Title: The extent of the takeoff time in the technology adoption: an international study of the effects of national attributes

Authors: Tomi P. Haapaniemi, Saku J. Makinen

Addresses: Sandvik Corporation, P.O. Box 100, FI-33311 Tampere, Finland. ' CITER – Center for Innovation and Technology Research, Institute of Industrial Management, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland

Abstract: Earlier research has attested that national technology adoption is dependent on various national and cultural attributes. However, the influence of these attributes on the adoption dynamics is still under debate and takeoff point has only recently received attention in the literature. This paper investigates the effects of cultural, population, and wealth attributes on the extent of takeoff time. Our research studies different technologies involving 214 national time series. Practical results from the study suggest that faster takeoff occurs in countries that are more equal, individualistic, future oriented, and wealthy. Future research avenues and practical implications are also discussed.

Keywords: takeoff point; technology adoption; cultural dimensions; content analysis; national attributes; culture; population; wealth.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTIP.2009.026750

International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning, 2009 Vol.5 No.3, pp.289 - 304

Published online: 25 Jun 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article