Abstract Globalization and joint of WTO have made Taiwan government to speed up the opening of banking services. The banks in Taiwan are forced to modify their business models in order to increase their competitiveness, especially after the Financial Holding Company Law announcing. All dimension business models for banking industry has handicap for the needs of specific field. Hence, banks have to focus more on the market position and segmentation. Targeting and development of the regional central branch system is an innovation of business model for integrating the current operating system of local branch and organization. The central branch system is able to gather up resources and produce the effect of specialization Many banks have put central branch system into practice and have received significant achievements, although some banks hang back. Therefore, our study tries to analyze the performance of the central branch system by the seven dimensions business model, and proposes the operating strategies. From the reviews of literature we build up the business model theory, which guide our interviews to the five selected banks. We reach the following conclusion. 1. Route types and backup system play the key roles for operation of the regional central branch system. 2. Operating process has the secondary importance in our seven dimensions business model. 3. Technical innovation, surprisingly, is not important. 4. The viewpoints of the seven dimensions business model for senior and middle managers are slightly different for any single interviewed banks. However, for the comparison of these five banks, the viewpoints for all these senior and middle managers are very consistent. 5. Banks under financial holding company or not do not have different viewpoint. However, banks under financial holding company emphasize more on standardized and profound overall services. Banks not under financial holding company pay more attention on the depth and extent of their products. Keywords: consumer banking, the regional center of consumer banking, financial holding company, business model, competitive strategy.

s e-Commerce era has been brought into being, the call of ¡§disintermediation¡¨ comes to vogue, yielding overwhelming impact, in particular upon services provided by insurance brokers, agents and such ¡§production¡¨, ¡§transmission¡¨ oriented digital products. As insurance products and rates get liberalized after Taiwan became a WTO member, the insurance ¡§intermediates¡¨ must reconsider and innovate their business management strategies amidst harsh challenges of ¡§direct marketing¡¨ from insurance companies, ¡§integral and cross selling¡¨ and ¡§online website insurance¡¨ from financial holding houses. Only through such efforts can they cope with internal and external attacks, gain the room to survive and further develop ahead. The present study takes ¡§single research object¡¨¡XHo-An Insurance Agency to look into a variety of transforming strategies when a car dealer invests in large-scale ¡§property insurance agency¡¨. We have conducted the study and assessment by means of ¡§literature reorganization¡¨, ¡§interview¡¨, ¡§traditional strategic analysis theories, tools¡¨, ¡§digital traditional strategic analysis theories, tools¡¨ and ¡§market survey¡¨. With the results yielded out of the study, we first come to Ho-An¡¦s ¡§Generic Strategies¡¨ and ¡§Digital Strategies¡¨ and such orientations to come to the ¡§vision¡¨ of ¡§becoming the agent of agents¡¨. In line with the ¡§vision¡¨, we further three phases of Ho-An¡¦s ¡§integral transformation strategies¡¨ as ¡§virtual integration of insurance companies¡¨, ¡§establishment of transaction alliance¡¨ and ¡§development of multifaceted marketing channels¡¨. The business mode in counterpart with ¡§integral transformation strategies¡¨ is in two categories: ¡§Virtual insurance company alliance transaction center¡¨ and ¡§multifaceted marketing channels¡¨. In turn, we generalize the e-Business Model as: Establish ¡§vertical B To B integration, continual reinforcement of up- and down-stream integration¡¨; ¡§B To C: Look into policyholder-related information¡¨ as well as ¡§Horizontal B To B: Expanding industrial integration force¡¨, inclined to buyer-oriented e-Marketplaces. The very key to Ho-An¡¦s transforming strategies is to broaden the horizon of sales power from the ¡§car dealer¡¦s insurance division¡¨ gradually into ¡§reintermediation¡¨ transforming strategies. In substantial and virtual integration, we will combine the up- and down-stream firms into a whole to become intermediates with integral insurance service functions, positioning themselves with initial marketing powers to bring up added values to clients.

The term ¡§Fast Fashion¡¨ has been under the spotlight since the Zara Empire emerged. Zara is one of the clothing retailers under a Spanish textile design, manufacturing and distribution group, the Inditex Group. Zara accounts for 70 to 80 percent of Inditex¡¦s retail sales on average. The founder, Amancio Ortega, has become the richest man in Spain and also one of the world¡¦s richest people. Inditex has 3207 stores located in 63 countries all over the world up to the fiscal year 2005. Zara has made elite fashion accessible to the mass market and has decreased the lifetime of clothing by providing customers new clothes to pick out every five to six weeks. In other words, Zara has made trendy clothing become disposable stuff. Studies and the garment industry call this phenomenon-- ¡§Fast Fashion¡¨. This study aims at clearly defining ¡§Fast Fashion¡¨, and analyzing Zara¡¦s positioning strategy and business model. By analyzing Zara¡¦s unusual structure, this study comes to a conclusion that clothing retailers would need some resources and core capabilities to implement fast fashion positioning strategy. However, fast fashion positioning strategy is not necessarily a competitive advantage for every clothing retailer.

