Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Involved in Technology Transfer to China

Abstract

Technology transfer is a frequent component of foreign direct investment and cross-border cooperative agreements. Little is known concerning the comparative effectiveness of technology transfer accomplished by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. The goal of this study is to compare small and large organizations on measures of learning accomplished by their respective partners during technology transfer. Twenty-eight Canadian manufacturing firms involved in technology transfer to China were surveyed and seven case studies were conducted in China. Learning in recipient firms was not significantly associated with the size of their Canadian transferors. The case study results revealed other factors that seemed to influence learning.