“Like Poles Repel While Unlike Poles Attract”: Contextual Performance Effects of Supply Base R & D, Focal Firm R & D, and Commercialization

We show that the ability of a firm to enhance its performance through R & D and commercialization efforts is dependent on the alignment of R & D intensity of the firm's supply base with its own R & D intensity. We employ a multi‐industry dataset consisting of 163 focal firms and their supply bases, spanning the years 1976 to 2009. Focal firms that have higher R & D expenditure compared to their industry average, enjoy greater...