Enhancing research productivity is critical for many U.S. corporations as product life cycles continue to shorten and global competition intensifies. This study begins an empirical examination of research units' values concerning justice and the development of new technologies. The hypothesis is that employment relationships with the primary purpose of innovation involve high transaction costs, because of the negotiating, monitoring, and enforcements needed to allow exchanges between parties to occur. Shared values, specifically those concerning justice, are critical in governing these relationships between researchers and employers. This project will consist of indepth field interviews of research and management personnel in eight biotechnology firms. Interviews will be directed at exploring the respondents' perceptions of justice and of productivity in their research groups. The investigators will publish their results in relevant journals, and develop plans for further research in this new and important area. Results from this work have both theoretical and practical interest. The investigators are well qualified; the research plan is good; the budget is very reasonable; and the proposal is recommended for support with high priority.
