THE NATURE OF R&D-MARKETING INTEGRATION IN CHINESE HIGH-TECH COMPANIES

This study offers continued insight into R&D-marketing integration with particular attention to the Chinese context. Examining the responses of 200 Chinese R&D and marketing managers, an exploratory investigation of marketing and R&D integration in Chinese high technology firms was undertaken. Study results find that Chinese high technology firms with higher levels of achieved integration perform better. It was also found that R&D involvement in screening new product ideas, designing communication strategies for the customers of new products, training users of new products and analysing customer needs appear to be top priorities for R&D integration in Chinese companies. These and other results are compared to prior findings in US and Japanese samples to support general propositions for R&D-marketing integration. We offer explanations for the results and discuss theoretical development of the R&D-marketing integration construct. Future research considerations are presented to spur continued focus in this area.