Users evaluate and assign value to products regarding several factors, one of which is design attributes. The attributes can provide certain consequences, which can, in turn, serve to users&rsquo / desires or ultimate goals in life. Value is attributed regarding the desirability of the sequential chain of attributes, consequences and goals. Considering value creation for the users as designers&rsquo / main responsibility / they should focus on how these chains are shaped while designing products. This study mainly concentrates on this relation between design attributes, the consequences these attributes provide, and the ultimate goals of users these consequences satisfy. Three main types of consequence and user goals, which are together called as value types, are identified in the literature: pragmatic, experiential and symbolic. How these value types can be provided by design attributes is examined both with literature review and a research on users&rsquo / pre-purchase value assignment to portable digital audio players. The research on portable digital audio players is conducted using laddering technique. After the interviews with 30 respondents, the value types identified in the literature review as pragmatic, experiential and symbolic value are supported by the data / and and an extension is suggested within the subgroups of experiential value. The salient design attributes that are valued at pre-purchase, and outstanding relations between designed attributes, consequences and user goals are identified.

A Study on the Development and the Analysis of Competitive Advantages of Semiconductor Industries across Taiwan Straits Abstract Semiconductor Industry, as frequently referred to as ¡§sangyo no kome¡¨ or ¡§the rice of industries¡¨, plays a critical role in providing most value-added components to all sorts of digital electronic products, and thus, is also the ideal and priority industry to many countries. Taiwan has achieved an important position in the wave of disintegration in global semiconductor industry after its development for tens of years. And it will continue to be substantial to Taiwan¡¦s economic growth and nation¡¦s competitiveness in the foreseeable future. Lately, two noteworthy incidents brought about our attention to the issue of their impacts on the pace of continuous evolution of Taiwan¡¦s semiconductor industry; the former being the WTO accession of both Taiwan and China, and the latter China¡¦s endeavor fostering its semiconductor industry. This paper first studies the characteristics and status quo of global semiconductor industry, as well as that in Taiwan and China. It then explores the impact of WTO accession and three related international agreements on the semiconductor industries on both shores of Taiwan Straits. This study continues to analyze the difference in the intensity of industry competitiveness between Taiwan¡¦s semiconductor industry and that of China, making use of five kinds of analysis models. The author found that the combinational use of Value-Chain Analysis and Diamond Analysis (plus the concept of Clusters) is most suitable and complete for this purpose; the former can be used to judge the relative competitiveness between two industries (with properly defined indices), and the later can be complementarily used to understand the sources of competitiveness, and competitive position, of an industry at certain location. This article also predicts the changes in terms of industry competitiveness, and the scenario of connections and interaction, between Taiwan¡¦s semiconductor industry and that of China in the 5-year future. Within every analysis attempt, suggestions are also made as references to authorities and industry leaders for policy making and strategy formulation.

According to China Credit Information Service Ltd.¡¦s classification, Taiwan¡¦s women underwear industry is under the ¡§Apparel¡¨ category. The women underwear industry has developed from 1950¡¦s, and now is in a mature period with high entry barrier. Under the ¡§Oligopoly¡¨ market structure and well-developed domestic distribution system, there are seven leading firms--competing in product¡¦s design, fashion and shop ladies¡¦ service based on good on-job education and training with each other. Foreign rivals¡¦ emulating in the industry also prompted domestic firms developing international competence. Because of mounting up in production cost in Taiwan and low-end products dumping from China and South Asia after signing up for WTO, many firms sought to build ¡§International Division of Labor System¡¨ and engage in overseas production to make cost cut down and improve the industry competitive position effectively. This research adopts the qualitative exploratory study method. The first, author collected an amount of domestic and foreign relative references, including industry yearbooks, books, professional reports, journals, magazines and newspapers as the secondary data. Then, author interviewed three firms and formulated these materials by which author can understand the business operation situation and the industry¡¦s competition model. In order to explore the competitive advantage of Taiwan's women underwear industry, author implemented consumer behavior analysis, analysis of Porter¡¦s ¡§structure of five competitive forces¡¨, ¡§value chain¡¨, and Porter's ¡§concept of crystal model of national competitive advantage¡¨. Finally, we drew up the competitive strategies to the industry and the government for further improvement by SWOT analysis. Those competitive strategies will be include ¡§Production Innovation Strategy¡¨, ¡§Market Development Strategy¡¨, ¡§International Strategy¡¨, ¡§Cost Minimize Strategy¡¨, and ¡§Relative Advantage Strategy¡¨.

