How to use this book -- Operation management -- Product and services innovation -- Mechanism to ensure service and product quality -- Purchasing -- Interaction with suppliers -- Marketing management -- Market segmentation -- Value proposition -- Site selection -- Market entry barriers and the relationship with competitors -- Interaction with customers -- Human resource management -- How to determine the number of people in an entrepreneurial team -- Talent demand -- Task assignment and job arrangement -- Staff training and expert consulting -- Entrepreneurial team members and their past experience -- Interpersonal network of the entrepreneurial teams -- Financial management -- Income and cost -- Venture financing -- Hot topics -- Entrepreneurship -- Internet business -- Business plan
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize the measures of intellectual capital (IC) of e‐learning service companies that ultimately influence firms' competitive advantages.Design/methodology/approachThrough focus group interviews, content analysis, and the analytic hierarchy process, this paper identifies five dimensions and 15 indicators to measure the IC of e‐learning service companies in Taiwan.FindingsThe findings and prioritization of ICs can help the e‐learning companies to understand the critical success factors that facilitate gaining their competitive advantages in Taiwan.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus of this paper is only on e‐learning companies located in Taiwan, thus the results cannot be generalized to all e‐learning companies. Additionally, only five main dimensions are identified from the study, there is a possibility that this study does not cover all the important dimensions of IC of e‐learning companies.Practical implicationse‐Learning companies can use the IC measurement tool developed in this study to detect IC weaknesses and strengths. Moreover, e‐learning companies need to re‐consider the portfolio of their IC that make e‐leaning more competitive in industry.Originality/valueThis paper finding contributes to the present body of knowledge and also highlights IC dimensions that can provide a reference for e‐leaning companies to develop favorable strategies for achieving their goal of enhancing competitive advantages.
PurposeR&D consortia as a new R&D cooperative form flourished in Japan, the USA, and Europe and can be regarded as a major tool for promoting industrial technological innovation and enhancing industry competitiveness. Inspired by R&D consortia in advanced countries, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland seek to develop the cooperative R&D mechanism in their own distinctive contexts. The purpose of this paper is to identify the patterns of their formation and development and to reveal the dynamics of R&D consortia (termed "public technological platforms" – PTPs) in the Chinese mainland) to give some implications for other developing countries that try to model the cooperative R&D policy for their own technology catch‐up programmes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides an explanatory framework for analyzing how Taiwan and the Chinese mainland seek to develop R&D consortia based on comparative analysis and case study.FindingsR&D consortia in Taiwan and PTPs in the Chinese mainland have unique structural characteristics with their common catch‐up goals and have been developing in different ways reflecting the relationships and interaction between academia, industry, and government. The effectiveness of R&D consortia is largely determined by the institutional arrangements including goal setting, organizational arrangements, and government involvement.Research limitations/implicationsFurther analysis of R&D consortia and PTPs would be required to form empirical studies based on the collection of more extensive data.Practical implicationsThe key to R&D consortia/PTPs' success is how to devise institutional arrangements to ensure effective cooperation between academia, industry, and government and to implement certain technology strategies effectively.Originality/valueThis research contributes by identifying the differences in development of Taiwan R&D consortia and Chinese mainland PTPs and by revealing their evolutionary process.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to elaborate the reason behind a sustainable guanxi network through the introduction of the collaborative strategy in the Taiwanese shoe industry.Design/methodology/approachLiterature review in the area of Chinese business culture, and guanxi network is used to elaborate the information obtained from the company.FindingsThis paper highlights that the belief of sincerity and trustworthiness has refined to the organization culture that supports the sustainability of Taiwanese guanxi network. Besides, the transaction cost theory, resource‐based view, and specific relationship investment has become a hinder strategy for Taiwanese organization to maintain the business relationship. This paper introduces an interesting collaborative strategy between three parties, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier, the machinery manufacturer, and the end‐user (the branding). Although there is no direct business flows between the end‐user and the machinery manufacturer, the specific relationship investment between these two parties are tight and cannot be separated. This has ensured the proper business flows between the OEM supplier and the end‐user as well as the OEM supplier and the machinery manufacturer.Originality/valueThis paper illustrates that a guanxi network is not sufficient to ensure a long‐term business relationship to be established. Indeed, the organization culture as well as the consideration on the transaction cost and resources from each party does have a great impact on the collaboration relationship to be successful.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the integration of information technology (IT) systems and the strengthening of customer service to raise business competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachThe case company uses IT systems to integrate customers and suppliers. In this paper, both are interviewed about how they work together for the development and operation of IT systems. A grounded theory approach is followed to develop the theoretical framework from the empirical evidence.FindingsThis research regards the whole machine industry as having the following influence, beginning with the related innovation business model. Previously, most machine tool companies played the role of product manufacturer, making high‐quality products the goal. This research indicated that not only can Taiwan manufacture high‐quality products but also that it can create product design and support a global localization service to the world.Practical implicationsIn this paper, information architecture planning is designed to strengthen the bonds between the clients and the company.Originality/valueThis paper may help global companies concerned with the development, support, and operation of IT systems to look beyond the systems of their collaborative working to consider the effect of supporting a localization service in their systems.