Introduction
This module suggests methods for
evaluating
technologies. These methods will enable countries to select appropriate
technology, considering the technical, commercial and economic factors prevalent
in the country where it will be employed. While the objective of
technology transfer is to transmit
advantages to its acquirer or licensee,
transferring technology can involve serious risks. The terms
“transport” and “transplantation” of technology appear often in this module to
underscore the feasibility of successfully transferring the technical attributes
of a technology which make it excellent and
competitive – especially to
developing countries. For example, it may or may not be feasible to
transport automation, which may be viewed as a technical attribute, to a country
where industry is characterized by a relatively low level of technological
complexity.
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Systemic Innovation:
7 Areas
The term “technology” has many connotations. In
this module it connotes industrial technologies, i.e. the technical means
employed for producing established commercial goods. Technology can be a
package of various kinds of information (general, specialized or proprietary)
coupled with the technical, managerial and craft
skills embodied in an
individual
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Team . Depending on the intended product’s nature and capacity, the
package can be simple or complex.
Viewed differently, technology is a
combination of
invention,
scientific discovery and principles, data accumulation
and experience in constructing, using and servicing equipment and machinery. Good technology is configured to obtain a desired commercial result
economically, conveniently and safely and to ensure its maintainability. It
may be supported by
patents,
trade marks,
copyrights or proprietary data and
information (intellectual property rights), which enhance its commercial value.
Acquiring technology bypasses the
rigorous
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trial-and-error process and
yields immediate, significant rewards for the buyer.
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7 Routes to
High Profits
By and large, industrial technologies belong to one,
or a combination, of the following five categories :
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Technologies for the production
of goods, measured, or classes of goods, of near identical design or
properties, whose output is in volumetric units. Technologies oriented to
the manufacture/production of ores, implements and tools, glass sheets,
cement, caustic soda, vegetable oils, pharmaceuticals, machinery (e.g.
lathes), or components of machines and appliances typify this category. The
production operation itself may involve mining, extraction, fabrication,
assembly formulation, physical transformation or chemical conversion
(process).
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Technologies that enhance the
properties, features or qualities of a product to create a commercially
relevant advantage such as cost, convenience,
performance or safety. Examples
of product improvements include “free-flowing” salt, the twin blade shaving
razor, cocoa butter substitutes for making chocolates and encapsulation of
pharmaceuticals.
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Technologies that produce one or
more special effects, e.g. Hot and cold rolling steel; anodizing, galvanizing
or electroplating metals; texturizing yarn; waterproofing, fireproofing and
dyeing fabrics; fumigating and detoxifying grain, tubers or feeds; sterilizing
and pasteurizing dairy or other processed food products. The product may be
produced in-house, be a bought item, or it may be contracted out to a third
party with expertise in the specific conditioning process.
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Technologies that modify a production process or
contract equipment manufacturer system to bring about some advantage or
leverage. Examples include:
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improving operating or public safety by
eliminating pollutants in products and processes, removing phosphates in
detergents and cleaning up automobile exhaust gases. Such technologies can
also comprise the automation, computerization or robotization of processes and
mechanical sequences to improve a particular feature. (these technologies do
not always have a microeconomic significance but can enhance the image of the
technology).
-
Technologies for the
“production” of technical services, eg product/process design and
engineering, computer software development and modeling and
productivity
enhancement techniques.
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ICT-powered
Value Chain
Since developing countries tend to be interested in
technologies in the first three categories, which can stimulate
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entrepreneurship or economic development, this module focuses on the analysis
and evaluation of those types. >>
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