James K. C. Chen

Evaluating and Selecting the Best Outsourcing Service Country in East and Southeast Asia: An AHP Approach

Over the last two decades, outsourcing has been considered a key component for business performance through which firms can narrow their business operations and focus on core competencies. Before doing that, it is vital to evaluate and determine the best outsourcing destination. Unfortunately, only a few studies have been done to help firms make decisions in relation to evaluating a potential outsourcing partner. In addition, most existing studies only emphasized a specific field at the company level, so a complete framework in this field has never been done before. This study therefore attempts to address this research gap by constructing an outsourcing hierarchy model with four levels, namely overall goal, criteria, sub-criteria, and alternative for the use of the AHP approach. In here, criteria would include the most important attributes, which are (1) cost competiveness, (2) human resources, (3) business environment, and (4) government policies. Each criterion itself also consists of several-sub criteria. With respect to these criteria, seven typical outsourcing countries in the East and South East Asia (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) were selected to serve as alternatives. As a result, the weight of the higher priority, the more important the criterion or the alternative will be. The results show that cost competiveness is the most important factor in the second level of the hierarchy and it results in the dominance of employee salary, taxes, freight prices, and real estate costs respectively in the third level. Corresponding with this, China is the best outsourcing destination. Additionally, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand are emerging as three attractive countries due to the positive change of government policies as well as the improvements of human resources and national infrastructure. Generally, this study not only enriches the existing literature, but also provides readers and decision-makers a comprehensive view toward the given field.

Exploring E-readiness on E-commerce adoption of SMEs: Case study South-East Asia

This study explores information technology (IT) readiness on E-commerce adoption of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in South-East Asia. Some studies point out that the SME take more advantages of E-commerce than large companies. However, due to limited resource for SME, E-commerce adoption should be treated in different business strategy. SMEs need to consider some factors and measure E-readiness before adopting E-commerce into their business. This paper utilizes an AHP method to evaluate IT readiness priority which critical to support the adoption of E-commerce. Using extended Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) E-readiness Assessment, this study aims to explore the consideration on E-commerce adoption and what should be prioritized by 17 CEOs of SMEs in South-East Asia.

Process development for 10 Gb/s small footprint butterfly transmitter

Ahstract Small footprint buttefly transmitters (sBTxs) were designed and developed using cooled EML and DML with driver integration for Intel 10Gb/s TXN13200 and TXN17-lOloptical transceivers, which are designed for 7 1 0 kui SONET and Etlieniet applications. The overall dimensions of the sBTx module are about 1/3 of the standard buttefly package. Challenges for the process development are the dense assembly of the components in a small footprint butter& package with Iugh coupling efficiency and precise aliguuient for high optical and RF performance as well as tlieniial management. Intel has developed an automatic manufacturing process using the quasi-planar assembly principle based on a micro-machined flexure technology. The yield was more than 80% in pilot production. A high optical and RF performance has been obtained on TXN13200 and TXN1740I transccivcrs by using the sBTxs.

Exploring the influence factors for creation one Knowledge hub of Science Park: Comparison between Silicon Valley and Hsinchu Science Park

The industrial economy has been changed due to the globalization that the science park become a key factor to a national economic competitiveness. The science park plays an important role at new technological innovation development and high-tech industries development. It relates the whole national economic growth and industrys innovative capabilities. This study through literature review, AHP and expert method draw out these influence factors and conceptual framework. These main influence domain factors include “Technology Knowledge (TK), Knowledge Spillover (KS), Learning Environment (LE), Innovation Performance (IP), Absorptive Capacity (AC), and Regional Development (RD).” This research through experts questionnaire and AHP method outcome which factors have direct impact and which factors have indirect effects to the knowledge hub of Science Park. The results states “Innovation Performance (IP)” is the most important factor in main-factor domain, which is very important factor for creating knowledge hub of Science Park. Under “Technology Knowledge (TK)” domain the respondents of Silicon Valley and Hsinchu Science Park have consensus selection “Organization trust” the most important sub-factor for this domain. The “Market orientation” also was evaluated the most important sub-factor in “Innovation Performance (IP)” main factor domain. In “Regional Development” main factor shows out “Localized competition” was the most important sub-factor for building up knowledge hub of Science Park. The experts of Silicon Valley and Hsinchu Science Park are more consensus viewpoint on creating one high-tech knowledge hub of Science Park.

