Acquisition of Technological Capability in Small Firms in Developing Countries [Hardcover]

An authoritative examination of how small firms in developing countries acquire technological capability - the knowledge and skills required to operate technology effectively and to adapt it to local conditions. It fills a gap in the established literature on technological capability, which has neglected the small-scale sector in spite of the important role it plays in employment generation. The author develops a methodology for a quantitative assessment of the learning process, using case material from the small-scale capital goods sector in Pakistan's Punjab Province.List of Tables List of Figures and Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: CAPABILITY BUILDING IN THE EXISTING LITERATURE Technological Capability and Its Importance in Economic Development The Limits of a Focus on the Large-scale Sector Development of Technological Capability in the Small-scale Sector: A Review of Secondary Literature PART II: CAPABILITY BUILDING IN SMALL FIRMS - A QUANTITATIVE STUDY The Research Design Measuring Technological Capability and Mechanisms of Learning Technological Learning in Small Firms: A Quantitative Analysis Conclusions Appendices Notes Bibliography Index

'A thorough review of the literature combined with a detailed and imaginatively done field study make this book an unusually important contribution to our understanding of the role of small scale firms in the development of national technological capability.' - Henry J. Bruton, Professor of Economics, Williams College, Massachusetts

'This is an important addition to the growing literature on technological capability. It represents one of the very few detailed empirical investigations of the nature and determinants of technological capability among small scale activities in developing countries, showing that the development of technological capability plays a significant role in this sector, as well as among the large firms which form the usual focus of such investigations.' - Fl3>