Technological Learning Through Cooperation: Studying Greek Firms Rafailidis

Abstract

In this paper, we consider technological learning of firms as crucial for their long – term survival and competitiveness. Thinking that a partial answer to the issue of the closure of the technological gap between technologically more advanced and technologically less advanced firms is the transfer of technology from the former to the latter, we consider the opportunities for learning that are present in inter – firm technological cooperation agreements. The study of the factors that have a bearing upon the learning achieved by the technologically less developed firms, through their c ooperation with more advanced ones, constitutes the objective of our study. This objective is pursued through 31 cases of technological c ooperation agreements between Greek and foreign firms, specifically aimed at technological learning. We test several theoretical hypotheses on factors that seem to have a bearing upon learning achieved. The results seem to indicate that factors related to the quality of the relationship between partners have a major role to play for learning