Technology introduction in China's industrial cluster: a case study
Introducing external technology is becoming a prevalent approach to gain competitive advantage in developing economies. In this paper we develop a framework to analyze the characteristics of industrial clusters that influence on the choice of technology introduction mode and apply this to the cases in Zhejiang Province, East China. The results indicate that previous researches over simplify the situation of technology introduction in different clusters. In traditional industrial clusters current technology transfer is dominated by hardware transplantation due to technological capability reasons, while cooperative production and research are adopted as the primary modes in high-tech industrial clusters at growth phase. The research also reveals that different modes of introduction exert different influence on the upgrading of technological capability and market performance of firms in these clusters.