A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration. School of Management

Research Studies Project Report (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1998

In the business arena of today's world, technology has emerged as an important competitive tool. However, to use technology as a competitive weapon it has become essential to know where the current technological standing of the firm is vis-a-vis that of the state-of-the-art. This could help in the assessment of the strengths and the weaknesses of one's technological standing. Inability to measure technological aspects is one of the deficiencies of the widely used measurement indicators and methodologies. This paper is an attempt towards the establishment of a methodology to measure technology by looking at the components of technology. A sugar factory in Nepal has been taken for the illustration of the methodology and indicators. The results suggest that though sugar production is a more or less standardized process technology there still are weak components of this technology that can be or has to be upgraded from the technology component contribution perspective. It then implies that the results and the information it carries can be used by the technology policy and decision makers for the upgradation of the different components at the firm as well as at the industry or national level.