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過去傢俱業的產業價值鏈，大多採取專業分工模式。近年來，傢俱業整體產業經營環境開始產生轉變，導致國內傢俱業的外銷市場受到嚴重威脅，更重要的是，隨傢俱產業逐漸走向高級化、精緻化及多樣化，傳統廉價大量生產模式的傢俱業，已漸漸被取代。因此，台灣傢俱業者已逐漸體認到技術整合與技術升級的重要性。近來許多傢俱業者開始紛紛從專業分工模式，轉為朝向上、下游整合的經營模式，從專注少樣多量轉為多樣少量的生產模式。個案公司在本身資源相對不足的情況下，再加上為了加速回應市場變化的速度，以及提高對消費者的服務價值，即藉由虛擬垂直整合模式，間接減少消費者交易成本，策略性的採取上、下游虛擬整合模式，提供全方位的整合性服務。本研究即探討個案公司如何架構更具彈性的新興商業模式，有效進行產業價值鏈的整合，架構一個整合各方資源的虛擬平台，維持經營彈性，同時探討虛擬垂直整合模式的可行性及成功要素。 / The value chain of furniture mostly appears professional job assignment in the past years. Recently, furniture industry changes in operating environment caused export market to be seriously threatened. Furniture industry had transferred mass production mode into sophistication and diversity. Therefore, Managers with furniture industry have become conscious that technology integration and upgrades are very importance. Besides, many managers transferred specialization mode into up-and downstream integrated business model. In this paper, the case company which is relative shortage of resources adopts up-and downstream integrated business model to provide total solution services in order to response to changes in the market. The paper discusses the issue of how to build up a new business model, integrate value chain and creative a resources pool of virtual platform. Finally, the feasibility and success factors of virtual vertical integration are also discussed.

The research objective of this dissertation is to investigate the impact of institutional arrangements, with respect to vertical integration and cooperation, on competitive advantages within the commercial printing industry, with specific focus on digital printing. This dissertation comprises six research papers, based on four qualitative case studies and a quantitative survey study, all carried out in Sweden in the years 2004-2008.The results show that vertical integration is a way to achieve competitive advantages in the commercial printing industry and is a widely used strategy in Sweden. Being able to contract full service companies is appreciated by customers to printing houses, especially direct customers, due to their need for a supplier of complete solutions for printed matters. Consequently, a vertically integrated company can provide value added services which makes it possible for customers to minimize their organization regarding production and purchasing of printed matters. Other reasons for vertical integration are the need to ensure fast deliveries to customers and having a steady supply of appropriate jobs. Despite the believed strategic importance by the industry, the results show that the level of vertical integration has no significant impact on profitability. Vertical integration is strategically important for digital printing houses in order to develop their business because digital printing allows for fast deliveries, on-demand printing and variable data printing. Despite the commoditization of printed matter, the findings indicate that the industry, in general, focuses on providing a high service level even though it means having to set higher prices. Furthermore, the results point toward that this strategic positioning is beneficial for digital printing houses because they experience a lower degree of competition and a lower price pressure.Vertical integration can, however create inflexibility due to ownership and employment. The findings suggest that cooperation can be used to achieve fast access to valuable resources, such as production equipment and knowledge, and, hence, increase printing houses’ resource flexibility. Even though internal control of resources is regarded as important to be able to satisfy customers’ needs and produce customers’ orders on time, cooperation with partners can create similar strategic effects. Furthermore, cooperation can give cost and flexibility advantages compared to vertical integration by reducing internal need for production capacity and allowing access to complementary resources. Nevertheless, it is common to combine vertical integration with cooperation to create competitive advantages and make a company more flexible and dynamic toward market changes. / QC 20100827

Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to explore the impact that increased availability of digital distribution has on physical distribution. The focus is on the effects that digital distribution has on the value creating processes of game developers with regard to distribution alternatives, strategic networks and consumer interaction. Additionally we examine if there is a future for physical distribution of games in an increasingly digital market. Background: It is estimated that only the online gaming market alone will turn over more than $13 billion in 2013. In terms of market potential this means that video gaming has already surpassed the movie industry and is closing in on the music industry (Jöckel, Will & Schwarzer, 2008). Digital distribution is gaining ground in the game industry (Cook, 2012), and access to high-speed internet connectivity is also increasing at a rapid pace. This creates a choice for game developers to adapt their strategies to the new ways of distribution. The previous view of the market was a linear value chain where developers must use intermediaries to reach an end consumer (Williams, 2002). The network dynamics appear to have changed, consumers have an impact on development and there are more complex interactions between the actors in order to generate better value. Method: The thesis uses an exploratory qualitative research method by conducting semi-structured interviews with developers on how the distribution channels have changed. Secondary data concerning the value chain, networks, and value constellations and was gathered to support the empirical background of the market. Conclusion: The value chain has been reconfigured from the classical value chain to a value constellation as increased online availability has changed the distribution possibilities allowing reciprocal relationships and user co-production as well as disintermedation of middle-hands. Value is created for the game developers through three different paths in our own value constellation: portals, direct sales homepage, and through publisher. In all three paths consumers play an important role through user participation in the value creation through user created content and user feedback through community and fan-base activities.. Our conclusion is that the future of physical distribution in the current format is threatened by digital alternatives, and will likely be discontinued in the long run and/or radically changed to include more physical value adding content.

