An optimal level of technology reliance on foreign partners in a global sourcing partnership: components procurement, technology management and market performance

Existing studies on global sourcing strategy have implicitly adopted a cJosed-systems perspective in which sourcing activities are managed within a multinational company across national boundaries. Produd and process innovations and components procurement that are jointly managed by a consortium of cooperating firms have not been examined. In this paper, we empiricallyexamine the issues concerning sourcing partnerships in an open-systems perspective. Findings suggest that even in a sourcing partnership arrangement with a foreign supplier, the principal firm's ability to procure and control the supply of major components has a positive bearing on its market performance.

Towards an integrated technology management across the rail supply chain extended to society: building the case study on high-speed trains

The present paper was prepared for the course “Project III”, with the supervision of Prof. António Moniz, reporting on the author speaking notes at the Winter School on Technology Assessment, 6-7 December 2010, as part of the Doctoral Programme on Technology Assessment at FCT-UNL.

IDEAS for Strategic Technology Management: Design of an electronically mediated scenario method

The age-old adage goes that nothing in this world lasts but change, and this generation has indeed seen changes that are unprecedented. Business managers do not have the luxury of going with the flow: they have to plan ahead, to think strategies that will meet the changing conditions, however stormy the weather seems to be. This demand raises the question of whether there is something a manager or planner can do to circumvent the eye of the storm in the future? Intuitively, one can either run on the risk of something happening without preparing, or one can try to prepare oneself. Preparing by planning for each eventuality and contingency would be impractical and prohibitively expensive, so one needs to develop foreknowledge, or foresight past the horizon of the present and the immediate future. The research mission in this study is to support strategic technology management by designing an effective and efficient scenario method to induce foresight to practicing managers. The design science framework guides this study in developing and evaluating the IDEAS method. The IDEAS method is an electronically mediated scenario method that is specifically designed to be an effective and accessible. The design is based on the state-of-the-art in scenario planning, and the product is a technology-based artifact to solve the foresight problem. This study demonstrates the utility, quality and efficacy of the artifact through a multi-method empirical evaluation study, first by experimental testing and secondly through two case studies. The construction of the artifact is rigorously documented as justification knowledge as well as the principles of form and function on the general level, and later through the description and evaluation of instantiations. This design contributes both to practice and foundation of the design. The IDEAS method contributes to the state-of-the-art in scenario planning by offering a light-weight and intuitive scenario method for resource constrained applications. Additionally, the study contributes to the foundations and methods of design by forging a clear design science framework which is followed rigorously. To summarize, the IDEAS method is offered for strategic technology management, with a confident belief that it will enable gaining foresight and aid the users to choose trajectories past the gales of creative destruction and off to a brighter future.

Catching up with competitiveness in emerging markets – An analysis of the role of the firm’s technology management strategies

Emerging markets have experienced rapid economic growth, and manufacturing firms have had to face the effects of globalisation. Some of the major emerging economies have been able to create a supportive business environment that fosters innovation, and China is a good example of a country that has been able to increase value-added investments. Conversely, when we look at Russia, another big emerging market, we witness a situation in which domestic firms struggle more with global competitiveness. Innovation has proven to be one of the most essential ingredients for firms aiming to grow and become more competitive. In emerging markets, the business environment sets many constraints for innovation. However, open strategic choices in new product development enable companies in emerging markets to expand their resource base and capability building. Networking and close inter-firm cooperation are essential in this regard. In this dissertation, I argue that technology transfer is one of the key tools for these companies to become internationally networked and to improve their competitiveness. It forces companies to reach outside the company and national borders, which in many cases, is a major challenge for firms in emerging markets. This dissertation focuses on how companies can catch up with competitiveness in emerging markets. The empirical studies included in the dissertation are based on analyses of survey data mainly of firms and their strategies in the Russian manufacturing industry. The dissertation contributes to the current strategic management literature by further investigating technology management strategies in manufacturing firms in emerging markets and the benefits of more open approaches to new product development and innovation.

