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

Research Studies Project Report (M.B.A.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1995

Technology plays a key role in a firm's quest for developing competitive advantage. In order to retain this competitive edge, a firm should sustain its technological development. Technological development of firms has been observed to be accompanied by changing patterns of its technological attributes. During the early stages of its development a fl rm depends for technology more on external sources and less on internal sources. This research tries to assess the technological attributes of manufacturing firms from developing countries at different stages of strategic progression. An integrated framework incorporating the influence of accumulation of technological capability, strengthening of the technological components, and organizational climate attributes on the technological development of a firm was developed. The applicability of this framework was tested through case studies at three iron and steel plants. Due to limitations of time and resources only the technological attributes of the framework were studied. It was found that technological attributes could be assessed qualitatively and provide a means for a firm to plan out its technological strategic progression.