IWH FDI Micro Database - Survey of multinational affiliates in East Germany and selected Transition Economies (2011)

Linking of production and technologies from the perspective of Eastern European/Eastern German companies.

Topics: 1. Foreign investor: year of entry of the foreign investor into the enterprise (before 2000, 2000 or later); initial entry mode of the foreign investor; assessment of selected strategic motives of the foreign investor for participation in the enterprise (e.g. accessing a new foreign market, accessing location-bound natural resources, accessing location-bound knowledge and technology, cost advantages, etc.); own enterprise vs. foreign investor as exclusive or primary decision-making level in various business functions (e.g. finance and investment, strategic management, etc.).

2. Research, development and innovation in the enterprise from 2009 to 2011: expenditures for external R&D services 2009 to 2011; potential financial sources used to fund intra-mural R&D (e.g. the enterprise itself, the foreign investor´s headquarters, subsidiaries of the enterprise, competitors, foreign and domestic research institutions, etc.); number of R&D employees; the enterprise´s expenditure on R&D services by another entity, firm or organization in the last three years; partners commissioned by the enterprise to carry out external R&D services in the period 2009 to 2011.

3. Innovations: New or significantly improved products introduced or significantly improved by the Company within the last three years; development of these new and improved products; estimated share of products newly introduced or significantly improved in the years 2009 to 2011 of total Company sales in 2011; new or significantly improved production or delivery method(s), 2009 to 2011; development of these new or improved production or delivery methods; new or significantly improved organizational method(s) and distribution methods, 2009 to 2011.

4. Dissemination of research and development and innovation: importance of different sources of access to relevant knowledge for R&D and innovation in the enterprise (access to public and open information, acquisition of external knowledge (e.g. licenses or R&D services), cooperation with other units of the group, external companies or organizations); importance of potential cooperation partners as a source of relevant knowledge on research and development and innovation within the enterprise; measures taken by the enterprise or the group to protect intellectual property resulting from R&D and/or innovation(s) from 2009 to 2011; importance of methods used by the enterprise to protect intellectual property (z.B. Patent applications, registration of trademarks, copyrights, etc.); sharing knowledge with other business units or external companies as input for their R&D and innovation 2009 to 2011; sharing knowledge free of charge, for a fee or in exchange for something of value; free sharing of knowledge with e.g. other units of the foreign investor´s group of companies in the country, external suppliers in the country and abroad, etc.).

5. Relationship with customers and suppliers: estimated percentage of total enterprise sales accounted for by different buyers in 2011 (e.g. headquarters or other foreign investor units abroad, external foreign buyers, etc.); estimated percentage of total deliveries by different suppliers and inputs of the enterprise in 2011; assessment of the complexity of product specifications of external domestic enterprises; measures initiated by the enterprise by external domestic companies between 2009 and 2011 (increase in the production volume of existing goods or services, introduction of new or significantly improved products, introduction of new or significantly improved production or delivery methods).

Additionally coded was: ID; country of registered office; region of the enterprise in East Germany; information on the investor for companies in East Germany (subsidiary of a foreign investor or a West German multinational investor); size of enterprise (categorized); corporate sector; country code.