Technology Transfer in Cross-national Context: Experiences of an Online Market Failure in Chinese Food Industry

This case study considers an online market adoption as a process of technology transfer across contexts. This conception enables us to analyze the adoption difficulties from a technology inscription lens. This lens suggests that technology was developed based on a particular context which assumes how technology can be best used and how certain “practices” are inscribed. In this view, the adoption of online market not only implements the technology in the recipient organization, but also transfers the practices inscribed in the technology to the recipient. However, the inscribed practice may not necessarily be assimilated into the situated practices in recipient organization. As a result, the e-marketplace will be considered as inapplicable in the recipient context, given that cultural inertia and unfavorable adoption conditions (i.e. the poor technology infrastructure) are improved. The industry dynamics are highlighted to understand e-marketplace adoption challenges. Practical and theoretical implications of the technology inscription analysis are discussed with reference to technology alignment and global technology transfer.