Integrating technology and operations in a developing country context

The importance of technology to developing countries is widely recognised as they compete internationally and develop internally. Firms acquire technology by different means and from diverse sources, and they possess varying levels of competence. Since countries are at various stages of economic and technological development, prescriptive approaches to technology and operations integration are not appropriate. The paper discusses factors in the literature that affect the integration of technology and operations in developing countries. Country similarities and differences also play a role, so the study examines three developing countries: Brazil, India and South Africa. These countries are emerging from periods of regulation and have developed certain sectors of their economies. Empirical evidence is provided from a study of managers in South Africa who were asked to assess the important factors in technology integration, and to score the extent to which they can control these. Results from the study concur with the literature regarding the importance of a country’s political stability and its policies towards new investment and infrastructure. Knowledge and understanding of technology are essential for successful integration in countries with insufficient skilled personnel, and where education levels are low.

[1]  Henrique Luiz Corrêa,et al.  The development of manufacturing strategy in a turbulent environment , 1995 .

[2]  Janat Shah,et al.  Manufacturing Priorities & Action Programmes in the Changing Environment: An Empirical Study of Indian Industries , 1996 .

[3]  Anthony P. D’Costa,et al.  The restructuring of the Indian automobile industry: Indian state and Japanese capital , 1995 .

[4]  Pawan Sikka,et al.  Indigenous development and acquisition of technology: an Indian perspective☆ , 1996 .

[5]  C. Pistorius,et al.  Implications of the Dominant Design in Electronic Initiation Systems in the South African Mining Industry , 1998 .

[6]  Nagesh Kumar,et al.  Technology, firm size and export behaviour in developing countries: The case of Indian enterprises , 1994 .

[7]  J. Cling.  From isolation to integration: The post-apartheid South African economy , 2001 .

[8]  Krishnan Narayanan,et al.  Technology acquisition, de-regulation and competitiveness: a study of Indian automobile industry , 1998 .

[9]  Afonso Fleury,et al.  The changing pattern of operations management in developing countries: the case of Brazil , 1999 .

[10]  P. Naudé,et al.  Managerial perceptions of the future in a volatile society: The South African case , 1990 .

[11]  S. G. Deshmukh,et al.  Strategic Framework for Implementing Flexible Manufacturing Systems in India , 1994 .

[12]  Indigenisation and technological change at the firm level—The case of the black and white TV picture tube , 1997 .

[13]  J. Roberto Evaristo,et al.  The impact of privatization on organizational information needs: Lessons from the Brazilian Telecommunications Holding Company , 1998, Inf. Technol. People.

[14]  Benoît Godin,et al.  Canadian R&D abroad management practices , 1999 .

[15]  V Kumar,et al.  Commercialization of new technologies in India: an empirical study of perceptions of technology institutions , 2003 .

[16]  Ludovico Alcorta,et al.  The diffusion of advanced automation in developing countries: factors and adoption process , 1999 .

[17]  Technological acquisition and investment: lessons from recent indian experience , 1998 .