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This study determines whether or not firms can achieve high productivity growth through external technology acquisition. It also identifies the key factors affecting adopting firms' productivity growth by employing the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) methodology, which features computational ease, low data dependency, and decomposition of productivity growth into technical efficiency change and technical change. Results showed that the effects of productivity growth arising from technology transfer became stronger over time. Moreover, patent transfer guaranteed firms' productivity growth, but no evidence was found that factors such as age and size could increase productivity. Finally, cultural similarity could be another factor conditioning the effectiveness of technology transfer in the productivity of adopting firms.