Using patent analysis to explore corporate growth

This study applies patent analysis to discuss the influences of the three aspects of patent trait—a firm’s revealed technology advantage in its most important technological field (RTAMIT), relative patent position in its most important technological field (RPPMIT), and patent share in its most important technological field (PSMIT)—upon corporate growth and discusses the moderation effect of relative growth rate of its most important technological field (RGRMIT) in the American pharmaceutical industry. The results demonstrate that the three relationships between corporate growth and the three aspects of patent trait are positive, and verify that RGRMIT moderates the three relationships. This study suggests that pharmaceutical companies should enhance their R&D capabilities, the degree of leading position, and concentration of R&D investment in their most important technological fields to increase their growth. Finally, this study classifies the pharmaceutical companies into four types, and provides some suggestions to them.