Comparing Developing Countries’ Policies for Technology Acquisition in the Oil Industry through Multinational Corporations: A Critical Success Factors Approach

Mahdi Zarei; Mehdi Mohammadi; Tahmoures Sohrabi

Authors

Mahdi Zarei PhD Student, Department of Management, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7415-8977
Mehdi Mohammadi Associate Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0215-8755
Tahmoures Sohrabi Department of Management, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5127-1132

Keywords:

Technology Transfer, Multinational Corporations, Critical Success Factors, Technology Acquisition Policies, Technological Spillovers, Technological Cooperation

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the technology-acquisition policies adopted by Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria through multinational corporations and identify applicable strategies for strengthening technology transfer and technological development in Iran’s oil industry. A comparative qualitative design was employed. Critical success factors for international technology transfer were identified through a review of previous studies and specialized interviews with more than ten experts in oil-industry technology and science and technology policymaking. The identified factors were analyzed thematically and classified into four domains: technology-provider factors, technology-recipient factors, interorganizational cooperation factors, and technology-related factors. Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria were selected according to similarities in oil and gas infrastructure, development level, geopolitical and social conditions, and information availability. Their technology-acquisition strategies were extracted through thematic analysis and subsequently mapped against the identified critical success factors based on expert judgments regarding each strategy’s potential contribution to successful technology transfer. The comparative analysis indicated that successful technology acquisition cannot be achieved through petroleum contracts alone but requires an integrated combination of contractual and non-contractual mechanisms. Effective policies were inferred to depend particularly on strengthening absorptive capacity, developing domestic technological capabilities, supporting research and development, promoting university–industry collaboration, facilitating cooperation between multinational and domestic firms, developing skilled human resources, establishing supportive financial and regulatory mechanisms, and separating operational responsibilities from policymaking and regulatory functions. The comparison further indicated that coherent technological strategies, stable regulations, institutional coordination, and endogenous technological development are essential for transforming multinational-company participation into sustainable technological spillovers. Iran’s oil industry requires a coherent technology-development strategy that moves beyond an operational production-oriented model toward capability building, absorptive-capacity development, institutional specialization, stable regulation, research–industry integration, and systematic utilization of multinational corporations and other technology providers.

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