Technologie, Innovation und Corporate Governance

This article shows that empirical research supports the existence of a relationship between corporate governance and technological change. This relationship can be split into two parts: a strategic choice relationship, where governance impacts technological change, and a technological imperative relationship, where the reverse can be observed. These relationships modify the direct influences of technological change as well as corporate governance on economic success. Therefore, regulators should be aware that by shaping governance structures they also affect the competitiveness of corporations. However, since not enough knowledge is available to design optimum governance systems that would fit all sorts of corporate objectives, it is argued that corporations should be allowed to choose from a pre-defined set of governance structures without having to change the location of their headquarters. The proof for the existence of the two relationships in question is marred by numerous problems of measurement and analysis. Thus, substantial research into this field is suggested. © Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria 2005.