Decision-Makers’ Responses to Industrial Innovation Incentives

Abstract

The aim of the study reported in this paper was to make an assessment of how aware industrial decision-makers are of government policies towards R & D/I as they come to make decisions relating to the innovation process within their own firms; how useful they feel various government actions in this field to be; whether their own decision-making behaviour has been influenced by the existence or otherwise of government incentives; and, if such behaviour has been subject to modification as a result of government activity, what overall effect this has had on the firm.

This paper is based on research carried out in association with P. A. Burke-Smith and A. W. Pearson at MBS. It formed one element in an international comparative study sponsored by the US National Science Foundation and was undertaken under the overall direction of Professor Rubenstein; where opinions are expressed about the UK the authors bear sole responsibility.