Eco-innovations: differences in the turnover of engineering and the electrical industry firms

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the similarities between innovative companies in the Engineering and the Electrotechnical industry in the Czech Republic. The main question is whether R & D spending in companies with eco-innovation leads to a rise in turnover even in a short period of time. The paper uses the Burea Van Dijk database – Amadeus as a data source. This data source includes 186 large enterprises with information on employee’s numbers, turnover, sector affiliation and R & D expenditure. A binomial test of statistical significance was used for the comparison of the two groups of companies. The authors find that approximately one-third of enterprises record revenue slump. There was no statistically significant difference at the level of significance α = 0,05 between the shares of enterprises with eco-innovations that showed a decrease in turnover.