School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
School of Economics, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
PLoS One. 2024 Feb 23;19(2):e0298358. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298358. eCollection 2024.
Ensuring product quality plays a pivotal role in the successful execution of new product development and serves as a cornerstone for fostering innovation within enterprises. In this study, we investigate the impact of export quality at the firm level on innovation outcomes, utilizing data from Chinese publicly listed companies and customs data spanning the period from 2010 to 2015. Our analysis uncovers a notable U-shaped relationship between export quality and innovation output in Chinese manufacturing enterprises, particularly with respect to invention patents and utility model patents. Subsequent exploration of heterogeneity reveals that this U-shaped relationship is consistent for non-state-owned enterprises, firms operating in high-technology sectors, young firms, firms exporting to high-income countries, firms situated in the eastern region, and firms engaged in processing trade. Additionally, we find a positively significant effect of Chinese manufacturing export quality on the innovation output of firms exclusively involved in general trade. This paper's key contribution lies in identifying the U-shaped influence of export quality on firms' innovation output and its applicability. The findings suggest that Chinese manufacturing enterprises need to improve the quality of their export products on a long-term and sustained basis. A series of quality standards for the dynamic development of different industries should be formulated, and actively safeguard the innovation needs of these enterprises, thereby enhancing the value chain position of Chinese manufacturing enterprises.
确保产品质量在新产品开发的成功执行中起着关键作用，是企业创新的基石。本研究利用中国上市公司和海关数据（2010-2015 年），考察了企业层面的出口质量对创新成果的影响。我们的分析揭示了中国制造业企业出口质量与创新产出之间存在显著的 U 型关系，特别是在发明专利和实用新型专利方面。进一步的异质性分析表明，这种 U 型关系在非国有企业、高科技行业企业、年轻企业、向高收入国家出口的企业、位于东部地区的企业和从事加工贸易的企业中是一致的。此外，我们发现中国制造业出口质量对仅从事一般贸易的企业的创新产出有正向显著影响。本文的主要贡献在于确定了出口质量对企业创新产出的 U 型影响及其适用性。研究结果表明，中国制造业企业需要长期持续地提高出口产品的质量。应制定一系列适用于不同行业动态发展的质量标准，并积极维护这些企业的创新需求，从而提高中国制造业企业的价值链地位。
