The concept of 'technology' in the theory of technology transfer : With special reference to the case of an electric appliance manufacturer in Indonesia

Japanese manufacturers have been setting up their manufacturing bases in other Asian countries since the 1960s. This trend has been accelerating in recent years due, in large part, to the rapid appreciation of the yen, and the globalization process of Japanese manufacturers. This paper examines technology transfer, with particular focus on the need for a clearer concept of 'technology', in relation with Japanese capital-affiliated companies in Southeast Asia. There are four chapters: 1) Introduction, 2) A Case Study of a Japanese Joint Venture in Indonesia, 3) The Concept of 'Technology', and 4) Conclusion.Chapter two explains in detail a technology-transfer program in the field of television production, which the author studied during his field survey in Indonesia. The characteristics of this program are: 1) it is aimed at the engineers in the engineering section, but not at the technicians or skilled/unskilled workers in the shop floor; 2) the transfer programs are divided into several engineering fields such as electric design, mechanical design, manufacturing design, factory equipment, and quality control; 3) technology components of each engineering field are listed, and several levels of technology are recognized according to the degree of acquisition of such components; 4) the present technology level of each engineering field is evaluated, and there are plans to raise each to a higher level in the five-year period of the program; 5) the time schedule for the technology transfer as well as the training programs, including training at the mother company in Japan, are provided, and they are going to be carried out along with the development of a new production model in Indonesia. Chapter three aims at clarifying the concept of 'technology', for it is perceived that the meaning of technology is not clear in many discussions on the theory of technology transfer. It focuses on manufacturing technology, and it attempts to analyze technology in the following two aspects: 1) in the framework of total production