Survey of Cross-Cultural Technology Transfer Research

Nguyen Thi Duc Nguyen,Atsushi Aoyama

doi:10.5539/ass.v10n10p159

Abstract

This study aims at reviewing the technology/knowledge transfer literature and identifying which research areas on cross-cultural technology transfer field which should explore to obtain the new insights. With it in mind, the intersection of research fields concerning cross-cultural technology/knowledge transfer, the national culture difference and the extended literature of hybridization in the broad field of cross-cultural management is focused.As a result, this study identifies the five research areas meriting the further research on cross-cultural technology transfer: (1) the impact of cultural differences on technology transfer; (2) management practice factors for achieving efficient technology transfer; (3) the evaluation of current management practices at Japanese manufacturing subsidiaries; (4) the relationship between efficient technology transfer and business performance; and (5) research approach in cross-cultural technology transfer, such as research methodology, viewpoint and theoretical foundation. Accordingly, this study suggests the dimensions for further qualitative and quantitative investigations and the integration of fundamental theories-Hofstede’s national culture, Adler’s hybridization perspective, Abo’s management practice framework and organizational learning view-to underpin the investigating models. Consequently, this study draws the significant ways to answer the prevailing problem of how to implement cross-cultural technology transfer efficiently for achieving the successful business performance.

Highlights

Vietnam has recently become growing to take an important part in international market, after the great efforts in shifting the economic structure of centralized plan of command-driven into oriented market of market-driven and attracting foreign direct investment
This study identifies the five research areas meriting the further research on cross-cultural technology transfer: (1) the impact of cultural differences on technology transfer; (2) management practice factors for achieving efficient technology transfer; (3) the evaluation of current management practices at Japanese manufacturing subsidiaries; (4) the relationship between efficient technology transfer and business performance; and (5) research approach in cross-cultural technology transfer, such as research methodology, viewpoint and theoretical foundation
It is seen that prior research on cross-cultural technology transfer has not evaluated the current performance of management practices or targeted advanced solutions that are of interest to global companies, Japanese manufacturing companies in Vietnam, in their search for systematic solutions to achieve a competitive advantage

Summary

Introduction

Vietnam has recently become growing to take an important part in international market, after the great efforts in shifting the economic structure of centralized plan of command-driven into oriented market of market-driven and attracting foreign direct investment. The Japanese incentives for expanding the foreign direct investment projects into Vietnam are been performing; Japanese companies are gradually increasing the establishing and operating their long term business. On the practical observation, Japanese subsidiaries in Vietnam have encountered many difficulties in transferring technology into Vietnam in the context of cultural differences, and are facing the need to increase wages because of inflation in the Vietnamese market and higher productivity (Nguyen, Takanashi, & Aoyama, 2012; Nguyen & Aoyama, 2012). It has become increasingly necessary to address the practical need to seek problem-solving approaches originating from cultural origins and the relationship among efficient technology transfer, firm’s business performance and national culture. The prevailing problem is how to implement efficiently technology transfer in the context of cultural difference for achieving the successful business performance at Japanese manufacturing subsidiaries in Vietnam; which needs to be solved. The urgently managerial question merits this study to systematically look at the literature in cross-cultural technology transfer and relevant cross-cultural www.ccsenet.org/ass

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion