A battle of drones: Utilizing legitimacy strategies for the transfer and diffusion of dual-use technologies

Abstract

Technology Transfer and Diffusion happens when the technology developed for applications in one environment is transferred to new environments. Technology transfer implies the adoption of the technology for different applications and a potential shaping of new markets. This study analyzed the types of strategies used by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV or drones) firms to remove technology transfer barriers in the general business, humanitarian, and the entertainment sectors. The analyzed research data suggest that firms engage in legitimacy practices to overcome technology transfer barriers innate to the new settings. This article contributes to the literature on technology transfer by showing that the technology transfer process resorts to the use of legitimacy strategies to overcome barriers and consequently enables a market creation involving tactical communications. The contribution can be extended to additional industries and offer an opportunity for future research on the field and can provide managers with a tool to identify and overcome possible barriers to controversial technology transfers.