Reflection of R&D spending on financial performance: Case of aviation sector

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the affect of R&D spending in the Turkish aviation sector on the financial performance of the sector. Three research models were established in the study covering the 2008-2021 period and analyzing annual sector data. The models use dependent variables; return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and return on sales (ROS), and independent variable; R&D intensity and control variables; financial leverage ratio, liquidity ratio and sector size. 14-year data of the aviation industry were analyzed with multiple linear regression analysis. As a result of the analysis, the R&D spending in the aviation sector had a statistically significant and positive affect on the financial performance of the sector. On the other hand, financial leverage ratio which were the control variables in the model, had a negative affect on the ROS of the aviation sector, while the liquidity ratio and the size of the sector had a positive affect on the financial performance.