Nowadays it is arising an opportunity related to the working force manufacturing products at the United States or for American companies

According to the new scenario of the US Government, Mexican workers may be fired from their positions at such companies.

The Government Office for Foreign Affairs in its report named "Los mexicanos en Estados Unidos: la importancia de sus contribuciones" that discloses 2007-2011 data, states that the laboral positions created by first and second immigrant generations are up to 10 million, meanwhile including the third generation, contribute in 8% to the GDP from the United States.

The analysis of more than 50 years 1_/ experiences for in technology transfer in South Korea, is a good example of an excellent detection of opportunities. The paralelism between such experiences and the apparent situation the Mexican workers may confront is the core theme developed herein.

The potencial menace regarding the firing of the Mexican workers may represent an advantage, en excellent opportunity opening before them. They could take advantage of the gained experience and knowledge about the technology they have been working with, to introduce innovation, improvements thereto or follow free technologies for the national industry development. The Government may implement a long lasting stepped process that guarantee and motivate the foundation of new industrial companies:

  • Subsidize them up to a mature stage
  • Withdraw the economical support
  • Provide incentives to manufacture, exports and other, for such companies showing successfulness and stability

The employees of the export companies could start introducing improvements or new developments linked to the technology they are involved with, to keep linked to it providing profits to the industry and/or to the national market with substitute new products.

It is important to consider that the adaptability and succes of foreign systems must look at the whole environment (economical, political, cultural, financial, social, psychological and historical). It is well known that Korea has supported its success in a cooperative society more than in a competitive one. Their nationalism after the war was another key point in its technological development.

In the Mexican case, the Government is the natural leader to promote values as the above mentioned. In fact, facing the recent situation before the US Government guidelines, those cooperative and nationalist feelings may be emerging. Therefore, that is the reason to do this statement about the opportunities that our country is turning up. This would incide in important economical, social and cultural benefits.

Conclusions about the measurements that may be followed in Mexico according to the Korean Model:

  1. The reinforcement to professional education, in order to upgrade the technology knowledge and assimilation during manufacturing.
  2. The incremental growing in R&D and innovation as consequence, introducing improvements and added value to the original technology for the licensors, creating new solutions that may be adapted to our country.
  3. Keeping focus in export, motivating the technology transfer practice in Mexico.
  4. The sustitution of technology imports with Mexican developments.
  5. Discarding foreign technologies once getting sustainable and national developments different from the originals.
  6. The international surveillance of the leaders technological development to preserve the competitiveness and keep up-dated information about the tendencies.
  7. The national and international funding based on technological, industrial and entreprenurial maturity level.
  8. The revision, improvement and adaptation to R&D and innovation policies by the system participants: Academy - R&D and innovation Institutions- Government – Industry - Entreprenurial sector.
  9. The development of the specific core technological sectors, working on the most relevant in the country. In Korea it were constituted R&D sectorial groups based on Government funding.
  10. The Government management of exchange rate, import duties and tax policies.
  11. The transformation of inventions into IP protected products, in technology transfer units, by the integration of mechanisms and different actors.

Footnotes

1_/ Data source: CUEVAS ESCOBAR, John Jairo, "El desarrollo industrial en Corea del Sur (1960-2010). Elementos explicativos y de politica. Un contrapunto a la experiencia colombiana." (Trabajo Final presentado como requisito para optar al título de Magister en Ciencias Económicas). June 2012, Colombia

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