In 2009, GOOGLE with the brand value of 100 billion U.S dollars won the first prize of BrandZ Top 100 again. Brand investigation is not only popular in western countries, but also in Taiwan now. Management Magazine has carried out the investigation on consumers¡¦ ideal brand for 24years. More and more Taiwanese enterprises are proud of being in higher ranking, it means that Taiwanese enterprises begin to understand how important brand management for their business is and they are willing to invest more resources to build a brand. Moreover, enterprises take brand portfolio to compete with others. From literature review, business model would affect the content of brand portfolio, but there¡¦s no material to explain how to affect. Therefore, the thesis focuses on the relationship of business model and brand portfolio strategy, and considers the interference of consumer behavior, besides, the feedback of brand portfolio objectives is also concluded. The method is case study, and Shiseido, LEXUS and AGV are the subjects. After collecting and analyzing primary data from the interviews and secondary data, the results are: (1) Business model would affect the content of brand portfolio strategy directly. (2) The roles of brand portfolio strategy would affect the two elements of business model which are ¡§revenue resources¡¨ and ¡§sustainability ¡§. (3) Involvement would adjust the relationship of business model and brand portfolio strategy. (4) Accomplishment of brand portfolio objectives would benefit the two elements of business model which are ¡§capabilities¡¨ and ¡§scope¡¨.

全球行動支付交易金額預測將從2013年的2354億美元成長至2017年的7210億，年增率平均35%，而使用人口也將從2.4億增加到4.5億。另外，相較於亞洲其他國家非現金支付比例已高達五、六成，臺灣只有25%，顯示還有很高的成長空間。本研究透過Porter的鑽石模型比較美國、中國、台灣三國在行動支付領域的優勢與挑戰，同時透過Business Canvas拆解台灣行動支付平台廠商的商業模式，藉以了解台灣在行動支付領域的策略以及商業模式運作方法。 本研究的結論認為臺灣雖然在由於法律因素在行動支付市場業務上起步較晚，然而在技術取得面具有後發優勢。在需求面，臺灣的消費者準備度亦高，因此主要的挑戰在於產業鏈上待整合與國內內需低落，尚可透過跨境電商的方式取得突破。另一方面，台灣的廠商應該考慮選擇HCE而非TSM平台，同時思考如何吸引具有強大網路效應與平台效應的族群，並在國外廠商進入前搶先佈局。本研究屬初探性質，可作為未來研究行動支付相關研究之基礎。 / Global mobile payment market is forecasted to boom from 2.354 trillions in 2013 to 7.21 trillion in 2015, averagely at 25% annual growth rate. Compared to 50-60% non-cash payment in other Asian countries Taiwan only has 25% non-cash payment, which suggests high potential growth. This research conducted Diamond Model to compare the advantages and challenges in the domain of mobile payment in the U.S., China and Taiwan. Additionally, inspecting a Taiwanese mobile payment platform company by Business Canvas to understand business models and strategies in Taiwan. The conclusion of the research suggested that though Taiwan has slower development at mobile payment in consequence of legislation factor, it has the late-developing advantage in the acquisition of technology. In demand side, Taiwan also has high customer preparation, thus the main challenges are the integration of supply chain and limited domestic need, which could be overcome by developing international e-commerce. Furthermore, Taiwanese mobile payment companies shall consider adopt HCE platform instead of TSM platform, at the mean time find out how to appeal the groups with strong network effect and platform effect, and speed up deployment before international companies access to Taiwan. This research plays a role of advanced research in mobile payment, and could be a foundation for further related researches.

The Western world manufacturing industry is facing a tough global market today. The production is moved to developing countries, where the production costs are much lower. Big manufacturing companies like VOLVO, SKF and ABB are all following this trend. The tradition in the manufacturing industry is to produce and sell a product, where the best scenario is to never see it again. This tradition is starting to change and the focus of revenue from the whole product life cycle has increased during the last decades. When utilities the whole life cycle with different services the revenue increases drastically, there is a competitive advantage, a more stabile revenue flow in economic cycles, socio-economical and environmental sustainability. When increasing service orientation, there will be challenges to overcome, discovered on a conceptual level, thereby the research call for how these challenges can be seen at an operative level. The purpose of this thesis is to identify these critical factors and understand these at an operative level. This master thesis was conducted through a case study and used several data collection methods, such as interviews, observations and literature review. The empirical data was thematically analysed and categorized as different critical factors and compeered with the literature. The case company chosen for the thesis is the Rolls-Royce site in Kristinehamn, Sweden. They are in a process of restructuring, where the production is downsized. A “catch 22” problem was seen; when a manufacturer becomes more service orientated the aim is to generate a profit from services, meaning that a service needs a fee. But the possibility to put a fee on a service is hindered by the lack of service orientation within the manufacturing organisation. In this thesis increased service orientation is used to create a foundation for charged services. Critical factors on an operative level was identified and understood. Two new critical factors that were found to have an impact in this specific case were concluded. A general model of how to approach the problem of putting a fee on services, starting in the end of service orientation, is conducted. This gives an implication of how manufacturers can improve their service orientation and eventually set a fee on their free services.

