Abstract Networks are a general feature of Taiwan¡¦s industry. Alongside rapid developments in technology, the island¡¦s industrial structure is being transformed; at the same time, new approaches to administration and management are developing. Hi tech industries are playing a vital role in Taiwan¡¦s economic growth, and this thesis aims to uncover the network characteristics of these industries. The thesis uses the extensive literature available today as the source material for analyzing and comparing the industrial and network characteristics of both traditional and hi tech industries. Three important underlying factors are presented in this thesis; together, these factors help to understand the differences between network characteristics in traditional and hi tech industries. Our research into the characteristics of networks in hi tech industries revealed some interesting results. Firstly, we found that these networks are more elastic, and better able to react to changes in the business environment than traditional networks. Secondly, we discovered that job status in hi tech industries is generally less obvious, more equal and more fluid. Thirdly, existing personal connections still play an important role in hi tech industries, but are less important than in traditional businesses. Networks in hi tech industries have inherited many characteristics of the traditional network; however, as the industrial environment has changed, so networks within hi tech industries have developed many interesting characteristics which differ from traditional industrial networks in important ways.

The small and medium enterprises have been recognized as the main factor for the economic miracle in Taiwan. With fading ¡§dot com¡¨ companies and global economic depression, Taiwan academia, industry and government authorities have worked hard to propose numerous suggestions as well as policies, hopefully to build the competitive strength on the international trade market. High-tech industry is expected as the most significant part in the twenty-first century where knowledge and technology play the essential roles. Such industry also pertains high risks because of the fast changing technology. Hence, the innovation spirits of enterprises that continuously dedicate to technological R&D enable them to react the dynamic market efficiently. This study proposed several influent factors for enterprise performance. Three independent variables are enterpreneurship, technology strategy, and external network: the enterpreneurship includes innovativeness, risk taking, and proactiveness; the technology strategy refers to pioneering, internal R&D, external sources, patenting, and forecasting; in addition, the external network means the external linkages of the enterprise, such as consultants, alliances, association, financial institution, research institution, and government. Performance was measured by subjective perception containin sale growth, market share, ROI, and profitability. This study adopts questionnaires to collect data. Eight hundred and forty-four questionnaires were mailed to CEOs of Computer manufacture companies and IC manufacture companies in Taiwan. After one month, eighty-two responses were received. After statistic analysis, the results are: (1) those firms that stood for more than ten years or have more than 200 employees showed better performance; (2) several factors showed significant positive correlation with performance, including product innovativeness & risk taking in the entrepreneurship, pioneering & external sources in technology strategy, and research institution & government, alliances, and association in external network; (3) entrepreneurship, technology strategy, and external network were mutually positive correlated. Finally, based on the research findings, this study proposes conclusions and suggestions for managers or entrepreneurs in the directions of strategy planning and decision-making. Keywords¡GEnterpreneurship, Technology Strategy, External Network, Performance, High-tech Firms

This thesis studies innovation networks, R&D spillovers, spatial spillovers, productivity growth and associated adjustments in Taiwan high-technology industries. A dynamic production modeling is built up to estimate R&D and its spillover effects among and within high-technology industries to study the dynamic effects of inter-, intra-industry R&D and spatial spillovers and exogenous technical changes on output growth for Taiwan high-technology industries. The thesis involves analysis of R&D spillover effects among and within high-technology industries to study the dynamic perspectives of the innovation diffusion. As leading high-technology and network expand the horizons of economic agents¡¦ production possibilities and decisions, the spillovers between productive entities are likely to be of increasing importance in the knowledge-based economy. Understanding these productive inter-dependencies, and their potential to motivate various types of spillovers require modeling and measuring their existence and impacts. We provide a conceptual and empirical framework for measuring and evaluating various types of spillover mechanism, which allows us both to quantify the cost-effects and evaluating the contribution to productive performance. We explore the temporal, spatial, and industrial spillovers using a dynamic cost function model that explicitly parameterizes the spillover weights and econometrically estimates them. We extend the dynamic external spillover model framework, described in Tsai and Chen (2001), which assumed that each firm derives an optimal plan so that the expected present value of current and future costs stream is minimized. First, we study the spillover effects in the dimension of industry considerations and geography. Second, to identify all kinds of spillover sources, to assess the spillover processes, and to evaluate the contributions of such inter-dependencies in productive performance we incorporate the concept of spillover ratio into the industry dynamic model. The temporal, intra-industry, inter-industry, and spatial R&D spillovers are distinguished and, in doing so, provide a richer account of innovation, learning and the means which are encouraged by geographical proximity.

