Assessment of Technology Management Practices in Large Manufacturing Firms in Palestine

Each day new applications and uses are being discovered for new technology, this rapid technological change has its implications on every aspect of human life. Industry and service sectors are among the so many sectors that are highly impacted by technology and technological changes. Modern technology enabled companies to improve their performance and returns by improving productivity, accuracy, quality, and decreasing setup and production times. It has also improved the company’s image and customer satisfaction. Business owners and decision makers seeking to improve their competitiveness should pay more attention to the technology management concept; they need to adopt right approaches to the management of their technological assets and know-how. Traditional management approaches are no longer capable to meet the increased customer demands in the globalized markets. Therefore, the field of technology management has emerged as an attempt to help businesses overcome the challenges associated with the use of technology in their business strategies and operations. The manufacturing sector is one of the most important industrial sectors in the Palestinian economy (PFI, 2012). It highly contributes to the GDP and employment generation, it should be considered in any economic development process. In this study the researcher has targeted large manufacturing firms in Palestine; since they are playing an important role in the Palestinian economy and because they are considered relatively advanced in their technological base compared to medium and small sized enterprises. The researcher assessed technology management practices at large manufacturing firms in Palestine by studying and analyzing different inputs that govern the process in an attempt to identify gaps and devise best practices of technology management that help firms to improve their performance and competitiveness. The researcher utilized different research tools including quantitative and qualitative. A survey was developed and analyzed quantitatively. The other approach was qualitative where structured interviews were conducted with the largest company in each manufacturing sector in the sample. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis and conclusions were drawn. A framework was developed as a key output of this research to facilitate adopting technology management concept in large manufacturing firms in Palestine. The framework suggests different sets of processes to be conducted at the strategic and operational levels. These processes help companies evaluate their current practices and identify gaps between these practices and best practices.