The Approach

The second source of information, in importance, are the catalogs. With respect to technical information specialist, very few companies were found to have an organized system of consultations. 73 percent of companies do not have information centers and internal documentation, only 6 percent outside consulting services, and links with scientific laboratory are very sporadic and limited. Draws attention to the small number of companies dealing systematically searching for information about your competition, as this should be considered a vital aspect to compete under conditions of openness. The fact reminds us of the participant, to Venezuelan companies, the physical attributes of efficiency are considered the main variables for the acquisition of machinery and equipment, whereas the less important criteria are those related to human resources. While 73 percent of companies said that production capacity was the primary endpoint in the acquisition of machinery and equipment, only 22 percent said the chances of staff training as a criterion for evaluation. These results suggest that the approach to acquisition of "technology by most firms put greater emphasis on the recovery of the elements of production capacity -" tangible "- which in those elements related to the technological capabilities of human resources – "intangibles" -. However, these were the problems most often mentioned in connection with the acquisition of machinery and equipment. Own practice in relation to the problems encountered when purchasing machinery and equipment reiterates the importance of factors associated with the acquisition of technological capabilities of human resources, of course, without taking away the due importance of the physical attributes of production capacity.