This volume contains contribution form the refereed “MobIS 2010” main program and selected papers of its tracks. The conference on information systems modeling was held in Dresden September 15-17, 2010. The guiding theme for MobIS 2010 focused on modeling topics between model-based management and component and service engineering.

The goal of this dissertation was to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between supply chain structure and the pursuit of a sustainability-driven corporate strategy. The literature indicates that in order to pursue a sustainability-focused strategy, an increased level of integration across the supply chain is required. However, there are also industry-level dynamics that impact observed levels of vertical integration. That is, some industries are naturally more integrated than others based on the maturity level of the industry. Thus, some firms may experience opposing forces regarding their sourcing strategies once they choose to pursue a sustainability-focused strategy. To explore this potential tension, it is first necessary to objectively measure vertical integration. Several methods for measuring vertical integration exist; however, all of these methods rely exclusively on economic data. These measures might overlook other forms of integration that might be enacted, such as the development of stronger social ties. Thus, this research will seek to utilize a novel method that makes use of social network analysis to assess integration among firms in a supply chain along social dimensions. This dissertation 1) determined the correlation between having a vertically-integrated organizational structure and pursuing a sustainable supply chain strategy by identifying if sustainability-focused companies (SFCs) have a more vertically-integrated organizational structure than their counterparts that are not pursuing such strategies, 2) examined the evolution of supply chain structure as a company becomes more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable over time, and 3) defined the social ties between SFCs and their first- and second-tier suppliers to understand if they develop stronger social ties as a potential substitute for pure vertical integration. This dissertation is comprised of four main parts. In the first part of the dissertation, I compared three recently developed vertical integration indices based on consistency and ease of measurement. The three vertical integration indices studied were empirically tested on companies in the U.S. Medical Devices Industry and the limitations of each are discussed. Our analysis suggested adoption of the Fan and Lang's method. In the second part, I examined the vertical integration level of environmentally sustainable and non-sustainable companies. I empirically examined the vertical integration level of 144 sustainability-focused companies in 9 different industries. The results demonstrate that sustainability-focused companies in the Medical Devices Industry and the Industrials Industry tend to have more vertically integrated organizational structures than their industry competitors that are not pursuing such a strategy since these two industries are production oriented and they have closer relationships with their suppliers. In the third part, the objective was to understand how the organizational structure of sustainability-focused companies changes over time as the companies become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. I applied trend analysis to the sustainability and vertical integration level of the companies. Our sample consisted of 10 sustainability-focused companies from the industrials industry. I used the content analysis of annual reports to calculate sustainability development scores, and applied the Fan and Lang's method to determine the vertical integration level of the companies. The study results demonstrated an increasing trend in both vertical integration and sustainability development of industrial industry companies over a 15-year of period. Furthermore, the companies became more vertically integrated as their environmental, economical, and social sustainability increased. Finally, in the fourth part, I developed and empirically tested a theoretical model that examines the supplier relationships of sustainability-focused companies (SFCs) to understand if these relationships are substitute to a vertically integrated organizational structure. Furthermore, I tested if SFCs are more socially connected to their suppliers compared to non-sustainable companies (non-SFCs). An online survey instrument was utilized for data collection. The empirical findings of path analysis demonstrated that SFCs establish long term relationships, collaborate, transfer know-how and experience, and create strong-ties with their first and second-tier suppliers to have an organizational structure that is substitute to a pure vertical integration. Findings further revealed that SFCs are connected to their first and second tier suppliers with stronger social ties compared to non-SFCs. Results support the natural transaction cost economics and natural resource based perspectives. Our study results should be useful to researchers and managers who are interested in corporate sustainability behavior.

People with moderate intellectual disability often have communication difficulties and are in need of augmentative and alternative communication, AAC, to replace lacking speech and/or language comprehension. It is imperative that support in the form of AAC is found in the environments where everyday interactions occur. The purpose of this paper was to investigate how the placing of picture-based AAC affects communicative behaviour among participants in a day centre. An intervention was made where communication pictures were moved from walls to hang from the belt of staff members. The effects were registered through behavioural observations of four participants both before and one week after the intervention. The behaviours observed were agitation, apathy, motor anxiety and the usage of signs and pointing. A simple sign test showed changes in expected directions (e.g. reduction of apathy or increased usage of signs) for half of the twenty completed observations. In only one case could negative results be observed while nine observations showed no change in the measured behaviours. There were considerable individual differences among the participants. Two of the participants showed little or no change in their behaviours, while two reduced the non-appropriate behaviours apathy, agitation and motor anxiety in favour of pointing to communication pictures and usage of signs. The conclusion drawn in this paper was that placing of communication pictures can have positive impact on the ability to communicate in individuals with moderate intellectual disability.

