Final answer:
As an international sales representative, Mai is likely to see technology influence the industrial supply company by either enabling a larger number of small, internationally-reaching firms, or by giving rise to 'winner-takes-all' scenarios with a few large dominant players, similar to the effects of trade seen as innovative technology.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mai, as a new international sales representative for an industrial supply company, will learn that the strategy focusing on technology as a selling feature can greatly influence the size and competitiveness of firms. On one hand, this technology might allow for a proliferation of smaller firms with international outreach capabilities. On the other hand, it may contribute to creating dominant, market-leading companies. It can also facilitate improved management and coordination among diversified operations, potentially leading to larger companies with extensive operations.
The concept of using foreign trade as a form of innovative technology might, for a company like Technotron, mean that other local competitors may struggle, as importing can be seen as disruptive as the introduction of a new scientific technology. Hence, Mai will observe that in an economy where technology and international trade are conflated, the impact on the industry's structure, and the responses of policymakers and business strategists, will be substantial and multifaceted.