Patent profile and corporate performance: Moderation of technological attractiveness

Intangible assets are more difficult to imitate than tangible assets, so competitive advantages are less obtained from the allocation of tangible assets, and more from intangible assets according to resource-based view (RBV). Patents, one of intangible assets, are important for corporate performance. This study explores the influences of the three aspects of patent profile - R&D capability, the degree of leading, concentration of resource investment in a firm´s most important technological field - upon its performance and discusses the moderation effect of technological attractiveness of the most important technological field. The results indicate that companies should enhance their R&D capabilities, the degree of leading, and concentration of R&D investment in their most important technological fields to increase their performance. Besides, this study demonstrates that the more technological attractiveness of a firm´s most important technological field, the more is the extent of the positive relationship between corporate performance and patent profile.