ABSTRACT
While there is no doubt that Multinational Corporations are possessors and sources of the bulk of technological knowledge and skills, there is an enormous body of literature questioning whether and how much technology transfer has occurred from the MNCs to the host countries, and the controversy on the subject continues unabated. This is illustrated in part by the opposing conclusions reached by studies at the international and national level, which in turn are explained by the differences in focus, conditions, and concepts of technology transfer. But, along this line of knowledge there is a growing proposition in the most recent literature that the cooperative activities and links between university and industry are important contexts of technology transfer. This chapter offers in the first section a brief account of the MNCs own nature, expansion, and their more relevant features in relation to technology transfer. In the second section, a brief literature review about the university-industry relationship as the context for technology transfer will be provided. Following this, an analysis is presented of the three major positions found in the literature concerning foreign direct investment and its impact on the host country. The last section is comprised of a condensed review of the literature on technology transfer in Mexico and in Guadalajara
