Low-risk opportunity recognition from mature technologies for SMEs

It is common that SMEs recognize low-risk technological arbitrage opportunities in mature technologies, enter the global market, and occupy significant market shares. This opportunity is characterized by imitable technology complexity, market insignificance for oligopoly companies, and technology maturity. We propose a new and systematic method to recognize the most appropriate low-risk technological arbitrage opportunities for SMEs. The four-phase opportunity recognition procedure consists of technology complexity analysis, market appropriateness analysis, technology maturity analysis, and organizational fit analysis using empirical measures and analytic tools. An illustrative example of a company searching for technological arbitrage opportunities in semiconductor equipment is provided.