Title: The influence of the environment and enterprise reform on commitment to technology development in China: an empirical analysis

Authors: Howard Davies

Addresses: Department of Business Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Abstract: This paper examines the influence of the environment and enterprise reform on commitment to technology development in Chinese enterprises. Two forms of commitment are examined, the first being ||commitment to innovation|| and the second being ||commitment to good practice||. These are hypothesised to be determined by the technological environment, the business environment and the nature of the firm, especially with respect to the extent to which it has been ||marketised||. Data from a large-scale survey of Chinese enterprises carried out in 1997 is used to measure both forms of commitment and the independent variables, and to test the hypotheses. The results show that there are significant relationships between both forms of commitment to technology development, the environment and some aspects of marketisation. Some evidence in support of a predicted moderating role for other aspects of marketisation is found but the support is weak.

Keywords: China; technology development; commitment to innovation; good practice; business environment; technological environment; marketisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2001.002900

International Journal of Technology Management, 2001 Vol.21 No.1/2, pp.22-41

Published online: 08 Jul 2003 *

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