- and Middle-Income Countries Presenter: Michael Blomfield; U. of Massachusetts, Amherst Presenter: Anita McGahan; U. of Toronto Presenter: Keyvan Vakili; London Business School IPR Institutions and Cross-Border Scientist Mobility: Evidence from Pharmaco-Genetics Presenter: Martin Hetu; U. of Toronto, Rotman School of Management Presenter: Denisa Mindruta; HEC Paris Presenter: William G. Mitchell; U. of Toronto Discussion Presenter: Matt Marx; Cornell U.