Organization of Research and Development in Large Multinational Firms

This paper examines how research and development is organized in large multinational firms. The paper identifies three key criteria which differentiate the different organizational systems firms use: doing R&D at the corporate level vs. divisions, the degree of geographic dispersion of R&D activities, and the degree of choice in where to conduct R&D. Results are tested on a sample of 107 firms based in the UK and Sweden.

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