現下企業所處環境與競爭情勢以「速度」為競爭條件,企業必須快速回應環境變化,以防在慘烈競爭中被迫退出,唯企業難以自身之力面對此嚴峻挑戰,因此,許多企業多採取策略聯盟等形式的合作網路策略,藉由與其他企業結合,以增強其競爭能力,進而獲取更大的利益。 不少研究從交易成本、報酬率、互補資源等正面積極的角度探討企業外部的合作網絡關係,鮮少由企業所處的競爭條件及風險評估的角度切入。此外,隨著不同產業生命週期的位置,企業會遭遇不同的競爭條件與風險類型,企業的策略也就會隨之調整。因此,企業之網絡合作策略是否也會因時間變化會有所調整,而此策略上的改變與競爭條件與風險間關係又是如何。故本研究鎖定以台灣的太陽能產業為研究對象,期望透過分析企業在不同產業生命週期階段,所面對不同的機會與風險,瞭解企業所欲獲得的網絡關係效益,進而採行不同的合作方案,勾勒出不同生命週期階段企業合作網絡之模型。 研究結果顯示,矽晶圓太陽能電池產業與薄膜太陽能電池產業,由於同屬太陽能電池產業,在合作策略決策構面上的權重值排序相同,依序為「產業環境風險」、「營運風險」、「競爭條件」、「網絡關係效益」、「總體環境風險」,且其權重值亦相近。但畢竟兩個產業位於不同的生命週期階段,雖競爭條件皆以提升「核心能力」為前提,但在風險考量下,位於成長期的矽晶圓太陽能電池產業,產業環境風險主要關鍵考量風險為「供應風險」,其次為「競爭風險」,營運風險則是以「財務風險」為首;另外,位於萌芽期的薄膜太陽能電池產業,則關鍵考量「競爭風險」,再來是「技術風險」,營運風險則是在於「人力風險」。 矽晶圓太陽能電池與薄膜太陽能電池產業,面對的風險與競爭條件有所差異,廠商期望藉由建立網絡關係所獲得的效益亦不同,其中,矽晶圓太陽能電池產業中首重「進入新市場」,其次為「獲得互補性資源」、「獲取交易成本效益」,顯示重視需求及料源供應的問題;然而在薄膜太陽能電池產業中則是注重「知識與技術之移轉」與「發展創新能力」,顯示重視技術獲得或創新的問題。整體而言,薄膜太陽能電池產業較矽晶圓太陽能電池產業更在意且更需要獲取網絡關係效益。既然追求之網絡關係效益不同,在合作模式選擇上也就不同,矽晶圓太陽能電池產業即以「策略聯盟」為合作方案的首選,其次為「合併與收購」,而最不會採取的合作方案則是「中衛體系」與「互換董事」。而薄膜太陽能電池產業則是以「合併與收購」為合作方案的首選,企業若無法選擇「合併與收購」時,則視本身的規模而選擇「策略聯盟」、「合資」或「特定技術之授權」為合作方案。最不會採取的合作方案亦是「中衛體系」與「互換董事」。
Nowadays, based on the business environment and competition they are facing, "speed" seems to be the key factor that enables businesses to compete. An enterprise has to quickly react to changes in the environment in order to prevent itself from being forced to withdraw from severe competition. However, businesses could not competite to others alone in the speed competition. That’s the reason, some companies have adopted a method of strategic alliances to form cooperative relationships with other parties in order to enhance their competitive capability and achieve maximum benefits. Most research has examined the positive aspects of these external cooperative relationships of businesses, such as transaction cost, return rate and complementary resources. However, less research has been done from the standpoint of evaluating enterprises’ competitive condition and risk assessment. In addition, businesses may have to face different levels of competition and risk types based on their industry life cycles and, as a result, have to adjust their strategies. Does a business have to adjust its cooperative network strategy as time changes? What kind of interaction outcome will be evident as the change of strategy related to competitive condition and risks? This research targets the solar energy industry in Taiwan, and strives to increase understanding of the network benefits enterprises gain by analyzing how they deal with different opportunities and risks throughout their individual industry life-cycle stages. Moreover, the analysis will present an outline of business network models during various life-cycle stages based on the different collaborative plans adopted. The results of this research show that the silicon wafer solar battery industry and the thin film solar battery industry both belong to the larger solar battery industry, and the factors by which they evaluate the weight of cooperative strategic structures are the same: by industry environment risk, operational risk, competitive condition, network benefits and external risk. The results of their evaluations are very close, but they, in fact, are two different industries in different life-cycle stages. Although the primary objective of both is to upgrade core capabilities, the two industries are very different when considering risks. In the silicon wafer solar battery industry, which is in its mature stage, supply risk is the main industry environment risk, with competition risk second. Financial risk is the first concern among its operational risks. On the other hand, the thin film solar battery industry, which is in its beginning stage, ranks competition risk first of all industry environment risks, over technical risk, and considers personnel risk the most important of all operational risks. As the silicon wafer solar battery industry and the thin film solar battery industry have to deal with different risks and competitive conditions, companies in both industries have different expectations of network benefits. The silicon wafer solar battery industry mainly focuses on entering new markets, then getting complementary resources and gaining transaction cost benefits, so it pays much more attention to demands and material supplies. However, the thin film solar battery industry concentrates more on the transfer of knowledge and know-how, as well as innovation capability. This shows that the industry attaches primary importance to technological gain and innovation. As a whole, the thin film solar battery industry cares about and demands network benefits more than the silicon wafer solar battery industry. As a result, the two industries have different choices of cooperative models. The silicon wafer solar battery industry prefers strategic alliances to mergers and acquisitions. Center-satellite systems and trustee-to-trustee exchanges are the two they least prefer.However, the thin film solar battery industry tends to choose mergers and acquisitions as its first option,. If the option is not applicable, then a company will choose strategic alliances, joint ventures or technology licensing based on its own scale. Moreover, the industry has the same two least favorite options which are center-satellite systems and trustee-to-trustee exchanges.