This study examines the research and development (R&D) investment strategies of two competing logistics firms under the influence of spillover effects and government subsidies. Firms must decide whether to invest in similar or distinct R&D techniques, or to forgo R&D entirely. Spillover effects occur only when firms adopt different R&D techniques, including cases where one firm chooses not to invest in R&D while the other does. Our findings show that high spillover effects discourage firms from investing in R&D, while low spillover effects induce firms to choose the same R&D techniques. However, social welfare cannot be maximized under the equilibrium state established by free competition among firms. Subsequently, we investigate the impact of government subsidies on firms’ operational decisions, finding that firms choose different R&D techniques when spillover effects are low and R&D costs are high. Notably, government subsidies can partially rectify the misalignment between the Nash equilibrium and maximization of social welfare. This implies that, under certain conditions, government intervention can achieve a dual optimization of firm profits and social welfare. This is crucial for supply chain management, as it ensures both logistics efficiency and competitive pricing, ultimately benefiting the entire supply chain system.

中文翻译：

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研发技术的选择：溢出效应和政府补贴的影响


本研究考察了两家竞争物流公司在溢出效应和政府补贴影响下的研发 （R&D） 投资策略。公司必须决定是投资于相似或独特的研发技术，还是完全放弃研发。只有当公司采用不同的研发技术时，包括一家公司选择不投资研发而另一家公司选择投资的情况，才会产生溢出效应。我们的发现显示，高溢出效应会阻止公司投资研发，而低溢出效应会诱使公司选择相同的研发技术。然而，在企业间自由竞争建立的均衡状态下，社会福利无法实现最大化。随后，我们调查了政府补贴对公司运营决策的影响，发现当溢出效应低且研发成本高时，公司会选择不同的研发技术。值得注意的是，政府补贴可以部分纠正纳什均衡和社会福利最大化之间的错位。这意味着，在某些条件下，政府干预可以实现企业利润和社会福利的双重优化。这对供应链管理至关重要，因为它既确保了物流效率和有竞争力的价格，最终使整个供应链系统受益。