Exploring the international challenges of SMEs innovation: Does business group affiliation affect innovation practises?
Résumé
Being part of a business group can influence the probability and the modalities of SMEs innovation. Moreover, affiliation to an international group facilitates access to remote resources and can extend the horizons of cooperation in the context of innovation. Our research analyses the role of SMEs ownership type (independent business, domestic business group or international business group) on their innovation process and practises: what is the influence on SMEs innovativeness and does it influence the cooperation horizons of innovation? To answer these questions, we collected data in 2015 for a sample of 1,469 French SMEs, where 1,052 are independent businesses, 260 belong to domestic groups and 157 belong to international groups. Econometric models show that innovation is significantly more prevalent among SMEs affiliated to international groups. Cooperation frequency is similar regardless of the type of SME, but belonging to an international group favours international cooperation for innovation.