This dissertation consists of three essays linking the business models of rating agencies to the rating decisions these agencies make as market intermediaries between buyers and sellers. The first study examines the link between a rating agency‟s primary revenue source and its rating decisions. Theoretically, rating payments could influence rating agency decisions or be counterbalanced by reputational rewards for rating accuracy. I explore this relationship in U.S. corporate credit ratings, where some agencies are primarily paid by bond issuers (sellers) and others by investors (buyers). Analysis of a balanced panel of 338 companies rated between 2005 and 2009 reveals that agencies produce differing ratings consistent with the preferences of their paying customers. Changes in buyer-paid ratings are more frequent and generally precede corresponding seller-paid rating changes. Seller-paid ratings are slower to incorporate negative information, particularly for rated firms in the financial services sector and firms with ratings above a critical grading cutoff. The second study complements the first by estimating the gap between the rating information disclosed by sellers and the information sought by buyers, again using evidence from U.S. corporate credit ratings. While seller willingness to pay for an additional rating is highly concentrated among a subset of relatively high-quality firms, buyers demonstrate more uniform interest in additional ratings for firms at all quality levels. This finding highlights an information gap among high-risk firms that is not a major focus of existing regulation. The third study focuses on rating decisions by government rating agencies, an alternative rating model to those examined in the first two studies. The empirical setting is Canadian film classification where the existence of multiple regional regulators has been justified by claims of variation in community standards. I find significant and increasing consistency in the regulatory decisions of these agencies, suggesting institutional isomorphism that brings into question the persistence of the parallel regional structure. Overall, these studies provide new empirical insight into the relevance of rating agency heterogeneity to firm strategy and policy. The findings may also be relevant to a variety of other settings involving information disclosure such as environmental impact and corporate social responsibility.

This dissertation consists of three essays linking the business models of rating agencies to the rating decisions these agencies make as market intermediaries between buyers and sellers. The first study examines the link between a rating agency‟s primary revenue source and its rating decisions. Theoretically, rating payments could influence rating agency decisions or be counterbalanced by reputational rewards for rating accuracy. I explore this relationship in U.S. corporate credit ratings, where some agencies are primarily paid by bond issuers (sellers) and others by investors (buyers). Analysis of a balanced panel of 338 companies rated between 2005 and 2009 reveals that agencies produce differing ratings consistent with the preferences of their paying customers. Changes in buyer-paid ratings are more frequent and generally precede corresponding seller-paid rating changes. Seller-paid ratings are slower to incorporate negative information, particularly for rated firms in the financial services sector and firms with ratings above a critical grading cutoff. The second study complements the first by estimating the gap between the rating information disclosed by sellers and the information sought by buyers, again using evidence from U.S. corporate credit ratings. While seller willingness to pay for an additional rating is highly concentrated among a subset of relatively high-quality firms, buyers demonstrate more uniform interest in additional ratings for firms at all quality levels. This finding highlights an information gap among high-risk firms that is not a major focus of existing regulation. The third study focuses on rating decisions by government rating agencies, an alternative rating model to those examined in the first two studies. The empirical setting is Canadian film classification where the existence of multiple regional regulators has been justified by claims of variation in community standards. I find significant and increasing consistency in the regulatory decisions of these agencies, suggesting institutional isomorphism that brings into question the persistence of the parallel regional structure. Overall, these studies provide new empirical insight into the relevance of rating agency heterogeneity to firm strategy and policy. The findings may also be relevant to a variety of other settings involving information disclosure such as environmental impact and corporate social responsibility.

The purpose of this report was to identify the current waste management of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste in a few Swedish construction companies, based on the different steps in the waste hierarchy with a focus on waste prevention, reuse and recycle. Additionally, the purpose was to attempt identifying opportunities, obstacles and as well as to propose possible solutions from an environmental perspective. The method used was a qualitative study using interviews conducted through emails and phone with employees occupying positions that could answer this reports questions. The results of this report indicates that waste management of construction and demolition waste has improved, and less waste goes into landfills. The concern is that the overall amount of waste being produced is not decreasing, thus calling for actions preventing the production of waste. Construction companies are relatively inexperienced dealing with waste prevention, however, they have embraced the challenge and set out ambitious goals. Further, it can be argued that a solution to raise the level of waste recycling and reuse can be achieved through a more detailed sorting process onsite, which can lead to an increased resource-efficiency. Obstacles to this solution was allocated to a lack of time and space onsite in order to ensure an efficient sorting process. The conclusion is to continue advocate for waste prevention and implementing 100 percent sorting of waste material onsite in order to prevent further negative environmental impact.

The aim of this thesis was to increase understanding of King company success in the social mobile game industry by asking the question: How does a company manage to organize the innovation work in successful casual games within social mobile gaming industry? In order to answer it, we conducted a case study research with secondary data in which we examined the company to discover the elements that contribute to this success, despite a lack of research in how these kind of companies build their business model and strategies, highlighting the players' behaviour. Our findings conclude it is possible to success in social mobile game industry using incremental innovation in different aspects: games design, implementation of the games, and in the business model.  By applying this innovation, with a good viral strategy and giving the player the decision to play by free or purchasing virtual goods, King has been able to become the largest developer game company on Facebook.