Technology Transfer and Development
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About the Book and Author
Technology Transfer and Development: Indias Hindustan Machine Tools Company
R. C. Mascarenhas
In most Third World nations, importing technology from other countries is considered vital to industrialization and economic development. This book examines the processes of technology transfer and development by tracing how Hindustan Machine Toolsa public enterprise in Indiasuccessfully collaborated with manufacturers from industrialized nations in its growth from a single factory to a diversified industrial complex. The author critically analyzes the companys overall strategies for diversification and expansion and its approaches to selecting, acquiring, absorbing, and generating technology and to developing appropriate management. He also points to important relationships between policy efficiency and administrative efficiency and discusses socioeconomic and cultural factors that can obstruct the successful development and operation of an industrial enterprise in a developing country.
Dr. Mascarenhas is senior lecturer in the School of Political Science and Public Administration at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
First published 1982 by Westview Press
Published 2019 by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright 1982 by Taylor & Francis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Mascarenhas, R.C.
Technology transfer and development
(A Westview replica edition)
Bibliography; p.263
1. Hindustan Machine Tools Limited. 2. Machine-tool industry--India.
3. Technology transfer--India. I. Title. II. Series.
HD9703.I44H5651982338.7621902095482-20261
ISBN 13: 978-0-367-28973-7 (hbk)
The study of technology for development has recently been the focus of attention in developmental studies. This shift in emphasis results from the more frequent transfer of technology across national boundaries and the growing awareness of its implications to patterns of development. Because the transfer of technology is in the North-South direction, the South, which is the recipient or the buyer of the technology, is concerned about its growing dependence on such sources and also the fact that such technology could be inappropriate to endowed factors. In order to avoid this dependence and to seek technology that is suitable, the developing countries are now evolving new policies. The goal of their development is increased self-reliance.
In the context of this study, technology refers to different types of knowledge, which may be embodied in the form of machinery or equipment or in the form of information (like designs or specifications), or in the form of know-how (like technical and managerial skills). These forms of knowledge are either proprietary or non-proprietary. The concern of this study is largely proprietary knowledge that is marketed across countries and is paid for by the buyer in the form of technical fees or royalty. The transfer of such technology can take various forms such as direct foreign investment, joint venture, turnkey project, or a licence agreement. The type of technology or mode of transfer is governed by a variety of factors that influence both the seller and buyer of technology.
It is assumed that if developing countries adopt a clear policy on the import of technology, including the setting up of a regulatory mechanism to control its flow, then the problems associated with technology transfer should be manageable. This is certainly the thinking prevalent in India. As a result, a massive inflow of technology, based on an import substitution strategy of self-reliance, has been permitted. But in doing so, very little attention has been paid to the actual capability available for managing technology transfer. This study takes a view that the transfer of technology is an integral part of the total process of managing an enterprise. The acquisition, absorption and generation of new technology is basic to an industrys overall performance. Thus a successful transfer of technology should lie within the overall strategy of an enterprise and should include the choice of technology to translate that strategy and an organization with which to implement it. The ingredients of a successful enterprise consists of a leadership which can make the right policy decisions regarding its strategy, its technology, and its organization. All these decisions are naturally influenced by the pressures of the environment, and particularly so if it happens to be a public enterprise in a developing country. Our study on Hindustan Machine Tools is thus broad-based and covers these aspects.