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare aggregate differences in perceptions of supplier‐customer relationship structures of managers in the USA and Taiwan.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies used a survey method to assess graduate student perceptions of supplier‐customer relationships. Those graduate students had been responsible for managing business exchange relationships in their previous positions. The surveys were administered at different times in executive MBA classes at a major US university and a major Taiwanese university. An analysis was conducted to understand similarities and differences in relationship perceptions between US managers and Taiwanese managers.FindingsDifferences exist between US and Taiwanese managers' perceptions of their supplier‐customer relationships. This indicates that US managers and Taiwanese managers differentiate among such relationships. However, the application of those differences may be unique to the nature of the business environments in the USA and Taiwan.Practical implicationsManagers should be careful when negotiating between US and Taiwanese firms to insure that they do not make decisions about how they anticipate the other party will view the supplier/customer relationship based on generic cultural assumptions. In addition, Taiwanese managers may be better able to classify their relationships into common groups than US managers, indicating that US managers may be less likely to try to segment their suppliers or customers into different groups for development of interaction and negotiation strategies. In addition, this research demonstrates a critical need for future comparative studies to assess relationship perceptions from other parts of the globe. The lack of similarities between the responses of the US and Taiwanese managers indicates potential differences in supplier/customer relationship perceptions around the world. This becomes critical for improved understanding of how interactions and negotiations (as well as the development of operating strategies by firms) should occur in global exchange.Originality/valueThis research offers initial insight into the importance of understanding relationship perception differences based on global business operations. As the world becomes "flatter," managers from around the globe will need to understand how those perceptions differ for development of effective negotiating strategies between suppliers and customers.
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to develop a model not only for determining the key factors in selecting optimal international express suppliers, but also for extracting the priority strategic suggestions of management for international express suppliers.Design/methodology/approach– The proposed model comprises two parts. The first part identifies suitable criteria for evaluating international express supplier by reviewing studies from 1989 to 2009, after which the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to determine the relative weights of the criteria. The second part adopts grey relational analysis to extract five priority managing strategies from which 16 strategies are developed based on three concern factors derived from the first part.Findings– The results show customers' top three concerns when selecting international express companies. In addition, the results show the five priority strategic suggestions to international express suppliers.Research limitations/implications– The research has two major limitations. First, this study was conducted using a sample of companies operating in Taiwan. Thus, other countries such as Japan and South Korea should be examined in future research. Second, this study focuses on the application of fuzzy AHP techniques to identify key selection criteria and service strategies of international express suppliers. Other important aspects, such as performance evaluation and performance prediction in the selection of international express suppliers, were not involved in this study because of the limited research scope.Originality/value– The proposed model helps international express suppliers enhance their competitiveness and raise their customers' satisfaction.
PurposeBased on the first part of the service profit chain, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between 11 spiritual management tactics and determinants of turnover intention.Design/methodology/approachA survey on managers and manufacturing employees is conducted. Later, the grey relational analysis to process the data is used together with the multi‐criteria‐weighted average in the decision‐making process to identify degree of relatedness between spiritual management and determinants of employee turnover intention.FindingsThe paper finds that a difference in perception between managers and employees exists with regard to appropriate spiritual management tactics; the former put more emphasis on the tangibles aspects; and the later on the intangibles.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is an exploratory research; so there is lack of other empirical studies in this area, more work needs to be done in regard to reliability and validity of measures of spiritual management. The authors suggest cultural comparison to be studied, to see if those 11 spiritual management tactics has the same effect on employees' turnover in different cultural environments.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that conducting appropriate spiritual management will benefit from reducing employee turnover and then increasing the firm performance.Originality/valueThis paper offers some concrete management suggestions both for the academy and the practice, especially in the new era of conceptual age.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the recycling business in Taiwan as well as its impacts on the collection, environment, economy, and society, providing a good example of setting up an efficient national paradigm.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes an alternative policy of dynamic rate of recycling fee as Taiwan's current recycling system is not beneficial to spurring design for environment (DfE).FindingsThe paper demonstrates that this improvement will indeed result in changes for entrepreneurs and manufacturers toward green design and financial benefits for flourishing the recycling industry.Originality/valueRegardless of the progressive success for the current system in Taiwan, a flat rate recycling fee scheme possesses limited inspiration to promote the concept of DfE. In addition to existing literature, the proposed dynamic recycling fee policy demonstrates the increased level of DfE engagement.
