Large firms’ non-core technology assets and their management potential

Over time, large firms accumulate many non-core technology (NCT) assets that are not utilized and not managed appropriately. Utilizing these assets is a daunting task for them. The extant literature, however, comprises limited studies on NCTs and their effective management. Scholars argue that firms can benefit substantially from their NCTs, yet practitioners lack the knowledge of how to reap this benefit. The objective of this study is to explore how firms can utilize their NCT assets through multiple ways. It proposes a process for managing NCTs based on the open innovation, technology transfer and knowledge management literature. It presents a framework and conceptualizes various potential paths and modes that large firms can adopt to maximize the benefits from NCTs. This study contributes to both theory and practice by exploring different alternatives and solutions for NCTs and opens promising avenues for empirical research for each path-mode.