商業生態系統中利基者策略之變遷：以資訊安全軟體公司爲例(1986-2000)

Niche Players' Strategic Changes in the Business Ecosystem: The Case of Information Security Software Firms (1986-2000)

郭國泰(Anthony Kuo) ； 司徒達賢(Dah-Hsian W. Seetoo) ； 于卓民(Chwo-Ming J. Yu)

《輔仁管理評論》 17卷2期 (2010/05) Pp. 1-38

https://doi.org/10.29698/FJMR.201005.0001

摘要

長久以來，策略變遷研究學者們對於策略變遷如何影響企業績效，一直有著分歧的看法。主要原因在於過去相關研究僅針對特定的時間與情境，來探討局部的現象，同時也忽略了廠商主動塑造環境的作爲與廠商之間互動的影響。學者們不斷呼籲應有更多基於整體觀的動態與跨時研究，來探討策略變遷的過程。本研究因此選擇以「一群相互連結、共同創造價值與分享價值的企業」爲研究對象的「商業生態系統」觀點，針對以往相關研究較不受到重視的利基型廠商作爲研究對象，來探討成功的利基型廠商如何動態調整其策略，改變和其他廠商的互動關係，以求得長久的生存。
本研究以探索性個案研究方法，探討成功的資訊安全軟體公司在1986年至2000年之間調整策略的動態過程。研究主要發現，成功的利基者能及時參與新興的商業生態系統，並察覺商業生態系統「演替」（亦即「消長」）的現象，進而調整參與的重心，將核心事業轉向較具潛力的商業生態系統，或轉移借助的對象。其次，成功的利基者也能充分借助關鍵者的各種資源，包括技術、夥伴、聲譽，並透過學習，運用關鍵者的知識來提升組織的能力。此外，成功的利基者都能建立以自己爲中心的「商業生態次系統」，以提升自己的影響力。
綜合來說，成功的利基型軟體公司，由創立開始，隨著成長的過程，參與以其他關鍵者爲中心的商業生態系統以借助生存所需資源，同時也致力於建構以自己爲中心的商業生態系統。「借助」及「建構」兩種策略與時並進，並適時調整，利基者得以維持長久生存。以策略變遷研究的角度來看，本研究認爲，成功的利基型廠商的策略變遷，是一個「借助」與「建構」兩種策略與時並進的過程。

關鍵字

策略變遷 ； 商業生態系統 ； 企業網絡 ； 軟體 ； 資訊安全

並列摘要

Researchers of strategic change have never been able to reach the consensus on how strategic changes influence a firm's performance. Most of scholars believe that past researches on strategic change have focused only on certain variables or on specific contexts, very often at a certain point of time. They have been calling for more dynamic and longitudinal researches based on a holistic point of view to resolve the contradiction. Echoing their appeal, we choose ”business ecosystem”, which analyzes a group of interconnected firms who jointly create and share value, as our research perspective to conduct case studies on niche software firms. Our objective is to understand how successful niche players dynamically change their strategies to adjust their interactions with other firms, in order to secure their long-term survival.
In this study, we conduct an exploratory case study to investigate on how niche players undertake strategic changes in dynamic business ecosystems. We scrutinize how three successful information security software firms adjusted their strategies from 1986 to 2000. Evidences reveal that successful niche players effectively sense the ”ecosystem succession” phenomenon, trying to participate in time in business ecosystems with great potentials, and adjust their efforts allocated on different business ecosystems. In addition, successful niche players sufficiently leveraged various resources, including technologies, partners, and reputation, provided by ”keystones”, influential players in the business ecosystem. These niche players also learn from keystones to acquire knowledge, which further improves their organizational capabilities. Furthermore, successful niche players are capable of building up their own ”subsystems”.
Overall, successful niche players, as they grew, has participated in business ecosystems formed and led by other businesses to leverage necessary resources, and kept building up their own business ecosystem as well. They advance and adjust both their ”leveraging” and ”building-up” strategies to secure long-term survival. We advocate that the strategic change process of successful niche players is one that exploits both ”leveraging” and ”building up” activities over time.

並列關鍵字

strategic change ； business ecosystem ； business networks ； software ； information security

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