ABSTRACT
As measures of the rate of absorption, the speed and intensity of use and reductions in costs through improvements have much to recommend them; yet they are only partial measures, covering only two of the several stages involved in incorporating a foreign technology. Table 9.3 is devoted to all the stages of incorporation, from planning and negotiation to the conduct of research and development for new products or techniques, and displays a nearly uniform pattern. The data in Table 9.3 can be read vertically, down each entire column, in order to observe differences across industries in the extent to which Koreans have participated in each of the stages: they can also be read horizontally, across each row, in order to observe differences across stages. These two readings suggest that the Koreans have entered more in the stages of construction, start-up and operation and improvement than in the earlier stages of design, and in the later stage of research and development; and that there are
Table 9.3: Summary table: absorption of foreign technology by Korean engineers, according to the stage of the process of incorporation
Stage in the process of incorporating the technology
Case Planning and negotiation
Process design
Equipment design
Construction Start-up and operation
Improvement R&D
Petrochemicals
Ulsan plant (1945-85) s 0 0 s s x 0
Yeocheon plant (197585)
s s s s s x s
Synthetic fibres Taegu plant
Nylon line 1 (1960-85) s 0 0 s s s 0
Nylon line 5 (1970-85) s s s s s s s
Gumi plant
Nylon line 3 (1983-5) x x x x x x x
Diesel engines s 0 0 s s s 0
Iron and steel
1st stage (1965-85) s 0 0 s s s 0
2nd stage (1974-85) s 0 0 s s x 0
3rd stage (1976-85) s 0 s s s x s
4th stage (1979-85) x x x x s x s
Key: o=no. Koreans participating; s=some participation; x=all Korean.
