"The role of technology, management skills, and policy capacity in enhancing enterprise catch-up performance: A comparative study"

Technological catch-up is a complex process influenced through technology(TC), management skills(MS), market(MR) and policy capacity (PC). in enhancing enterprise CUP. The research aims to understand how TC, MS, EN and PC jointly influence the CUP of latecomer enterprises. It seeks to bridge the gap in existing literature by examining the interplay of these factors across different institutional and industrial contexts. A comparative study was conducted in China and South Korea, focusing on large and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. 467 Data was collected through questionnaires distributed to participants (350 in China and 250 in South Korea), resulting in a response rate of approximately 91%. The study employed PLS-SEM and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) to test and analyze the hypotheses. Employing PLS-SEM and MGA on a comparison sample of 467 manufacturing businesses from China and South Korea, the study reveals that TC substantially boosts MS, EN, MR, and PC. MS, EN, and MR consistently mediate the TC → CUP link in both nations, but PC considerably mediates TC → CUP in China, although not in South Korea, underscoring how governments vs market-driven institutional frameworks influence the efficacy of policy as a mechanism for technological advancement. The model demonstrates strong explanatory power (R² = 0.647). This study combines the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Technology Catch-Up Theory (TCUT) into a multi-mediator paradigm that links firm-level dynamic resources to institutional catch-up channels. TC, MS, and EN are internal RBV resources, while MR and PC are contextual TCUT channels. This model provides insight into how technology investments lead to CUP and examines institutional context. These findings offer practical insights for managers and policymakers aiming to boost enterprise performance across varied economies. • Integrative Theoretical Framework: The study uniquely combines the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Technology Catch-Up Theory (TCUT) to create a multi-mediator model. It links internal firm resources (TC, MS, EN) with external institutional channels (MR, PC) to explain the catch-up process (CUP). • Core Finding on Technology: Technology (TC) is established as the foundational driver, significantly enhancing all other factors—Management Skills (MS), Entrepreneurial Orientation (EN), Market (MR), and Policy Capacity (PC). • Consistent Mediating Pathways: The study confirms that MS, EN, and MR consistently mediate the relationship between technology (TC) and catch-up performance (CUP) across both China and South Korea . • Key Divergence in Policy Role: A major discovery is the differential role of policy . Policy Capacity (PC) significantly mediates the TC→CUP link in China, but not in South Korea . This highlights the critical influence of institutional context— state-driven (China) versus market-driven (South Korea) frameworks—on how policy facilitates technological advancement. • Robust Methodology: The research employs a rigorous comparative study of 467 manufacturing firms, using PLS-SEM and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) to test hypotheses across two distinct national contexts, yielding a high response rate (~91%) and a model with strong explanatory power (R² = 0.647) . • Practical Implications: The findings offer actionable insights for managers and policymakers . They underscore the need to tailor strategies to the institutional environment, emphasizing policy leverage in state-influenced economies and market/entrepreneurial drivers in market-led economies to enhance enterprise catch-up performance.