%0 Journal Article
%T The effects of R&D intensity and internationalization on the performance of non
%A Ayse Saka-Helmhout
%A Lucas WA Booltink
%J International Small Business Journal
%@ 1741-2870
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0266242617707566
%X Research and Development (R&D) investment is seen as a fundamental driver of high-tech small and medium-sized (SME) firm performance. However, the same driver may be constraining growth among non-high-tech SMEs as it increases the level of risk faced by such firms. We challenge this argument by examining the relationship between R&D intensity and performance among non-high-tech SMEs. While the size of R&D investments is, by definition, limited in the non-high-tech sector, our study shows that such investments are important for non-high-tech firms. There is, however, an inverted U-shaped relationship between R&D intensity and performance among non-high-tech SMEs. Furthermore, increased internationalization leads non-high-tech SMEs to exploit their R&D investment more effectively to enhance firm performance, provided that R&D investment levels exceed a critical threshold
%K internationalization
%K non-high-tech SMEs
%K R&D intensity
%K SME performance
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0266242617707566