Host-country market environment, intra-firm technology transfer performance and corporate sustainability: A conceptual study

Technological innovations have emerged as crucially significant factor for sustaining market competition and
achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the 21st century. The Multinational Corporations (MNCs) as
celebrities of innovation play significant role in diffusing technological knowledge throughout firms both
nationally and internationally. Although numerous studies exist on technology transfer the majority of existing
literature addresses the issues related to inter-firm transfer of technology only while the area related to intra-firm
transfer of technology has been largely underexposed; study of which is believed to be ideal for fruitful
exploration of profitability in technology transfer projects. By exploring the existing relevant literature, the
current study would attempt to posit a new model in regards to the effect of host-country market factors on the
performance of technology transferred by the MNCs and its subsequent impact on corporate sustainability. In the
present study the relative influence of two market environment factors of the host-country, competitive intensity
and market dynamism have been focused on and the study is thereby expected to contribute both theoretically in
the body of knowledge and also in terms of practical implication for policy makers and MNCs and hence
enriching the existing intra-firm literature simultaneously.