Abstract It starts to use Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VA/VE) in USA, but it is enhanced & glorified in Japan. It¡¦s obvious that VA/VE has contributed to adding profit for the past 50 years. Not only VA/VE, Industry Engineering (IE) and Quality Control (QC) are called as the three main management technologies of business, but also VA/VE is considered an efficient instrument of reducing cost. VA/VE is introduced to Mainland China later than Taiwan, but the achievements in Mainland China are more brilliant than Taiwan. It has introduced VA/VE to Taiwan for 30 years. It is popular to be utilized in Construction Industry and the Construction Engineering of Government, but most of small and middle size enterprises are not active in introducing VA/VE. It is to be regretted. It had found most of the issued cases for VA/VE are subjected to construction engineering. There are just few cases subjected in other industries. And the related papers focus on discussing the construction industry, it is hard to find discussing in other provinces especially in target costing, purchasing, service, business process and value chain. They just existed the theories, but lacked of real issuing from VA/VE. It found the theories just emphasize the individual flow. They didn't associate with the whole value chain and lack of combining with other reducing cost methods. They often fail in popularizing VA/VE, because they can't catch the key successful factors adequately. For the above reason, the study reviews the regarded papers, and regulates the references to find the comparison of carrying out situation in the world. Then it will direct to study the application and development of VA/VE in the Taiwan transportation industry. Firstly, it will examine the achievement of pushing VA/VE in the study case of individual company. Then, it will indicate the key successful factors and the future perspectives of VA/VE action from the experience. Finally, it will provide conclusion and suggestion in the end of this study. It will supply the company in every industry a whole and systematic basis of developing VA/VE no matter what new product developed in certain or full stages. This study will show the following results: 1. You can find the theory and method of using VA/VE in transportation industry from this study especially in target costing, customer satisfaction, service, business process reengineering and value chain. If you can use VA/VE well, you will promote the effect of cost reduction. You can find VA/VE has provided a popular measurement and method in this study and make the customer value connect to competitive strategy, product design, product manufacture and supplier procedure. You can combine VA/VE with other methods, for example target costing, tear down, business process reengineering etc, to make more value of customer and less cost of manufacture. 2. This study provides a whole real company case to show VA/VE effect. It can give the other companies for reference when they want to use VA/VE. It will reduce the groping time and error risk. 3. This study provides a VA/VE management structure and a management cycle in pushing VA/VE for the transportation vehicle industry, in order to ensure that every procedure can be carried out and obtain expected effect. 4. This study has summed up 10 key successful ways and future perspectives from the case study in pushing VA/VE. It will give the other companies for reference in promoting the VA/VE effect and opportunity of success. The main purpose is what we want to remind all the Taiwan industries to concern about "Value Management" that has been a new trend of the world.

This study is to discuss the business investment strategy risk management model. The enterprise could identify, analysis the investment relative risks and establish the contingency strategy to management the risks in accordance with this model. This study selects the third generation digital mobile communication system to be the research objective. The business investment strategy risk management model could identify the investment strategy position of the industry value process in accordance with the value chain and cash flow. And the model could provide the framework and relationship of the relative risk variables through the risk variable system diagram. This model builds the scenarios of the industry and analyses different situations of the industry for forecasting the contingency strategy of the business. The contingency strategy is established for business implementing risk management of the high technology and high-risk investment. The 3G system is underling the high-level uncertainty status. The risk is increased by high license price, high infrastructure cost, technology development delay and none killer application etc. This study suggests the 3G Mobil communication company should implement the risk management actions for following items: ¡´The user ratio of 2005 ¡´The difference of 3G and 2.5G products¡C ¡´The competitive of system supplier capability. ¡´The supply chain of add-value service. ¡´Competitor status and strategy. ¡´Globe political and economic situation. This study suggests the business should implement the risk management model when it processing the high technology and high-risk investment. This model provides the risk identification, measuring, analysis, evaluation process and follow-up contingency strategy. The business could effectively manage the risk and ensure the competition by the model.

