The Paths And Capabilities Evolution Of External Technology Integration In Chinese Automobile Enterprises

Chinese automobile manufacturers have improved their technology level a lot through corporating with multinational automobile companies, creating joint-ventures, M&A, etc. However, their capabilities of innovation remain weak compared with the multinational companies. It is important for Chinese auto industry that how to improve independent innovation capabilities through technology integration. This dissertation attempts to clarify the relationship between technology integration and independent innovation capabilities, the main contents are as follow.1. This dissertation provides a "double-chain" model, which is made of "learning chain" and "technology chain", to describe technology integration path at firm’s level. Learning chain describes the three tiers of technology integration: technology carrier integration, technology knowledge integration and R&D routine integration. Technology chain describes the scope of technology integration, which involves vehicle manufacturing technology, architecture technology, core component technology and frontier research and development.According to the double-chain model, the dissertation analyses the history of technology integration history of Chinese auto industry, points out the missing links in the double-chain, which delay the improvement process of independent innovation capabilities of Chinese auto industry. The case study of Chongqing Changan Automobile shows that technology integration improves its independent innovation capabilities since the technology integration of Changan involved almost all areas of double-chain model.2. The dissertation studies the micro-mechanism of technology integration capabilities evolution at firm’s level. According to resource-based theory and self-organization theory, enhancement of technology integration capabilities is the result of resource accumulation, resource structure improvement and organization routine adjustment, which are driven by external environment and internal organization learning mechanism. The development of firms is based on a dialectic of chance and necessity and the principle of order through fluctuation in situations of instability and bifurcation. The dissertation shows the process of capabilities evolution with the case of Chongqing Changan.