Study On Technology Diffusion And Location Of High-tech Enterprises

In the era of knowledge-based economy, the progress in technology contributes more to the development of economy. It is tested by the foreign regional development that one of the key factors affecting the success of hi-tech enterprises is the right selection of project, while the other is spatial diffusion of technology. The hi-tech parks act as effective barriers to foreign technological transfer and regional technology diffusion. The location of technology diffusion and that of hi-tech enterprises has become the focus of government officials and scholars.The dissertation is based on a project of National Natural Science Foundation of China, on the law of technology diffusion and optimization of hi-tech enterprises location in Yangtze River Delta, which is anchored by my supervisor. And it also gets support from the research project sponsored by Zhangjiang Group, named "A Study on the Industrial Development of Zhangjiang Hi-tech park" and "A Study on the Industrial Spatial Arrangement in Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park". Through the collection of related documents and on-spot interview and questionnaire, the paper makes case study and theoretical analysis on the interrelations of technology diffusion and technological location of hi-tech enterprises.Based on lots of documents and other materials, the author finds that the economists give their research on the conditions, dynamics and modes of technology diffusion through establishing economic models; while the geographers' study always focus on the description of spatial movement and location of technology, leaving the reasons of the phenomena. Currently, the theory of technology diffusion pays more attention on the factors, modes, effectiveness, spatial effects and models, ignoring the issue of dimension and its effectiveness. However, the factors affecting technology diffusion has different working laws in various spatial dimensions, hence producing different diffusion features and effects. Through this, the author argues that the establishment of relations between factors and dimensions of technology diffusion sets the base for the study of regional technology diffusion and hi-technology distribution.Summering up the foreign documents on technology diffusion, enterprise location and the hi-tech enterprise development, the paper establishes relations between technology diffusion and special dimension, studies the influence of technology diffusion over the distribution of hi-tech enterprises, and researches location of enterprises in hi-tech parks in different dimensions in the angle of technology location. Through the on-spot survey in Zhangjiang Hi-tech park, and adopting the method of GIS and mathematical modeling, the author makes an in-detail analysis on the path, mode and strength of technology diffusion, as well as the innovation level of enterprises in the Park. Then, it continues an analysis on the dynamics and mechanism of enterprises agglomeration in the park. With a view on the function of multi-national companies in the technology diffusion, the author finally makes some remarks on the technology location of different dimensions in Zhangjiang Hi-tech park:First, the technology diffusion in different dimensions has various factors, modes and the spatial effects. In macro dimension, international technological trade, international technological union and FDI are the major modes of technology diffusion, with technological potential energy and diffusion channel as the major factors affecting it. The un-continuous of the foresaid modes in spatial distribution feature the diffusion in grades (jumping diffusion). In micro dimension, technology spillover acts as the major way of diffusion, while distance and micro diffusion channels working as the key factors affecting it. The technological innovation has a result of spatial agglomeration of enterprises, having spatial effects of technological diffusion.Second, the different dimension of technology location has varying effects over regional technological diffusion. In macro dimension, technology location is a unification technological potential energy and diffusion channel. And it's a must for a nation or a region to receive such high energetic technological diffusion. It has even higher request when accepting sophisticated technology, new technology and advanced technology. Although simple technology and mature technology may decrease the request on receivers' technological level, the diffusion channel must be a clear one to ensure the smooth technology diffusion in different dimensions. The clear of diffusion channel and degree of enterprises' agglomeration is the advantages of micro dimension technology location. As the result of culture and history, the micro technological diffusion channel can't be reproduced or copied within short time. Hence, the goodness of micro-level channel becomes the decisive factor for a developing country or region to successfully win the technology diffusion.Third, the advanced macro diffusion channel makes Zhangjiang Hi-tech park the destination of FDI-centered technology diffusion, although it has comparatively lower potential energy. Being a model Hi-tech park, Zhangjiang is in the period of introduction and assimilating the foreign technology. The general technological level and micro technology diffusion channel are gradually improved. However, the weak independent innovation capability makes the clustering of enterprises a result of technological spillover based on industrial chains, but not an innovation cluster. The FDI oriented diffusion mode has a strong effect on the micro technological diffusion of host countries, making the enterprises heavily rely on the foreign suppliers and retailers. Local technological spillover is dominated by vertical spillover, with horizontal technological spillover a weak one. And such situation will continue for a long time. With the improvement of technology potential energy in Zhangjiang, the diffusion mode in macro dimension might have a change. The single FDI technology import will be replaced by international technology trade and international technological union, and hence dropping the domestic enterprises' rely on foreign enterprises in terms of innovation. Concurrently, with the perfect of micro diffusion channel of technology, the diffusion in Zhangjiang Hi-thch park may have a convert from a vertical one to a horizontal one.