This article reports on an investigation into the critical elements affecting the ability of pharmaceutical companies to develop their technological operational and learning capabilities through imported technology. The information obtained from case studies at eleven companies, four in Canada and seven in Brazil, indicates that all the companies acquired operational technological capability in every technological stage of drug development and production, although this finding does not apply to their dynamic learning capacity. More specifically, the results indicate that the development of operational capability is affected mainly by management skills (communication, coordination, instruction and negotiation) and by the learning culture. These case studies also indicate that development of the capacity for dynamic learning is influenced by the mode of transfer (scientific cooperation and licensing), by management skills (entrepreneurship, leadership, communication and instruction), by the level of absorption capacity and by the nature of the imported technology.
technology transfer; technological capability; management skills; pharmaceutical companies
