An empirical analysis on purposes, drivers and activities of technology opportunity discovery: the case of Korean SMEs in the manufacturing sector
通过对104家韩国制造业中小企业的访谈和调查，分析了技术机会发现（TOD）的驱动因素和活动，定义了六种技术机会类型，帮助理解中小企业如何识别技术机会并制定策略。
Technology opportunity discovery ( TOD ) is becoming increasingly important for identifying technology opportunities so that they can be reflected in firms' strategy planning. However, understanding of TOD practices within firms is limited, and the diversity of TOD practices has not been fully reflected in previous studies, especially from the perspective of small and medium enterprises ( SMEs ), which typically lack diverse technology portfolios or plentiful innovation resources, so technology opportunities have seldom been defined and analyzed. This study aims to investigate SMEs ' TOD practices and to identify their characteristics. Interviews were conducted with K orean SME executives to define a conceptual TOD model for SMEs , and 104 K orean SMEs ' TOD drivers and activities were surveyed focusing business drivers, business models, and information gathering. The results were then analyzed to define six technology opportunity types and to derive similarities and differences among them, which are used to understand and further support SMEs ' TOD practices. The research findings are expected to enhance understanding about TOD practices and to help establish SMEs ' TOD strategies.