Research On Technological Learning Of Virtual Network Industry

Great changes have taken place in catch-up research paradigms for developing countries recently. It is considered that the efficiency of technological learning activities is the key affecting factors for developing countries' economic catch-up. Through the technological activities, developing countries can improve their technological capabilities rapidly and promote the technological innovations. Most of the researches on developing countries' technological learning process are concentrated on the traditional manufacturing industries, only a few are on the virtual network industries. It is considered that virtual network industries are an important industry that developed countries have the competitive advantages and want to maintain their competitive advantages. It is also in these industries that developing countries' technological learning activities are taking place. So the studies of technological learning process in virtual network industries will not only contribute to developing countries' technological learning theory but also contribute a lot to the practice of technological activities in virtual network industries in developing countries.The existing technological learning theories explain the developing countries technological learning activities within the framework of importation-imitation-improvement-innovation. However, it is hard to explain the technological activities in virtual network industries within this framework because of its negligence of such factors as technical standard and intellectual property. This dissertation gives a new three-dimensional framework based on the researches on technical standard, network externality and competing rules of virtual network industries, and then explores the technological learning process of digital TV and digital communication industries using this framework. The details are as follows:1. It is technical standard that has become the decisive factor determining the competing result of the combination between the technical standard of virtual network industries and intellectual property rights, and the character of network externalities.2. A three-dimensional framework of technological learning for virtual network industries is given: the framework of international trade environment, the framework of technology evolution of virtual network industries and the framework of technological learning process at the enterprise level. Two different international trade rules are given within the framework of international trade environment: international trade rules in goods and international trade rules in intellectual property rights. The track of technology evolution for virtual network industries is analyzed in the framework of technology evolution. In the framework of technological learning process from the enterprise level, the technological learning activities are classified; the affecting elements and the technological learning model of enterprise are given. 3. There are three levels of technological learning modes in virtual network industries. Market competition based on price and product is not the sufficient condition for virtual network industries technological learning to upgrade from a lower level to a higher level. Such upgrading needs the support from the national innovation system. Under the existing national innovation system, the competition in China's digital TV industry is focused on product and price, which can only resulting in strengthening the technological learning at the product level, and the homogeneity of technological learning at the product level in turn intensifies product and price competition.4. Through analyzing technological learning process of digital communicatin industry, we find the most effective way of technological learning for virtual network industries is to trigger the virtuous cycle between technological capability enhancement and market development, and the effective approach is to seek out the niche market. There is dualistic demand in our domestic market, which carries a positive meaning for finding the niche market. China's digital communication industry began technological learning from the rural communication market which was neglected by its foreign counterparts.Then it formed the circulation between technological capability enhancement and market development, and gradually penetrated into the mainstream market.5. Through analyzing technical standard learning process of digital TV and digital communicatin industries, we find government and domestic market are the two major factors affecting the technological learning process of virtual network industries at the standard level. The role that government and domestic market play varies on condition of standard competition. While the standard competition is among the domestic competitors, the role that government plays is to provide a fair playing environment and make the market mechanism choose the final standard. While the standard competition is between the domestic standard and foreign standard, the role that government plays is to put off the timetable for market opening-up and promote the domestic standard into practice, in order to guarantee the time and market for domestic standard.