Land management systems : status of BLM's actions to improve information technology management : report to the Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives /

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Managerial perceptions of factors influencing technology management in South Africa

A challenge for developing countries is to become part of the global economy. Their economic well being is dependent on their ability to attain the levels of technological development which could make them globally competitive. Infrastructural and educational problems pose immediate barriers which should be addressed as these countries embark on projects to enhance their technological base. The technology selected should be appropriate for the country's level of development and expertise. The implementation of that technology will place a new set of demands on managers and workers. This paper describes an investigation of perceptions of technology management in South Africa, a country which is developed in certain areas, but which remains desperately poor in other respects. South Africa's politics and history have always confronted managers with unique demands. The paper examines the perceptions of 132 South African managers regarding technology management by studying the relationship between the importance of different factors in managing new technology, and the extent to which a manager can control them. An importance-control grid framework is used to isolate individual parameters and to assess these in relation to the complexity of a manager's environment. The research highlights imbalances between importance and control, and suggests reasons therefor. Some broader implications for managers are also discussed. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tracking the trends in manufacturing technology management

Purpose – This Editorial Viewpoint explores the practical developments in manufacturing technology management (MTM) over the last 22 years and links these to some of the subject trends of previous articles in JMTM. Design/methodology/approach – Themes and relevant articles have been identified from the Emerald advanced search facility and linked with developments in hard technologies, information technology and production organisation. Findings – There are numerous examples of where trends in the real world of MTM are reflected in changes to the orientation of JMTM articles, but there are still many articles following more well-worn paths of previous academic research. Research limitations/implications – Evidence for the findings is only from a small sample of articles identified in one journal. Practical implications – Over time, practitioners can find useful connections between published research and their own emerging areas of concern. Originality/value – The paper is based on original bibliographic research, supplemented by extensive editorial and practical experience.

Dissidents with an innovation cause? Non-institutionalized actors’ online social knowledge sharing, solution-finding tensions and technology management innovation

Purpose – Traditionally, most studies focus on institutionalized management-driven actors to understand technology management innovation. The purpose of this paper is to argue that there is a need for research to study the nature and role of dissident non-institutionalized actors’ (i.e. outsourced web designers and rapid application software developers). The authors propose that through online social knowledge sharing, non-institutionalized actors’ solution-finding tensions enable technology management innovation. Design/methodology/approach – A synthesis of the literature and an analysis of the data (21 interviews) provided insights in three areas of solution-finding tensions enabling management innovation. The authors frame the analysis on the peripherally deviant work and the nature of the ways that dissident non-institutionalized actors deviate from their clients (understood as the firm) original contracted objectives. Findings – The findings provide insights into the productive role of solution-finding tensions in enabling opportunities for management service innovation. Furthermore, deviant practices that leverage non-institutionalized actors’ online social knowledge to fulfill customers’ requirements are not interpreted negatively, but as a positive willingness to proactively explore alternative paths. Research limitations/implications – The findings demonstrate the importance of dissident non-institutionalized actors in technology management innovation. However, this work is based on a single country (USA) and additional research is needed to validate and generalize the findings in other cultural and institutional settings. Originality/value – This paper provides new insights into the perceptions of dissident non-institutionalized actors in the practice of IT managerial decision making. The work departs from, but also extends, the previous literature, demonstrating that peripherally deviant work in solution-finding practice creates tensions, enabling management innovation between IT providers and users.

