A Study on the Information Gathering Function of Research and Development Laboratories Established within Industrial Firms

산업체 부설연구소의 정보기능에 관한 연구

This dissertation is presented in two major parts. The first part presented in Chapter 3 attempts to verify the major hypothesis of the present study that the research and development laboratories(hereafter referred to R&D laboratories), establishd withine industrial firms to develop new technologies needed for their own industrial activities, may have another but very important functions to bring information on the externally generated technologies to attention of their respective management decision makers, eventually resulting in the transfer of technology; and such information functions of the R&D laboratories may be better performed by well-organised laboratories than by poorly-organised ones. The second part presented in Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 discusses, after the preceding hypotheses has been verified, some desirable situations of the R&D laboratories in facilitating the flow of information on new technologies developed in the world into their industrial firms, centering on the organisational positions and the major fields of interest of the person in charge of the R&D centers, services of the library and technological information office supporting the R&D laboratories, and frequencies of direct contacts of research and development workers with experts in the world and of participation in various conferences, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, etc. Now that there is no recognised instrument and method available for direct measurement of volume of technological information transfered into a particular industrial firm, the number of technologies introduced into a given firm is employed in the present study as an analogous parametre indicating volume of technological information transfered into the firm during a particular period of time. A logical attempt to justify the use of the indirect paramentre is made in Chapter two. vidences needed to verify the hypotheses of the present study are collected through the various publications of the Korea Industrial Research Institutes and other agencies and institutions related to industrial research activities, and through responses to the questionnaire posted to a sample of the 66 R&D laboratories on 6 May 1987 and returned by 30 August of the same year. Some findings and conclusions made in the study are summarised as follows: (1) More information on externally developed technologies flows into the industrial firm with a R&D laboratory of its own than into the industrial firm without one, and naturally, more chances of transfer of technologies are given to the former than to the latter (see 3. 2) (2) After establishing an R&D laboratory, more technological information flows into the industrial firm than before establishing one (see 3. 3) (3) More technological information flows into the industrial firm with a well-organised R&D laboraory than into the firm with a poorly-organised one (see 3. 4) (4) More technological information flows into the ndustrial firm where the director of its R&D laboratory has status qualified to participate in the highest managerial decision making processes of the firm than into the industrial firm where the director does not have such status (see 4. 2) (5) More technological information flows into the industrial firm where the director of R&D laboratory does not hold other positions within the firm than into the industrial firm where the director holds other positions (see 4.3) (6) There is evidence showing that quantities of technological information transfered into industriali firms vary with the case that the major background of the director of the R&D laboratory is the same as the main field of R&D activities of his or her laboratery, the case that the director's background is partly related to the field of R&D activities of the laboratory, and the case that the director's major background is different from the field of R&D activities of the laboratory (see 4.4) (7) More technological information flows into the industrial firm with the director of its R&D laboratory appointed from among professional research and development workers than into the industrial firm with the director of its R&D laboratory appointed from among general managers (see 4.5) (8) More technological information flows into the industrial firm with its R&D laboratory which has established a library service unit within its own jurisdiction than into the industrial firm with its R&D laboratory which has established a library service unit within its own jurisdiction than into the industrial firm with its R&D laboratory which uses a library within the firm but outside the laboratory (see 5. 1) (9) More echnological information flows into the industrial firm with a technological information office of its own than into the industrial firm without such an office (see 5. 2) (10) More technological information flows into the industrial firm with a large research and development staff in its R&D laboratory than into the industrial firm with a small staff in its R&D laboratory (see 5. 2) (11) More technological information flows into the industrial firm with its R&D laboratory whose staff members more frequently contact experts in the conferences, seminars, symposiums, and workshops held in foreign countries and novelties in the world's major exhibitions than into the industrial firm with its R&D laboratory whose staff members less frequently contact such experts and novelties (see 6. 2 ; 6. 3)