Suchergebnisse

According to the authors, South Korea has made great strides in the field of technology development. After a look at the international technology market, they highlight some of the critical challenges faced by South Korea as it seeks to identify a secure and stable place for itself in the evolving international division of labour. (DÜI-Sen)

Technological innovation at work should be thought of in terms of supporting labour, not supplanting it.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate supplier interfaces in technological development.


Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical framework is based on the industrial network approach and, in particular, the concept of supplier interfaces (standardized, specified, translational and interactive). The empirical study consists of a case study of a supplier relationship between an established truck manufacturer and one of its partners in technological development. This supplier relationship has its base in joint projects on developments in automation.


Findings
The empirical study provides evidence of three types of interfaces that are characteristic of technological development and discusses their development and how they are used in combination. The three types are follows: specified, translational and interactive. The conclusions show that developing an interface from specified to translational or interactive is challenging and technological development characterized by uncertainty may call for certain interfaces that are not of value in other settings, such as industrial production.


Originality/value
By applying the interface concepts to technological development in collaboration with suppliers and related identifying characteristic interfaces, this paper aims to extend the literature on how suppliers can be engaged in uncertain endeavours such as development projects.

The current process of technological transfer with limited adaptation from the developed to the less developed countries is questioned. The most important features of the economic environment of the less developed countries—the levels of per capita output and consumption, the availability of capital per worker, and the rising trends in unemployment—are reviewed. The implications are sketched for the development of a technology appropriate to the developing context, appropriate in the capital intensity of its production techniques and in the design of its products. The man-machine system focus of human factors researchers is seen as potentially very productive in these questions.