| In an increasingly globalized and interlinked world economy, the difficulties of implementing effective technology acquisition and utilization programs are important forces driving economic growth. Developing countries, under trade liberalization and market deregulation policies, must acquire and utilize the technology they need effectively to encourage and sustain this growth. This study deals with the technology acquisition and utilization process in manufacturing organizations through a comparative case study between a developed and a developing country.;The survey instrument contains a set of variables that are based on the needs of the technology acquisition and utilization model proposed. The surveys were conducted with 55 medium size manufacturing organizations throughout the states of Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois in the U.S. and with 48 manufacturing organizations in Istanbul, Turkey. These firms represent a cross section of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes used to classify the types of products manufactured. The needs of Turkish manufacturing industry in three different sectors, namely, metal goods, electronics & electrical equipment, and nonelectrical machinery were chosen as the focal point for this research.;The results showed that there were significant differences in acquisition channels and difficulties while there were similarities in the reasons and impacts of new technology acquired by the U.S. and Turkish industries. The study also showed that there were outreach opportunities for educational institutions to provide training programs to help industry improve technology acquisition and utilization effectiveness in both countries. |