p. 1 - 113 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-01-22T19:13:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 7777777.pdf: 1232092 bytes, checksum: 7b9e08ab715c4b3409549aedd67d5395 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-01-22T19:13:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 7777777.pdf: 1232092 bytes, checksum: 7b9e08ab715c4b3409549aedd67d5395 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / As mudanças ocorridas no mercado econômico do Brasil e do mundo fizeram com que as empresas buscassem posicionamentos diferenciados perante seus concorrentes. A indústria petroquímica brasileira nos últimos oito anos começou a seguir a tendência mundial do setor de buscar a integração da cadeia produtiva. O presente trabalho tem como finalidade analisar os efeitos da fusão Copene-Braskem na relação de fornecimento de matéria-prima às empresas petroquímicas de segunda geração sob a perspectiva da teoria dos Custos de Transação. Porém torna-se necessário, para o entendimento do presente trabalho, trazer informações sobre o Ato de Concentração, seus pareceres, notas técnicas e objeções, bem como um breve apanhado da evolução da industria petroquímica brasileira e dos principais motivos que levam empresas à integração vertical. A metodologia aplicada foi exploratória, com procedimentos de estudo de caso e abordagens qualitativas e quantitativas. Os procedimentos desenvolvidos demonstraram que a empresa pesquisada no estudo de caso apresentou dados relevantes para explicar os resultados alcançados. Dentro do referido contexto, foi explicitado, através de modelos estatísticos, o comportamento dos preços de propeno, eteno e tolueno que acompanham a variação de preço de suas fontes de fabricação bem como da tarifa de energia elétrica média industrial. Comprovou-se também o aumento de custo dessas matérias-primas após o ano de 2004 e concluiu-se que ocorreu aumento do custo de transação para a empresa estudada pós fusão da Copene com a Braskem. / Salvador

Submitted by Isabela Cahú (icahu@embratel.com.br) on 2009-07-13T17:42:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabela Cahu - Biblioteca.pdf: 797404 bytes, checksum: fab962ae5496badd4016fa45a6de60aa (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vitor Souza(vitor.souza@fgv.br) on 2009-07-14T18:24:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabela Cahu - Biblioteca.pdf: 797404 bytes, checksum: fab962ae5496badd4016fa45a6de60aa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2009-07-14T18:24:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabela Cahu - Biblioteca.pdf: 797404 bytes, checksum: fab962ae5496badd4016fa45a6de60aa (MD5) / A presente tese busca analisar as relações entre as estruturas de produto e custo e a verticalização mediante a aplicação da teoria microeconômica básica. Verificamos que os pacotes de canais ofertados ao consumidor podem ser explicados através de 3 efeitos: Discriminação de Preço, Complementariedade entre grupos de canais e Dispersão da propensão a pagar entre grupos de canais. Dentro das hipóteses indicadas acima, identificamos que a renda do consumidor, o estímulo ao consumo de um canal avançado mediante o consumo de um canal básico e/ou a dispersão da propensão a pagar justificam a estratégia de oferta mediante pacotes de canais de televisão. Constatamos que o mercado de TV por Assinatura é caracterizado pelo elevado poder de mercado associado à infra-estrutura de distribuição (custo fixo alto), e que a verticalização entre as empresas da cadeia produtiva do mercado audiovisual é um fenômeno comum desse mercado. Identificamos, ainda, que é possível existir práticas discriminatórias mediante imposição de limites ao uso de redes de distribuidora por programadoras rivais. Entretanto, a Integração Vertical pode ser motivada por questões de economias tecnológicas ou ganhos de integração de monopólios sucessivos que levam a ganhos de eficiência econômica no mercado e não configuram, portanto, práticas discriminatórias. Ao analisarmos os principais modelos para análise da estrutura de mercado, identificamos que o papel do custo fixo é determinante para a estrutura do mesmo e o número de firmas no mercado não determina a eficiência.

The EU has been promoting unbundling of the transmission grid from other stages of the electricity supply chain with the aim of fostering competition in the upstream stage of electricity generation. At presence, ownership unbundling is the predominant form of unbundling in Europe. However, the benefits of increased competition from ownership unbundling of the transmission grid may come at the cost of lost vertical synergies between the formerly integrated stages of electricity supply. The policy debate generally neglects such potential costs of unbundling, yet concentrates on its benefits. Therefore European cross-country evidence may shed some light on this issue. This study helps fill this void by empirically estimating the magnitude of economies of vertical integration (EVI) between electricity generation and transmission based on a quadratic cost function. For this purpose we employ novel firm-level panel data of major European electricity utilities. Our results confirm the presence of substantial EVI, which put the policy measure of transmission ownership unbundling into question. (authors' abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series