Abstract Since 1990, the scientific and technique are progressing fast, especially for information technique field is advancing day by day and year by year. It makes the business environment changing quickly. The advance of 3C technique, economic integration for international and blocking, global market and competition, it makes so much challenge and crisis. In highly competitive environment, ¡§speed¡¨ is based requirement. Enterprise should go through ¡§process innovation ¡§ method to progress business competitive ability and to control the market. After Internet Network is invented and developed, the management concept of ERP (enterprise resource planned), SCM ( supply chain management ) and CRM( custom relation management ) leads the full newly competitive environment. During this newly competitive environment stage, the business how to make more better competitive advantage is the subject of this study. There are two main subjects for this study: 1. Analysis the key factors for competitive advantage of steel business and set up the model of competitive ability evaluation. The index for competitive ability evaluation include¡G¡]1¡^Growth¡]2¡^Profitability¡]3¡^Financiality¡]4¡^Stability¡]5¡^Activity¡]6¡^Productivity. 2. Set up the model for process innovation of steel business. According to evaluated model, analysis and compare 14 main companies in the steel world. The 3-best competitive ability companies are: Nucor steel is first, Thyssen Krupp company is 2nd, and 3rd is China steel company. Conclusion: 1.Competitive ability of steel company is not related to company size. 2.¡§ Process Innovation ¡§ is best tool to improve the competitive ability. 3.Want to make value, it should follow the trend of age pulse and catch up it.

From the perspective of contingency theory, this study investigates the governance change of the organization value chain between upstream and downstream firms in three most important high-tech industries in Taiwan: PC, semiconductor, and TFT-LCD. Many scholars and experts have thoroughly studied governances of value chains. Their findings are valuable to the competitiveness of organizations and industries. However, most of them are focused on the Western industries. Very few studies are based on Taiwanese industries. Besides, most of these researches on the characteristics of Taiwanese organizations and industries emphasize the flexible production collaborative networks and the quick responses of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Even fewer studies have recognized that Taiwanese high-tech industries have evolved into large integrated business groups. This study complements previous literature from a different perspective. Employing case research method, this research has interviewed 20 experts that are familiar with the operation of these three high-tech electronic industries. It is found that all PC, IC and TFT-LCD industries adopted network models at the emerging stage. When these industries getting matured, however, the IC industry adopted the market model, while the PC and TFT-LCD industries moved to hierarchy models. Using Boolean method, this study has reached four major findings for Taiwan¡¦s high-tech industries: 1. The industries¡¦ governance of organization value chain moved toward the personal network model at the emerging stage due to technology uncertainties, relatively high profitability and not enough capital munificence. 2. The industries¡¦ governance of organization value chain moved toward the impersonal network model at the emerging stage due to technology uncertainties, low complexity of technology, relatively high profitability, and enough capital munificence. 3. The industries¡¦ governance of organization value chain moved toward the market model at the mature stage due to technology certainties, enough capital munificence, high complexity of technology and relatively high profitability. 4. The industries¡¦ governance of organization value chain moved toward the hierarchy model at the mature stage due to technology certainties, enough capital munificence, low complexity of technology and relatively low profitability. In the concluding chapter, this thesis presents management implications and future researches based on this study.

­^¤åºK­n At the beginning of the 1990s, our government has invested aggressively into the field of Semiconductors and at the same time provided many opportunities and trainings for the professionals. This has enabled for the top professionals to excel in their respective field of work thus cultivating many outstanding manufacturers for the industry. Today, majority source of the automation equipments in the field of Semiconductors remains largely imported. These preferences lead to a higher cost ratio and cost effectiveness and has provided an uneven playing ground for our native corporations ready to take the overseas player head-on. Hereby, this report will focus on the nature of the product life cycle of the field to provide an insight to a suitable business and service model for our native corporations specializing in the mid and backend of Semiconductors to conform to the rigorous demand of the industry. The report also looks into individual corporations¡¦ competitiveness and their current roles in the supply chain for the industry. Their strategy and business model will be discussed and recommendations provided to improve their current practices to fulfill the evolving markets. The proposals and recommended business model can also be applied to other industries where the electro-optical industry and the next highly anticipated environmental friendly products industries could be adopt in the near future.

