| Rising in our country in the1990s, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) mode had become a magic weapon f the survival of a large number of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, helping our country win the title of "world’s factory". As global competition intensifies, the disadvantages of our OEM enterprises gradually emerged, such as, weak value-added capacity and competitiveness. Most enterprises are in the low end of the global value chain, only marginally profitable and seriously lack of power for development. Therefore, the current key of our OEM enterprises is to master the R&D and independent innovation capabilities gradually through learning, in order to achieve functional upgrading and establish own brands. The main content of this study is just to make a thorough inquiry that how OEM enterprises transfer knowledge from advanced multinational corporations, thus absorb and create the knowledge, while implementing technology innovation strategies to promote the functional upgrade of the enterprises.From the point of view of the global value chain (GVC), this paper reviews relevant literature about the functional upgrading path of our OEM enterprises, and then builds a theoretical framework of OEM enterprises’ functional upgrade basing on knowledge transfer and technology innovation. Then the paper uses multiple case study method and selects three companies as samples. First, the three cases are analyzed individually, using time series analysis and critical incident technique to sort out the functional upgrade activities and to generalize the behavior of knowledge transfer and technology innovation. Secondly, the paper uses cross-case clustering analysis and pattern matching method to develop horizontal analysis of the samples, including the common features and the differences of the upgrade activities between samples. Finally, according to the results of case studies, this paper revises and improves the theoretical framework of OEM enterprises’ functional upgrading, knowledge transfer and technology innovation.The major conclusions are as follows:Firstly, our OEM enterprises usually follow the upgrade path as "OEM process upgrading--ODM product upgrading--OBM functional upgrading". Actually, the OEM model is not single; enterprises always combine a variety of modes to adapt to the company’s development.Secondly, enterprises should take appropriate knowledge transfer behaviors and technology innovation strategies at different upgrading stages. At OEM process, enterprises are mainly in the knowledge acquisition process, and could take process innovation, imitation innovation even collaborative innovation mode. At ODM process, enterprises are mainly in the knowledge digestion process, and could take product innovation, collaborative innovation even independent innovation mode. At OBM process, enterprises are mainly in the knowledge innovation process, and could take product innovation, independent innovation or collaborative innovation mode.Thirdly, the industrial characteristics could have a great impact on the effects and methods of upgrading. Technology-intensive enterprises should focus on improving the ability of R&D to achieve the deeper product upgrading of ODM; as for OBM upgrading, technology-intensive enterprises should avoid direct competition with brand manufactures, or stepping into another relevant areas relying on the core product advantages to achieve cross-sector transformation, or improving the abilities of brand operating through mergers, acquisitions, and other forms of cooperation. Labor-intensive enterprises should focus on enhancing the capabilities of brand operating and channel building to promote OBM upgrading; moreover, enterprises could develop localized business while in OEM mode, taking both OEM and OBM modes, thus could use OEM business to promote OBM business and ultimately achieve the international OBM mode. |
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