Systems approaches for the industrial development of a developing country

Abstract

The development of an industrial system is a complex and dynamic process. In developing countries, industrial development is even more complicated because it involves the interactions of domestic firms and multinational corporations (MNCs), the role of the government, and the development of technology. Both MNCs and the government play the role of providing the resources and the environment for the development of industrial systems. This study discusses the viewpoints of ecological systems and system dynamics to summarize the analysis of the development of Taiwan's automobile, semiconductor, and national defense industries. In addition, an evolutionary perspective is used to examine the development of the information technology and semiconductor industries. The results show that different systems viewpoint provides different insights into industrial development. Therefore, more diverse systems approaches are needed to further our understanding of the development of industrial systems.