Steel industry is highly connected to a lot of industries. In year 2007 Taiwan steel industry is the third industry, after warfer and electronic industry, which achieved hundred billion NTD in total years¡¦s revenue. Taiwaness downstream industries, unlike Japanese and Korean, are mostly owned and managed by small and medium companies. Steel pipe is a long- hollow shaped material, massively adapted in fluid transportation, such as pretrolem, natural gas, water and steam etc. It is also heavily used in mechanic maching and structure engineering. This study focuses on API ERW carbon steel pipe industry in Taiwan. Analysis of pipe manufacture industry strategy is made upon the basis of theories like value chain, competitive strategy and game theory. Moreover, interviews with professionals and specialists are held to collect experiential wisdom regarding management and core competence ability. In another word, theory analyses together with interviews lead to the conclusion of competitive characteristics. Also, illustration of strategic competitiveness forming in CHS provides a practical example. How to evaluate the core competitive ability in Taiwan API ERW carbon steel pipe industry when facing global competition, that depends on every company¡¦s unique global strategy. To sum up, this study describes and analyzes the current state of API ERW carbon steel pipe industry in Taiwan and summits the proposal of competitive strategies by taking CHS as an example.

圖書出版產業的競爭態勢激烈，是由來已久的問題，就以實際的數據顯示，2004年申請登錄ISBN的新書，種類就高達39713種，可是能在像是金石堂這樣的連鎖書店販售的新書，卻只有23195種；同時，在這二萬多本的新書中，能夠獲得消費者認同與購買的書更是少之又少。就是在這樣的環境中，圖書出版產業該如何生存，成為一個很重要的課題。 圖書出版其實就是藉由文字傳遞作者想要表達的情報，藉以創造利潤的產業。因此，穩定持續比快速週轉重要；要能穩定推出有品質且保障銷售的圖書，例如長銷書以及暢銷書，並建立健全完善的商品規劃與行銷方式，出版社才能有生存的機會與空間。現今出版產業分工清楚，從發行、編輯、業務、行銷、以及印刷管理各功能，都是獨立運作，可是創造出銷售良好的暢銷書，是必須從整體的觀點去審視，透過彼此合作與整合，降低資源浪費或是閒置的問題，產生最大的效益。本研究即以價值鏈各部份做為討論基礎，藉由調查出版從業人員，將市場暢銷書的成功特徵，加以歸納成為成功模式，試圖說明與預測暢銷書所需具備的要件。 圖書產業之價值流程，主要分為「市場資訊蒐集」、「圖書編輯與設計」、「圖書印刷」、「圖書宣傳與發行」、「圖書儲存銷售」、「圖書售後服務」，其各項目都包含了許多項目與因素。藉由因素分析，將價值鏈中『市場資訊收集』歸納出「作者創造需求」與「迎合社會議題」二因素；『文字編輯與設計』則有「內頁呈現與設計」、「書籍內文」、以及「書名與封皮」三因素；『圖書宣傳與設計』是「行銷手法運用」、「市場曝光度」以及「擁有通路力量」。在獲得因素選項後，帶入區別分析與邏輯迴歸模式中，進一步分析何者能成為解釋暢銷書成功之影響因子。 以不分類書種而言，「書名與封皮」、「行銷手法運用」與「市場曝光度」是最後萃取出的重要價值活動，這是導因於目前出版書種過於氾濫，為了讓書籍增加銷售率，出版業者必須讓消費者第一眼就能對書籍有好感，並且配合各樣的行銷方式，利用活動(如：參與書展、研討會等)與廣告，增加書籍在消費者的曝光率，成為市場之暢銷書機會就大增。一般而言，文學類書籍應該是會著重在「書籍內文」，分析結果卻應著重在「行銷手法的運用」，說明消費者對內文接受度已廣泛，如何把書的特性與魅力告訴消費者，才是文學類書籍的銷售的重要條件。受限於財經企管類書籍專業性程度不一，導致進入可能會有障礙。因此，成功之財經企管暢銷書籍，要能在「書名與封皮」給予很親近消費者之名稱，並透過「廣告」與相關議題「活動」之舉辦，向讀者介紹該本書之內容與實用性，增加購買意願。