Technology Market Structure And Internationalization

Technology, Market Structure and Internationalization discusses the domestic and external factors that impinge upon the process of technological capability building in developing countries and draws policy implications. Specifically, it examines the interaction between technological effort in developing countries. Providing fresh insights, this volume will be of interest to researchers in development economics as well as to those involved with the creation of policy in developing countries.

'Internationalization, Technology, and Services is recommended for upper-division and graduate students at academic libraries. Information professionals who read this work will benefit from expanding their understanding of the many forms of internationalization.' - Marc Vinyard, Business Information Alert This book examines the way in which the increasing internationalization of services, including the operation of multinationals in this sector, interacts with the process of innovation in services. The book challenges the theoretical traditions that have developed around the analysis of service innovation and internationalization, and argues for a new research agenda. The distinguished contributors address many of the most pertinent issues and adopt a variety of theoretical and empirical approaches to enrich the debates.

"This book is recommended to academics and policymakers interested in demand-innovation interaction and scholars of industrial economics and the sociology of technology as well as entrepreneurs."--BOOK JACKET.

This volume deals with the role and impact of technology on the economy and society. The papers on corporate dimensions address the impact of patents, determinants of innovative activities, differential behaviour of multinationals, industrial groups and other firms with regard to innovations and technology. In contrast, the papers on social dimensions chiefly deal with the role of technology in reducing inequality. The majority of the papers employ econometric techniques and other statistical methods, and many are based on primary data. The studies emphasise the importance of innovations (especially patents) and human capital in influencing productivity across Indian states, the significance of patenting in determining the efficiency of firms, the role of business groups in promoting innovations, differences in the technological characteristics of multinational and domestic firms, and how mergers and acquisitions can promote R&D. The papers on social dimensions analyse how innovative activities can shape employment, the impact of technology on poverty, the socioeconomic characteristics of mobile phone ownerships, use of information and communications technologies at educational institutions, and the influence of Synchronous Technologies in reducing access to teaching programmes./div The studies show that those Indian states that have invested in human capital and technology experienced higher labour productivity. Further, the studies establish a positive correlation between R&D spending and employment. Lastly, they demonstrate that the adoption of agriculture-related technologies can have a significant impact on rural poverty and consumption expenditures.

This book focuses on three main areas, each of which is central to economic theorising: firms’ organisation and behaviour, technological change and the process of globalisation. Each subject can be analysed by using different methods, which range from purely theoretical abstractions to case studies and from econometrics to simulations. What this collection provides is a broad view of the three topics by concentrating on different aspects of each of them, and utilising different methods of investigation. Internationalization, Technological Change and the Theory of the Firm looks in detail at various questions surrounding firms’ organisation, including why we can observe ordered paths of production, whether proximity between firms matters, and whether patenting is always worthwhile. In addition, several essays explore technology and innovation, including the persistence-cum-development of old technologies. Furthermore, this book focuses on those processes which concern small- and medium-sized firms, considering the usefulness of stage theory, the possibilities of production off-shoring and the skill composition of manufacturing firms. Overall, the book is characterised by original ideas, renewed applications of mathematical and statistical methods and the use of new databases. This valuable collection will be of interest to postgraduates and researchers focusing on innovation, theories of the firm and globalisation; and should also be useful to a professional readership as it presents up-to-date research with the aim of improving our understanding of the phenomena of technological change, firms’ strategies, and globalisation.

Despite the mounting criticism that globalization is encountering, the developed countries continue to lose no opportunity to change the rules of the global economy in their favour, regardless of the impact on developing countries and the poor. This book examines one of the most important instances of this: the rich countries' insistence that the WTO not only launch a new round of world trade negotiations, but that rules which were supposed to be confined to trade issues now be extended by means of new agreements protecting foreign direct investment. What is being proposed would be at the expense of the freedom of developing countries to determine their own policies towards foreign capital in tune with their development policy objectives. The two authors of this book have an intimate knowledge of WTO negotiating processes. They explain in detail the North's relentless determination to give privileged protection to the overseas investments of its transnational corporations. These initiatives have included, inter alia, the OECD's failed MAI initiative, the World Bank-sponsored Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and Agreement on Trade-related Investment Measures (TRIMS). The authors spell out their consequences for developing countries. They examine whether there is any real case for a new multilateral framework on investment within the WTO. And they propose various options for developing countries to resist what amounts to a new form of Western protectionism, including how a development dimension could be incorporated in any new agreement, should the member countries of the WTO decide to proceed with negotiations. This book provides invaluable information and analysis for diplomats and trade negotiators, policy makers and scholars, as well as civil society activists concerned with the impact of TNC investments on development.

The first part of the book introduces relevant theories of internationalization. In addition to traditional concepts of internationalization (e.g., the product life-cycle approach of Vernon, the Uppsala model, and Porter's diamond approach), particular attention is paid to the more modern network approaches of internationalization (e.g., systems, new venture/born global, and entrepreneur concepts). In the second part, alternatives for international market entry (e.g., exports, franchising, joint ventures, contract manufacturing, and foreign direct investments) are explained. These market entry modes are categorized according to decision determinants, such as hierarchical control, proximity to the market, risk of investment, and the factor of time, which are important from the point of view of the corporate management involved in international business. The empirical part of this publication, which is the result of a longitudional study, consists of case studies of Asian firms doing business in the consumer electronics industry. The cases of Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Matsushita (Panasonic), LG Electronics, and TCL China provide fundamental insights into the firms’ organizational structures, corporate cultures, respective sales volume, and earnings performance as well as strategic concepts for their market penetration in Europe. A main emphasis is placed on an understanding of internal firm networks (e.g., diversified business fields and vertical production depth) and external firm networks (e.g., joint ventures, supplier and buyer clusters as well as mutual capital interests). From the author’s view, these network grids fundamentally contribute to the fact that Asian firms have more successfully positioned themselves in the market within the last two decades compared to their European competitors in the television set industry (e.g. Grundig, Thomson, or Philips). The networking aims and success factors as well as the changing strategic influence over the years of the partner firms both in bilateral Japanese joint ventures and in European-Asian joint ventures are examined. The book provides complex background information about the development of the European television set market. The analysis demonstrates that firms holding the position of technological market leaders in their segment simultaneously indicate the most intensive network activities. The further development of the network theory and the detailed and up-to-date case studies of the most important Asian enterprises in the consumer electronics industry contribute to the value of this publication. Furthermore, on the basis of the knowledge gained from this study, chances and risk potentials can be derived for other European industries (e.g., automotive). The book, written in English, is suitable for internationally oriented bachelor’s, master’s and MBA programs. Additionally, against the background of worldwide competition, the publication at hand offers relevant industry insights for interested political and economic decision makers.