Nowadays, outsouring is quite popular and acceptable in business usage. In recent years, HR outsourcing has become a popular and known knowledge , and outsourcing on training is one of important strategies in HR outsourcing. However, the related academic research on the training outsourcing is as limited as a virgin field. Therefore, this study will evaluate if businesses use training outsourcing to achieve human resource flexibility and upgrade the organization performances, and to understand how the High-Tech Industry uses it and its affects . This study uses 40 data of Hsin-Chu Science-Based Industrial Park companies from both questionnaire form and interview survey in order to understand the usage status, usage reason, its problem and key successful factors of the training outsourcing on the High-Tech Industry. From the returned questionnaires, we found that 100% of the companies implement ¡§Training¡¨ and 95% of the companies take training outsourcing, but also found that the degree of training of outsourcing is not so popular as its usage status and most of companies prefer to do it by themselves. In addition, we also found that the demand degree of training outsourcing is much higher on the specific profession course than management and general training. The result shows the companies are required to use outside vendors for specific profession. According to the result of statistic analysis, we examine Hypothesis 1 and find the amount of staff and revenue are positive related with training outsourcing and are also positively affected , so it shows if the business scope is smaller, the degree of the training outsourcing will be higher. The result of Hypothesis 2, Human Resource Flexibility also positively affect the training outsourcing, especially the functional flexibility which meant as the degree of Flexibility is higher, the degree of training outsourcing will be also higher. The result of Hypothesis 3, training outsourcing is only positively affected to the organizational performance of ¡§ deducted Staff cost¡¨. According to the result of the interviews, we found the main reason that high-tech industry uses training outsourcing is due to lack of interior professional speaker; to strength the learning opportunity and experience of staffs to get-in the required professional skill and knowledge from the outside provider and to improve the competition ability; to improve the training quality and no specific department to take charge of training. The main problems for training outsourcing are the contents of training cannot match with the staff¡¦s need, the factor of outside speaker and what the staff learned from outside course cannot practice on the jobs. The role of Human Resource people during outsourcing play the administration service role, and sometimes can also play the strategic role, but in just a few cases. So, the result shows the training outsourcing is not quite the important mission in a company and still in a low level job. The key factor to make outsourcing successful is the cooperation and profession from the outside vendor, the support of high-level manager, the contents to match with the business strategy and goal , and the contents can match with the need of staff and company.

This research focuses on training bundles, nonstandard work arrangement and their relationship in high-tech industry, and the conclusions are listed as follows, 1. Training bundles and training effectiveness Training practicability has a positive impact on employee productivity, company profitability, innovation and reduction of employee turnover rates. Training institutionalization has a positive impact on employee productivity and company profitability. Rather than reducing employee turnover rates, training has the greater positive impact on employee productivity. Furthermore, larger organizations have higher level of training practicability. 2. Nonstandard work arrangement in high-tech industry As the data showed, over 80% companies ever had nonstandard work arrangement in 2002, and in the companies that had such arrangement, fixed-term hires and subcontractors were mostly used. To adjust for business fluctuations and reduce administrative workload are first two reasons why companies use nonstandard work arrangement. Limited head count and personnel cost saving are also important factors to hire nonstandard workers. In particular, cost saving is the most important factor for companies to use subcontractors. About the occupational structure, most nonstandard workers are either present in the position of administration or production. Only subcontractors are most present in the service occupations such as janitors, cleaners or caterers. With regard to personnel cost saving, compare to using dispatched workers, part-time workers and fixed-term hires are more helpful to reduce the personnel cost. 3. Training bundles and nonstandard work arrangement The result indicates that the level of training bundles can not be the determinant of using nonstandard work arrangement. Besides, we found that organization size has a positive effect on using nonstandard work arrangement, fixed-term hires, dispatched workers and subcontractors.

Improving throughput in the B. Tech. Nursing Sciences programme is a complex issue as not only the theoretical but also the practical component and undefined inner strengths of the student influence success. The purpose of this article is to report factors in the prospective students’ social background, their perceptions of nursing and nurses and their motivation that could influence their academic success in the first year of study. The research design was contextual, qualitative and exploratory. Triangulation of data gathering methods was obtained by using two instruments, a targeted selection interview and a written instrument. Data analysis was done through Tesch’s approach. The results indicate that prospective students perceive a nurse to be functioning from the affective domain, and that they judge themselves to be strong in the affective domain. The cognitive domain was rarely mentioned (7%). Due to the myths regarding the nursing profession, the profession continue to attract students who are interested in the myth and not the reality.

This study explores how student participation in the development of a school computer-network (SCN) motivated students to learn and promoted service and collegial relationships in the school. Students participated in a Technology Leadership (TL) community and engaged in activities that were central to the development of the SCN. The research examines the co-evolution of the SCN and student activities and the relationships between TL students and the school. In the study, data on students' experiences in the TL program came from non-participant observation, conversations, semi-structured interviews and document analyses. Using a sociocultural perspective of identity construction and informed by Lave and Wenger's notion of participation in a community-of-practice, with actor-network approaches, the analysis of the data showed that student level of engagement increased when the activities were relevant to their in-school and out-of-school technology experiences, or to their future career goals. Program participants provided technical support to the SCN and taught what teachers and students wanted to learn at a time when they needed to know it. In so doing, these leadership students moved towards greater technical expertise, improved interpersonal skills and increased leadership responsibilities as demonstrated by the availability of improved technical support services in the SCN. As newcomers to the TL community gradually advanced to full participation and old-timers became computer consultants to the school before they eventually graduated, the TL community was subjected to a continual process of renewal in terms of participants. With progressive student participation and with translations of diverse technology actors, the services the SCN provided to the school improved. Over time, the SCN's technical character changed and the relationships of service and collegiality between TL students and the school were enhanced. Thus, both participants and the school realized educational value. The implication for curriculum and pedagogy of discipline-based courses is that if students are to be attracted to school initiatives and retained, the curriculum and its delivery need to increase opportunities for students' changed relationships with the school community to take place, and for student participation in a relevant community-of-practice that is responsive to students' future aspirations.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2004. / Title from thesis evaluation sheet; title page is lacking. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-49).