JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Year:2012 | Volume:4 | Issue:3|Papers Count:8

In this study the necessary factors for nanotechnology companies creation have been identified and prioritized. For this purpose, the international and domestic research were examined. Based on the previous research, 9 factors and 83 indicators were classified in the form of a questionnaire. Then the questionnaires were distributed among 200 members of the statistical community, including managers, experts of these companies, university professors and association experts in the field of technology. Next, the role of each factors and indicators by using weighing coefficients were analysed. The results show that 59 indicators out of the 83 indicators were effective, and 10 indicators of management team, eight indicators of employees, two indicators of business strategy and one indicator of technology strategy have little effect. According to the results of the weighing coefficients the most effective factors were: supportive institutions, organizational environment, government supportive policies, employees, networking, financing, business strategy, management team and technology strategy.

This study aims to identify the best method for policymaking to implement processes of popularization of science (PS) in Iran, providing a national mechanism with respect to meeting the challenges. We interviewed 60 experts who were working on popularization of science by individual interest or as job task. Data were collected and analyzed by using mixed of methods (Document study, Survey and interviews). We developed a questionnaire for the study. Participants were identified through targeted sampling and snowball identification technique. After gathering and analyzing the data, a number of experts participated in Delphi method and verified the first schema of national mechanism of PS. We did a comparative study of benchmarking and practicing successful methods of other countries in PS processes. The descriptive results on policy making and implementation phases of PS revealed that concentrated policy making (board of trustee) and decenterlized implementation in the country, was selected as the best mechanism.

Facing the challenges in executing their goals Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs), have faced difficult accountability questions, and led to the need for the RTOs to enhance their strategic management to become effective, efficient and goal-directed organizations for innovation and technology development. Accordingly, the main issue of concern in the present study is the concept of strategy in the RTOs and the compatible strategic management model for the organizations. This study is based on sequential exploratory mixed method. In the first stage, grounded theory is used to clarify the concept of strategy in the RTOs and to develop a model for strategic management of technology development in RTOs based on semi structured interview with their managers and experts. Proposed model is based on dynamic capability view to strategic management and is a process model which includes 6 major themes: “scoping and determining the mission and vision”, “determining the technological knowledge goals of organization”, “balancing the exploration and exploitation”, “multi technological paths mapping”, “processes, resources and capabilities of RTOs” and “transferring the technological findings”. Afterwards, the proposed model have been tested by multiple case studies in the context of three RTOs which are correspond to Oil Industry and find some supporting evidence of its existence in them. We conclude with some final remarks and suggestions for future research questions.

Linking technology strategy to overall strategy is one of the main issues in technology management area. In large, multi-business and diversified groups, this linkage is more crucial as they need a comprehensive and overall plan for managing their different technological resources. Through a massive literature review and using a deductive approach, the concept of corporate technology strategy has been clarified and a framework has been developed and published by the same authors in the 2(3) issue of the Journal of Science & Technology Policy (JSTP). The aim of this paper is to investigate the applicability of developed theoretical framework in practice through a case study in Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) – the largest car manufacturer in the Middle East and a multi-business diversified group in Iran. Based on the proposed framewok and through reviewing the related documents and interviewing IKCO senior and middle managers; and using thematic analysis method, we describe and explain how technology strategy is linked to corporate strategy at IKCO. This investigation and illustration resulted in some modifications and improvements in the proposed framework which can be the base of further researches.

This study aims at investigating Iranian nanotechnology companies based on their positions in the value chain. Activities and behaviors of nanotechnology companies were investigated in a three-year period, from 2007 to 2010. The research adopts a descriptive approach to portray the emerging nanotechnology industry in Iran using the concept of value chain. All companies active in the field of nanotechnology in Iran were investigated during the study period. Data collection has been done through semi-structured interviews with managers of nanotechnology companies, their business customers, and partner organizations like other companies, universities, laboratories or research centers. In addition, formal and informal company documents, letters, reports and company websites were used as secondary data sources. Analysis of the data shows that the general approach of nanotechnology companies in Iran was more supply-oriented than demand-oriented. Some companies in the upstream part of the value chain have developed their activities to produce end products and moved toward downstream parts of the value chain. Results of the study reveal that industrial firms that have enhanced their products through adoption of nanotechnologies enjoy higher rates of return and profitability, compared to firms that are active in the upstream or midstream parts of the value chain. The research provides a comprehensive understanding of situation of Iranian nanotechnology companies for businesses and policy makers. It recommends support and empowerment of the intermediary firms and industrial firms to enable and facilitate cooperation of nanotechnology companies with the established industries.

Establishment of the High Council for Sciences, Research and Technology as policy and decision making organ in the Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology has raised the question of structural design of the High Council, which has the dual responsibilities of research and management, so that it could best meet the tasks it was charged to implement. Responding to this question, the present research uses four basic methods of documentary study, tasks analysis, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. We interviewed 20 experts and based on analysis of their views designed 12 structural scenarios in the forms of three patterns of organizational autonomy, organizational dependency, organizational integration between two research and executive functions. After designing and drawing related structural scenarios, structural findings were assessed with establishing two focus groups with participating of 53 experts. Accordingly the establishment of “Iranian science and technology policy organization” based on organizational integration pattern between the two functions, with large scales, was selected as more desired structural scenario for research and executive supporting of the High Council. Then its strengths and weakness evaluated by experts in focus groups. In final section of the paper, some executive suggestions offer for establishing and improving the selected scenario.

Innovation is considered the path towards the knowledge society. The most popular approach to promoting innovation, is investment in research and development of high technologies. However, the sum of contributions of low and medium technology-based firms to the total production and economic growth in the developing countries is much higher than the contributions of the high technology sectors. The inadequate attention of policymakers to the technological development of the low and medium technology-based firms could cause more underdevelopment, and as a result the technology gap in developing countries will become wider.In this study, given the need to promote innovation in all economic sectors, according to the dominant industrial structure of each country, with the review of theoretical perspectives and empirical studies, innovation strategies in developing countries especially in sectors with medium and low technology are categorized. By extracting the appropriate policy framework, policies of Iran's economic development plans have been reviewed and suggestions for improving innovation policy are presented. The results of content analysis of plans indicate the bias of supply-driven approach and lack of sufficient attention to the low and medium technology sectors in Iran's innovation policies.