The Institutional Domain of Technology Diffusion

Marketing implications of technological innovation have received considerable attention in the recent past. In this article, Mohan Reddy, John Aram, and Leonard Lynn suggest that the institutional scope for understanding technology diffusion, in addition to supplier and user organizations and industries, should include organizations that manufacture technological complementarities, institutions that possess vertical complementary assets, and the nonmarket sector. The nonmarket sector includes trade associations, professional societies, governmental agencies, independent research agencies, and public service organizations. The authors develop a set of propositions and discuss the implications of our framework for marketers of technical products.