ABSTRACT

This chapter is concerned with large, existing firms and with small, newly created firms as the means to disseminate and apply technology. Several internal and external studies commissioned by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) have shown a positive correlation between technological modernity and firm/industry competitiveness. In the FRG, there are few economic incentives for an individual to launch a risky venture in hopes of "striking it big." Governmental "barriers" to the success of a new venture are more imposing in the FRG than in the United States. Institutional libraries in the FRG tend to have narrower and more limited collections than do similar organizations in the United States. Innovation and the process of applying new technology to products or services are subjects of vital concern in the FRG. The FRG certainly has the raw technological talent to conduct excellent basic research.