INTEGRATING BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIES IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

In the present era of deregulation, privatization and increasing globa l market competition, most industrialists in developing countries have come to the realization that better technology is needed for the surv ival of both public and private sector enterprises. Therefore, they ac knowledge that technological considerations must be properly incorpora ted into overall business strategies. However, in the absence of an es tablished theory and due to lack of relevant data, they face enormous difficulties. This paper describes a simple framework for integrating business and technology strategies, particularly in the context of dev eloping countries. Possible strategic mixes are identified by consider ing four commonly practiced business strategies, namely: price, value, niche and image leadership; and four evolving technology strategies, namely: technology leader, follower, exploiter and extender. Necessary considerations for technological capability development and technolog y strategy progression path are also discussed for different enterpris e situations and development conditions.