ABSTRACTThe OEM–ODM–OBM paths of technological learning of late-comer firms are well documented in previous studies. Taiwan is one of the leading countries taking this traditional path. By using five cases of Taiwanese firms in mature industries like machinery, electronics parts, food processing and furniture, and in an emerging industry like 3D camera, explore alternative technological learning paths. It aims to explain how alternative paths happened and evolved overtime. Four alternative learning strategies were found: independent suppliers, startups, path breakers and specialization in high-valued activities. Government financial incentives for R&D and new product/system development beyond existing activities under OEM/ODM arrangement; supports from universities, public research institutes to develop sophisticated technological and innovative capabilities; and assistance from international trade promotion agencies, and government-sponsored industrial associations for accessing new and niche markets in advanced countries are important for firms to pursue these alternative technological learning paths.

ABSTRACTThis study examined impacts of different types of fiber labels (i.e., a regular label; fiber-labeled; fiber-labeled with a health claim) on consumers’ perceptions, purchase intentions, and willingness to pay. Consumers’ taste- and health-consciousness and degree of food neophobia were considered as moderators. Results reveal that different types of labels significantly influenced consumers’ perceptions toward the product. Consumers with higher overall perceptions had higher purchase intentions. Fiber labeling with a health claim made consumers willing to pay more. The analysis found a direct impact on the purchase intentions of consumers’ health-consciousness and their overall perceptions.

This paper empirically investigates the influence of a regional innovation system (RIS) on regional innovative capability in China. Differing from previous studies, we propose a two-step framework that firstly identifies the determinants of R&D and then tests the impact of RIS on regional innovative based on four hypotheses. The empirical results show that a region with higher ratios of private R&D and foreign-owned enterprise production, as well as closer interactions among industry, universities and academia, experiences superior innovative capability. By contrast, a higher ratio of state-owned enterprise R&D to total R&D lowers a region's innovative capability, due to the inefficiency of the state-owned enterprise R&D.

While foreign direct investment (FDI) is widely recognized as one of major driving forces on promoting the regional economic growth in China, its impact on regional productivity is unclear and less systematically investigated. This article investigates the effect of FDI on regional productivity in China. Specifically, we adopt a newly developed measure of total factor productivity (TFP) to deal with the endogenous inputs choice accompanied with various measures of FDI, enabling to provide robust estimates on the TFP effect of FDI. Moreover, we examine the role of absorptive ability on the FDI-TFP nexus and explore the existence of FDI spillover effect on productivity across regions. The potential difference in productivity effect of FDI between coastal and non-coastal regions is also examined. Based on the province-level panel dataset over the period 1997–2006, the various estimates show that the overall productivity effect of FDI is significantly positive, while this effect depends heavily on the host region's absorptive ability. Technological gap is found to associate with a significantly negative coefficient along with the finding that FDI tends to exhibit a higher impact on productivity in coastal regions than their non-coastal counterparts, highlighting a widening income inequality between coastal and non-coastal regions in China.