Offshoring de producción, innovación y capacidad de absorción

Abstract

Among other advantages, offshoring may favor firm innovation, as it allows firms to access a wide and varied knowledge range. In this study we analyze whether some firms are better suited than other to seize those learning opportunities. Specifically, we focus on the role played by its capacity to detect, assimilate, integrate and use new, external knowledge. Our results show that those firms best endowed with these sorts of capabilities experience higher improvements in their innovation performance (measured by their patent and utility model applications) subsequent to the offshoring of their intermediate production activities.