Technological Transformation in the Global Pulp and Paper Industry : Concluding Remarks

Abstract

The volume has provided us with illustrative, well-documented case studies of technological transformation in the global pulp and paper industry. The research has focused on the roles played by the availability of technology, knowledge, investments, and raw materials on the one hand and demand characteristics on the other, within local, regional, national and transnational organisational frameworks. It has dealt with the relationships between technology transfer, technology leadership, raw material dependence, and product variety on a global scale. The investigation has followed the tradition of in-depth and rich historical descriptions based on primary sources and secondary literature. The research was motivated by the realisation that analysing the evolution of the global pulp and paper industry using a comparative method is a very revealing way of exposing its complexities and identifying some of the challenges it is facing today. This concluding chapter briefly summarises the key findings of the research and outlines potential avenues for pursuing future research.