Impact of Innovation and Management Performance on Corporate Financial Returns Exemplified by the US Research and Development Sector Firms Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This paper aims to evaluate to what extent investments in R&D, firm inno- vation-related spending, firm characteristics, and management performance impacted the financial results of the US companies before and during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The main research question is whether the COVID-19 pandemic has a significant positive impact on the financial results of the US innovation-based companies. The main hypothesis of the research is that innovation-related investments, firm characteristics, and management performance have a significant positive impact on the financial results of the US innovation sector firms. Finally, it is expected that the greatest significan- ce in the US innovation industry-level models is acquired by the healthcare and IT sectors.