3D bio-printing in medical treatment: A technology acceptance model

The 3D printing technology has been broadly applied in many industries. In medical science, 3D bio-printing is used for generating biological tissues and provides customized biological needs for patients. Nowadays, 3D bio-printing can print blood vessels, skin tissue, heart tissue, and artificial bones for surgical therapy or transplantation. The potentials of 3D bio-printing in medical science may create many business opportunities and greatly benefits patients. Although many successful cases have been reported in USA and UK, 3D bio-printing technology is relatively new in Taiwan. The question concerning how people in Taiwan approach the new technology or whether they would accept the new technology used in their medical treatments remains unknown. Thus, this study investigates the acceptance of 3D bio-printing applied in medical treatment from the perspectives of people in Taiwan. Two hundred forty nine adults (86 males, 163 females, average age 31) voluntarily completed an online survey. We used item analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation model (SEM) to build a TAM 3D bio-printing applied in medical treatment, which included perceived usefulness and confidence. This model may facilitate business in promoting 3D bio-printing in medical treatment, from which patients may gain benefits.

Ranking the social-impact factors for major security emergency of oil and gas pipelines in urban

Oil and gas pipelines are the lifeline of the national economy. However, statistical data shows that oil and gas pipelines are high potentiality of dangers in urban areas, which usually bring disastrous consequences to the city. People should not only take measures to reduce the possibility of major security emergencies from occurring, but also should try to improve the controllability of the social-impact of security emergencies. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore the social-impact factors of oil and gas pipeline security emergencies in urban areas. By employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach, this study ranks the relevant factors, and then puts forward the control strategies to reduce the social-impact. The result shows that the factors have different weights. Factors ranking can improve the speed and quality of decision-making, therefore strengthening emergency management by providing quicker feedback to security control center; thus reducing the social-impact diffusion and potential disaster losses. In addition, it can provide a reference for the construction of the control mechanism or integrated information platform of security emergency for public administration departments, oil and gas production enterprises and other social organizations.

Entrepreneurship research dynamics (1992–2013): Aim at entrepreneurial, innovative firms and business operations

This study is aimed at entrepreneurship research dynamics in 1992-2013. Data are based on the online version of the Web of Science (ISI Citation Indexes) and ProQuest Databases from 1992 to 2013 that published articles with titles about entrepreneurship. This study analytically uses the meta-analysis method mining out related entrepreneurship articles, through the bibliometric approach with organized relevant issues, themes, sub-themes, and perspective-based evaluation of the entrepreneurship field. The data shows research on entrepreneurship performance during the period 1992-2013. The academic research of entrepreneurship continued to slowly increase during 1992-2013, increasing significantly in 2008 and rocketing through the first decade of the 21st century. The results conclude four relevant themes and nineteen sub-themes. The core themes of entrepreneurship are entrepreneur issues, innovative issues, corporative issues, and business operations issues. This research will help researchers realize the panorama of global research entrepreneurship trends, issues, and themes in order to establish further research direction.

Through Open Innovation conceptual model exploring the relationship between patent and the key technology of Smart Battery

Energy saving and carbon reduction issues have become the key theme in green studies nowadays. Battery is a core power of electric vehicle. Due to the development of battery technology from a single function changed to multiple-function that provides a main power for electronic vehicle which was called smart battery. This study aim on through Open Innovation (OI) to explore the relationship between patent and the key technology of Smart Battery. Open Innovation was introduced by Chesbrough [1] in 2003, then that the theory concept has been widely used in industrys research and academic fields. This study is based on Open Innovation theory to find out the key technology of Smart Battery. The data collected from the magazine of domestic and foreign, academic journals, and new technology reports. In addition, this research focuses on applied patents of smart battery of advanced countries. Eventually, this study uses cross-comparison method to do analysis in discovering relationship between patent and key technology, and propose the key technology module of Smart Battery. Finally, the study will provides useful information for industry, government, research institutes to develop the technology of Smart Battery.

A study on knowledge flows of dye-sensitized solar cells’ patent

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the development and knowledge flows of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) via the use of patent inventor database. Moreover, this study aims to explore patentees and inventors’ companies to help readers and practitioners to be able to understand the patentees, technology development and activities of knowledge flows from four countries. DSSCs, which are known as one of the key technologies of green energy, have been applied ever more widely to many different industries, and their use has quickly grown with a number of scientific publications and patent applications. Design/methodology/approach – This paper was based on the US patent database collection of third-generation DSSCs in four typical countries such as USA, Japan, Germany and Taiwan to map the knowledge network of DSSC technology via the social network analysis method. Findings – The knowledge network of 132 DSSC patents was explored. Among the four countries, Japan leads, with the main patent n...

Diversification of supply chain

The supply chain (SC) will be considered as a competitive strategy and one of the most useful methods by which companies can deliver products to customers effectively, all aspects of great are really importance to companies. However, each company has its own business scale and market areas, the supply chain model must vary to accommodate those dissimilarities. The contributions of the paper are three-fold: introducing three different types of enterprises concerning market regions, examining three types of supply chain models and developing a specific role of entities in the models. Some Small and Medium sized and effectively, are virtually important to companies. Enterprises (SMEs), which have not established a certain SC, may choose a suitable model. This paper draws up three models of SC for enterprises referring.