Strategic management of R&D in Australian high technology companies

This paper places an emphasis on the integration between corporate R&D and strategic management in Australian high-tech companies. Generic competitive strategy alternatives such as cost leadership, differentiation and higher value-added strategies and their impact on the decision-making of corporate R&D in Australian high-tech companies have been empirically examined through a survey in selected industrial sectors. A systematic approach was used to obtain empirical data from Australian high-tech companies. First, a questionnaire was designed to extract data on the perceived impact of the competitive strategy alternatives on corporate R&D decision making. Respondents were asked to provide opinions on each strategy. In addition, a number of face-to-face meetings were arranged to interview R&D managers from several selected Australian companies.