The role of science and technology management companies in the set-up and coordination of multi-partners scientific alliances

Mestrado em Economia e Gestão de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação

Monitoraggio e Sviluppo di un sistema di Health Technology Management in contesti poveri di risorse: il caso dell'ospedale St. Luke Hospital, Wolisso

L’elaborato descrive il progetto di tesi volto allo studio, con implementazione pratica, del monitoraggio e sviluppo di un sistema di Health Technology Management in paesi con scarse risorse. Questo ha l’obbiettivo di minimizzare gli sprechi e le situazioni di emergenza dovute all’indisponibilità di dispositivi. Il progetto è stato sviluppato presso il St. Luke Catholic Hospital di Wolisso, in Etiopia dove la gestione dei dispositivi medici era stata avviata in una precedente missione con la creazione de: il primo Equipment Inventory, assegnati i ruoli del team, avviate le prime PPM e un Maintenance Record System. L’elaborato tratterà di una panoramica generale del sistema di HTM, degli obbiettivi e i benefici che apporta. A seguire si descriverà la gestione dei dispositivi nei relativi step, prendendo come linea guida l’Ospedale Bufalini, struttura in cui si è svolto il tirocinio in preparazione. Successivamente si contestualizzerà il luogo di svolgimento del progetto per dare maggiore consapevolezza della situazione sociosanitaria presente. Dopo di che si descriveranno le fasi di lavoro svolte sul campo. Nel follow up, si è attuata un’analisi generale dello stato della Struttura Sanitaria e di ciò che si era mantenuto nel tempo, svolgendo un controllo dell’aderenza dell’Inventory, con l’attuale situazione presente ed è stato aggiornato. Sono stati controllati i processi gestionali volti a garantire una chiara tracciabilità dei guasti e dei costi sostenuti. A seguire si tratterà il monitoraggio dei Piani di Manutenzione Preventiva, i loro svolgimenti e il relativo ampliamento in termini di dispositivi e protocolli; si accenna, al funzionamento e la manutenzione di un’ambiente nuovo nell’ospedale, quale l’Oxygen Plant. Infine, si tratterà lo sviluppo di un software gestionale contenente il planner delle manutenzioni preventive. Si conclude l’elaborato con una raccolta di tutti i risultati ottenuti e con riflessioni volte a possibili sviluppi futuri.

Coping with Technology: A Study on Economic Methodology and Strategic Management of Technology

There is a broad consensus among economists that technologicalchange has been a major contributor to the productivity growth and, hence, to the growth of the material welfare in western industrialized countries at least over the last century. Paradoxically, this issue has not been the focal point of theoretical economics. At the same time, we have witnessed the rise of the importance of technological issues at the strategic management level of business firms. Interestingly, the research has not accurately responded to this challenge either. The tension between the overwhelming empirical evidence of the importance of technology and its relative omission in the research offers a challenging target for a methodological endeavor. This study deals with the question of how different theories cope with technology and explain technological change. The focusis at the firm level and the analysis concentrates on metatheoretical issues, except for the last two chapters, which examine the problems of strategic management of technology. Here the aim is to build a new evolutionary-based theoreticalframework to analyze innovation processes at the firm level. The study consistsof ten chapters. Chapter 1 poses the research problem and contrasts the two basic approaches, neoclassical and evolutionary, to be analyzed. Chapter 2 introduces the methodological framework which is based on the methodology of isolation. Methodological and ontoogical commitments of the rival approaches are revealed and basic questions concerning their ways of theorizing are elaborated. Chapters 3-6 deal with the so-called substantive isolative criteria. The aim is to examine how different approaches cope with such critical issues as inherent uncertainty and complexity of innovative activities (cognitive isolations, chapter 3), theboundedness of rationality of innovating agents (behavioral isolations, chapter4), the multidimensional nature of technology (chapter 5), and governance costsrelated to technology (chapter 6). Chapters 7 and 8 put all these things together and look at the explanatory structures used by the neoclassical and evolutionary approaches in the light of substantive isolations. The last two cpahters of the study utilize the methodological framework and tools to appraise different economics-based candidates in the context of strategic management of technology. The aim is to analyze how different approaches answer the fundamental question: How can firms gain competitive advantages through innovations and how can the rents appropriated from successful innovations be sustained? The last chapter introduces a new evolutionary-based technology management framework. Also the largely omitted issues of entrepreneurship are examined.