The role of R&D investment in firm valuation for small and medium Korean companies

Abstract

As technology innovation gains attention as a key value-relevant factor, many researchers raise questions about the conventional assumption that the market value of equity is a linear function of technology innovation. This study takes the view that R&D, as a proxy for technology innovation, helps promote firm value in ways dependent on firms' characteristics and market structure. To explore this argument, this study collects data from small and medium companies listed on the Korean stock markets covering from 2001 to 2011. The results show that R&D contributes to the promotion of the market value of equity, which, as a proxy for firm value, is in turn found to be nonlinearly associated with R&D according to a firm's characteristics and market structure. This paper indicates the need to employ a nonlinear value relevance model in assessing the market value of equity as a function of the R&D investments of small and medium Korean companies.