- Title
- A dynamic capability perspective on international technology transfer (ITT): the role of path dependencies and ITT resources
- Creator
- Withanaarachchi, Amila Suranjeewa
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2021
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Understanding the mechanisms through which international technology transfer (ITT) influences firm performance has received considerable attention in research and practice. Prior studies suggest that ITT is a major managerial challenge because of its inherent complexity. This thesis aims to better explain the ITT process by examining the complexities of this process and explaining it as a dynamic capability (DC) (Teece, 2007). Further, underlining the inconsistent views on the performance implications of ITT, this research examines the role of contingency factors by investigating the moderating effects of internal and external factors on the ITT process. The main body of the thesis comprises three interrelated chapters, which are developed and written as standalone pieces to contribute to the topic of study. Following Teece’s (2007) classification of DCs, this thesis operationalises ITT processes into ITT sensing, seizing and reconfiguring routines. Prior studies argue that the historical trajectories or path dependencies determine the success or failure of ITT processes in an organisation. Derived from the dynamic capability framework (DCF), this thesis advocates the view that, by sensing ITT opportunities, firms identify opportunities to leverage or break their technology paths; by seizing, firms identify which path to leverage or break and how to do so when engaging in ITT; and, finally, by reconfiguring, firms determine how to implement transferred technologies into their operations. This research also elucidates how ITT processes are conditional on the industry- and institution-level path dependencies. Importantly, the findings suggest that DC-enabled ITT processes not only allow firms to leverage and benefit from industry- and institution-level path dependencies, but also to break them. Following an abductive research design with reference to several Sri Lankan renewable energy firms, this thesis clarifies this conceptual framework. Regarding external factors, this thesis empirically examines the moderation effects of industry and institution development, as well as environmental turbulence, on the relationship between a firm’s ITT processes and its expected performance. Regarding internally and externally accessible resources, this thesis examines the moderation effect of specialised ITT staff within a firm and external ITT intermediaries on the effects that a firm’s ITT processes have on its expected outcomes. To test these arguments empirically, this thesis draws on survey data from high-technology firms in China and the United States, and performs statistical analyses using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). In support of the predictions of the DCF, the findings suggest that ITT DC routines influence firm performance indirectly through the firm’s technology resources and ordinary capabilities (TR&Cs). The findings also suggest that, while industry and institution development moderates the effects of a firm’s ITT DCs on its TR&Cs, their contingency effects differ across specific ITT DC routines, as well as across the country context in which the firm operates. Additionally, concerning environment turbulence, the findings suggest that the moderation effect of environment turbulence on the relationship between a firm’s DCs and its expected performance may be more complex and is contingent upon the type of turbulence a firm confronts. Regarding internal resources, the findings generally support the hypothesised moderation effect and show that greater availability of specialised ITT staff helps a firm better relate its ITT DC routines to its TR&Cs. While the findings do not substantiate the hypothesised moderation effect of external ITT intermediaries, the results suggest that, apart from internal resources, external resources, such as ITT intermediaries, can play an important role in a firm’s ITT processes. This thesis provides important implications for theory and practice by operationalising ITT processes through the lens of the DCF. Specifically, by theorising and empirically testing the moderation effect of external conditions, such as industry and institution development and environment turbulence aspects, as well as internally and externally accessible resources, such as specialised ITT staff and ITT intermediaries, this thesis nurtures the DC literature while addressing earlier criticisms regarding the DC’s ill-defined boundary conditions.
- Subject
- international technology transfer; structural equation modelling; moderation effect; performance
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1420685
- Identifier
- uon:37629
- Rights
- Copyright 2021 Amila Suranjeewa Withanaarachchi
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
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| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 5 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 626 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |