台灣高科技公司一直以來，在OEM/ODM領域有卓越的表現，隨著毛利逐步被壓縮之際，越來越多的我國廠商終於認知到，透過自有品牌（OBM）的建立是提升企業價值很重要的方式。但是，若要由OEM/ODM 跨入OBM，台灣廠商最缺乏的莫過於對「市場知識」的了解。本研究藉由對神達公司（近幾年內自有品牌Mio掌上型電腦/PDA上快速發展至全球前三大）的深入個案研究，探討「市場知識」的產生與能力建構之議題，並得到以下結論： 1、市場知識的來源似乎是很多元的;而對於剛採自有品牌策略之廠商的初期階段來說，似乎是較不完整的。 2、從事代工為主要業務型態的廠商，轉向發展自有品牌初期時，影響其市場知識來源的因素，受到內部因素(組織既有核心能力)影響及牽制的成分較多。 3、從事代工為主要業務型態的廠商，轉向發展自有品牌初期時，對其在取得完整市場知識的思考與運作上有所阻礙。儘管如此，組織既有核心能力對其所需要的部份市場知識仍有所助益。 4、企業在發展自有品牌的過程中，在取得市場知識與建構市場知識能力上似乎展現出「學習」的歷程。而在市場知識能力與行銷能力的建構上似乎又與高階主管的態度以及組織相關的管理有關。 5、除了本研究將「市場知識」定義為「關於顧客與競爭者的有系統、有意義且有用之知識」。從個案中發現，市場知識除了顧客與競爭者之外，其他環境因素也相當重要，例如政府的管制、社會文化的趨勢、科技的改變的趨勢等。 6、台灣資訊硬體製造能力，若能結合數位內容的創意，透過軟體與硬體的結合，似乎能創造更有價值和差異化的產品並創造更大的競爭優勢。 / Most of the high-tech corporations of Taiwan have remarkable performances in the OEM/ODM fields. Due to the compressing gross profit, more and more corporations realize that building own brand is a very important way to promote the enterprise value. However, if they want to make strides from OEM/ODM to OBM, the most deficient thing is the understanding of “Market Knowledge”. Through the case study of “MITAC international corp.”, we discuss the issue of the creation and the construction of ability of “Market Knowledge” and obtain the following conclusions. 1、The sources of “Market Knowledge” are diversified and they can be obtained by many different ways. For the new entered corporations in the OBM field, their sources of “Market Knowledge” are less complete at the initial period stage. 2、At the initial period stage of the OEM/ODM corporations in transformation to OBM, the factors which affect the sources of “Market Knowledge” are more affected and limited by the internal factors: the “Organizational Core Capabilities”. 3、At the initial period stage of the OEM/ODM corporations in transformation to OBM, they have the hindrance of the thinking and operation of obtaining the complete “Market Knowledge”. But, the “Organizational Core Capabilities” still can give some help in getting partial “Market Knowledge”. 4、In the process of obtaining “Market Knowledge” and establishing “Market Knowledge Capabilities”, there seems to be having some processes of “Learning”. And at the part of establishing “Market Knowledge Capabilities” and “Marketing Capabilities”, there seems to be having relationships with the senior managers’ attitudes and organizational management. 5、In this research, we define the meaning of “Market Knowledge” as the systematical, meaningful and useful knowledge which is about the customers and competitors. But from the case study, we find that “Market Knowledge” is not only about the customers and competitors, other environment reasons also have important impacts on it: the restrain of the government, the tendency of the society culture and the changes of technology. 6、If the OEM/ODM corporations can combine their hardware manufacturing capability with some contents of software, it seems a good way to them to create more values, more diversified products and more competition advantages.

Research and Development engineering is at the corner stone of humanity’s evolution. It is perceived to be a systematic creative process which ultimately improves the living standard of a society through the creation of new applications and products. The commercial paradigm that governs project selection, resource allocation and market penetration prevails when the focus shifts from pure research to applied research. Furthermore, the road to success through commercialisation is difficult for most inventors, especially in a vast and isolated country such as Australia which is located a long way from wealthy and developed economies. While market leading products are considered unique, the actual process to achieve these products is essentially the same; progressing from an idea, through development to an outcome (if successful). Unfortunately, statistics indicate that only 3% of ‘ideas’ are significantly successful, 4% are moderately successful, and the remainder ‘evaporate’ in that form (Michael Quinn, Chairman, Innovation Capital Associates Pty Ltd). This study demonstrates and analyses two techniques developed by the author which reduce uncertainty in the engineering design and development phase of new product development and therefore increase the probability of a successful outcome. This study expands the existing knowledge of the engineering design and development stage in the new product development process and is couched in the identification of practical methods, which have been successfully used to develop new products by Australian Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Excel Technology Group Pty Ltd (ETG). Process theory is the term most commonly used to describe scientific study that identifies occurrences that result from a specified input state to an output state, thus detailing the process used to achieve an outcome. The thesis identifies relevant material and analyses recognised and established engineering processes utilised in developing new products. The literature identified that case studies are a particularly useful method for supporting problem-solving processes in settings where there are no clear answers or where problems are unstructured, as in New Product Development (NPD). This study describes, defines, and demonstrates the process of new product development within the context of historical product development and a ‘live’ case study associated with an Australian Government START grant awarded to Excel Technology Group in 2004 to assist in the development of an image-based vehicle detection product. This study proposes two techniques which reduce uncertainty and thereby improve the probability of a successful outcome. The first technique provides a predicted project development path or forward engineering plan which transforms the initial ‘fuzzy idea’ into a potential and achievable outcome. This process qualifies the ‘fuzzy idea’ as a potential, rationale or tangible outcome which is within the capability of the organisation. Additionally, this process proposes that a tangible or rationale idea can be deconstructed in reverse engineering process in order to create a forward engineering development plan. A detailed structured forward engineering plan reduces the uncertainty associated with new product development unknowns and therefore contributes to a successful outcome. This is described as the RETRO technique. The study recognises however that this claim requires qualification and proposes a second technique. The second technique proposes that a two dimensional spatial representation which has productivity and consumed resources as its axes, provides an effective means to qualify progress and expediently identify variation from the predicted plan. This spatial representation technique allows a quick response which in itself has a prediction attribute associated with directing the project back onto its predicted path. This process involves a coterminous comparison between the predicted development path and the evolving actual project development path. A consequence of this process is verification of progress or the application of informed, timely and quantified corrective action. This process also identifies the degree of success achieved in the engineering design and development phase of new product development where success is defined as achieving a predicted outcome. This spatial representation technique is referred to as NPD Mapping. The study demonstrates that these are useful techniques which aid SMEs in achieving successful new product outcomes because the technique are easily administered, measure and represent relevant development process related elements and functions, and enable expedient quantified responsive action when the evolving path varies from the predicted path. These techniques go beyond time line representations as represented in GANTT charts and PERT analysis, and represent the base variables of consumed resource and productivity/technical achievement in a manner that facilitates higher level interpretation of time, effort, degree of difficulty, and product complexity in order to facilitate informed decision making. This study presents, describes, analyses and demonstrates an SME focused engineering development technique, developed by the author, that produces a successful new product outcome which begins with a ‘fuzzy idea’ in the mind of the inventor and concludes with a successful new product outcome that is delivered on time and within budget. Further research on a wider range of SME organisations undertaking new product development is recommended.