Assessment of the Iranian Electronic Sectors' Tendency to Use university- based Research and development Initiatives: using Multi attribute utility Method

With the globalization of the economy and rapid changes in technology, the economic competetion between the countries in macro level and among companies is micro level in intensified and has changed in nature. In this competitive state, only those companies are able to survive which enjoy relative advantage in compared to their international competators. Such completive advantage can only be achieved through the development of technological abilities as input, and technological innovation as output, and this can only be achieved through continuous and effective learning. In other words, continuous learning and improvement of knowledge is the necessary factor in the survival of any economy within the globalization process. Economies obtain their needed knowledge through 1) research and development within the company, 2) fiancing research in universities,3) obtaining the license from abroad,4) reverse engineering, 5) leaning by doing in practice. In this article, the tendency of electronic companies in Iran to obtain knowledge through the above ways are investigated using the method of multi attribute utility. The results show that while the overall tendency of these companies to obtain knowledge is low, they have higher tendency to obtain knowlege through research and development within the 'company and university research respectively.