IT Management and Marketing (942 Final Exam)
※禁用電子辭典與手機，僅允許一張 A4 手稿備忘錄※
請簡明扼要地回答下列問題 (每題 10 分)
1.
2.
3.
請說明資訊科技廠商企圖建立「產業標準」時，經常採用的策略。
請解釋何為「創新者的兩難」(innovator’s dilemma)？
請解釋何為「探險式行銷」(expeditionary marketing)？與前述第二題之創新
者的兩難有何關連？
4.
5.
請解釋何為「領先使用者」(lead users)？其對於企業的技術創新有何意涵？
企業為了瞭解使用者需求，以便開發適當的產品，因此經常進行市場研究。
其中一種的研究方法為「感同深受法」(Empathic design)，請解釋之，並說
6.
7.
明其適用的狀況。
在創新擴散的研究中，對於採用者接受創新的先後次序予以分門別類，其中
兩類為「早期採用者」(early adopters)與「早期大多數」(early majority)。請
比較兩者的差異。
科技廠商企圖以「平台策略」(platform strategy)開發產品，其與衍生產品
(derivatives)、產品家族(product family)有何關係？為何有助於競爭市場的
「主流設計」(dominant design)，而加速跨越技術擴散的「鴻溝」(chasm)？
在資訊產業裡「智慧財產權」(IPR)是廠商的重要資產，雖然常以申請專利
(patent)為主，但亦不乏倚賴商業機密(trade secrets)的型式。請問兩者有何不
同，及其適用的狀況。
9. 對於科技產業而言，常見「技術矛盾」(technology paradox)，而造成廠商定
價的困擾。何謂「技術矛盾」？如何克服？
10. 在 Internet 環境下，很多買家可以同時遇上很多賣家，於是促成動態定價，
也就是無固定的標籤價格，例如以拍賣方式而定價。請解釋下列動態定價方
法：英式拍賣(English auction)、荷式拍賣(Dutch auction)、反向拍賣(reverse
auction)、Price lining、Price bundling 等，並說明其適用的狀況。
8.
1.
2.
3.
licensing and OEM agreements; strategic alliances; product differentiation;
aggressive product positioning (penetration pricing & product proliferation)
Innovator’s dilemma: The market leaders have great difficulty introducing
radical innovations because it is very difficult for them to build a persuasive case
for delivering resources from making incremental innovations that address
known customer needs in established markets to new markets that seem
insignificant or do not yet exist.
Te expeditionary marketing strategy is to try many “mini-introductions” in quick
succession and, by learning from each foray into the marketplace, to incorporate
that learning into each successive “time- at bat,” such that over time, the firm has
accumulated loyal customers and higher market share. This approach could be
used to remove the core rigidity of firm and the dilemma caused from hesitation
of launching innovations into unknown markets and being wrapped by the
currently profitable but myopic cash cow.
4.
The lead users are customers that may face needs earlier before the bulk of the
marketplace and, as such, are positioned to benefit significantly by obtaining
solutions to those needs now. They also struggle with the inadequacies of
existing products and tend to develop a new solution to their needs. According to
the von Hippel’s researches, most critical innovations originate from the users
side, especially, the earlier lead users, rather than the manufacturers. So, if the
firms could seek and focus their products’ lead users, they may obtain important
5.
6.
7.
innovations faster and effectively.
The empathic design, or said contextual inquiry, is a marketing research
technique based on the idea that users may not be able to articulate their needs
clearly, especially to the novel innovation. It focuses on understanding user
needs through empathy with the user world by more observation on “what the
users do,” rather than from the users’ direct articulation of their needs.
The early adopters are visionaries who are looking to adopt revolutionary and
breakthrough technology for gaining competitive advantage and psychological
benefit with little minding on the costs an even enduring inconveniences. In
contrast, the early majority are of risk aversion and pragmatists with high price
sensitivity. They focus on the evolutionary technologies of higher reliability,
productivity, and more important, the convenience of whole product. The early
adopters usually communicate and adopt innovations across industries and
professional boundaries while the early majority trusts the colleague and imitate
mutually within the industry and vertical markets.
By the Moore’s suggestions in the book of “Inside the Tornado,” three phases of
innovation diffusion for “crossing chasm” are needed: the bowling alley, the
tornado, and the main street. In other words, the innovator needs the whole
8.
9.
product in the niche targeting and then switch quickly as possible to the general
marketplace with differentiation for the competition of dominant market
leadership. The platform strategy facilitates to develop the product differentiation
and derivates into a complete product family enough covering the overall main
street market.
The patenting strategy usually takes place when the following situations: the
longer product lifecycle (but many rent-seeking piracies); the technology could
be imitated by reverse engineering; having the enforceable regime; the patent
portfolio for financial backer; high mobility of key employees, etc. Contrary,
keep technology secret when the shorter product lifecycle, technology belonging
highly tacit, lacking of enforceable IPR regime, beyond the range of patent
protection.
The technology paradox is a situation that business can thrive at the very
moment when their prices are falling the fastest. Those high-tech innovators have
to squeeze out the cost inefficiencies to meet the falling prices; to avoid
commodity market by differentiation; to have agility and speed in getting
products to market through platform strategy and derivatives; to extend market
share by finding new uses for products; and to develop long-term relationships
with customers.
10. The English auction is an ascending open bidding, a truth telling process, which
ended by the highest buyers’ willingness-to-pay or until a designated point of
time. Contrary, the Dutch auction is a descending open bidding that the seller
decreases the prices of object gradually until the bid of the demander. It is not a
truth telling process, but used in the timely, quality-decaying auctions such as the
market of fish, pig, tobacco, etc. The reverse auction is an innovative pricing
method in the era of Internet. The buyers benefit from designing a competitive
process of querying for quotation from the several sellers. The lower selling
price emerges, the better the buyer wins. The price lining as a strategy for
de-commoditization is offering different versions of a base product or services at
various price points to meet different needs. The price bundling as a competitive
promotion strategy is offering for sale of two or more products packaged
together at a single or comparatively cheaper price point.