Taiwan

The Taiwan Scholarship Program Guidelines are duly enacted in accordance with Article 4 of the Taiwan Scholarship

2.Types of Scholarships and benefits:

Undergraduate Scholarships: These scholarships are for foreign students who want to pursue undergraduate studies at universities/colleges in Taiwan. A stipend of NT$25,000 per month per student will be provided. (2) Master’s Scholarships: Scholarships in the amount of NT$30,000 per month will be provided for qualified foreign students who want to pursue their master’s degrees at universities/colleges in Taiwan. (3) Ph.D. Scholarships: Scholarships in the amount of NT$30,000 per month will be provided for qualified foreign students who want to pursue their Ph.D. degrees at universities/colleges in Taiwan.

The aforementioned scholarships will be under the supervision of the universities/colleges and stipends will be awarded monthly based on the students’ attendance records and academic performance. Tuition, accommodation, insurance and miscellaneous fees are all included in the scholarships herein stated. For the scholarships, which are sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (ROC), each student will be provided with a stipend of NT$30,000 per month, plus an economy airfare for direct roundtrip flights. 3.Quotas and Scholarships Offered by Government Agencies:

Taiwan scholarship quotas will be discussed and decided by the Taiwan Scholarship Management and Promotion Committee and are contingent upon the annual budget allotments. Taiwan Scholarships are funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the National Science Council of the Executive Yuan (NSC) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Scholarships offered by the aforementioned agencies are as follows:

(1) MOE: Undergraduate/Masters’s/ Ph.D. Scholarships;
(2) MOFA: Undergraduate Scholarships;
(3) NSC: Master’s/ Ph.D. Scholarships; and
(4) MOEA: Master’s/ Ph.D. Scholarships; limited to graduate degree programs and are related to science, engineering, agriculture, medicine and hi-tech fields. Recipients, whose scholarships are sponsored by the MOE or MOFA, may attend Language Enrichment Programs (Hereinafter referred to as LEP) in University-affiliated Chinese Language Centers (Hereinafter referred to as language centers) in Taiwan up to one year, in order to improve their language proficiency, before beginning their degree programs.

A stipend of NT$25,000 for MOE recipients, and NT$30,000 for MOFA recipients per month, per student will be provided. Those who apply for the Master’s and/or Ph.D. Scholarships from the NSC and MOEA can not apply for the Language Enrichment Program.

4. Duration of Scholarships:

(1) Undergraduate Scholarships: maximum four years;
(2) Master’s Scholarships: maximum two years; and
(3) Ph.D. Scholarships: maximum three years.

The total and maximum number of years for foreign students to receive scholarships (including LEP) will be five years. In principle, scholarships will begin from August 1 of each year and continue until July 31, of the following year. Scholarship recipients who are approved for summer programs or LEP may be assigned different scholarship award dates. If the recipient fails to enroll before the semester starts, the scholarship will begin from the month he/she arrives in Taiwan to study. Scholarships will begin from the month of student enrollment and will stop when the scholarship ends, the recipient graduates, drops out, is expelled, or upon cancellation of the scholarship, whichever comes first. Scholarship applicants shall not accept more than one scholarship issued by ROC (Taiwan) governmental agencies and/or educational institutions at the same time.

If the applicant was granted more than one scholarship, he/she shall select only one scholarship to receive; if an applicant is found to be receiving more than one scholarship at the same time, the applicant shall be disqualified and asked to return the scholarship money already received.

5. Qualifications: Applicants must meet the following requirements: (1) They should have a good academic record and moral character; (2) They should neither be Overseas Chinese Students nor ROC nationals; (3) They should not be scholarship recipients from other ROC government agencies or institutions in Taiwan; (4) They should not be exchange students who are admitted in accordance with academic cooperation agreements made between local educational universities/ colleges and foreign educational institutions;

(5) They should not have had their scholarships cancelled in accordance with these Guidelines; (6) They should not have received Taiwan Scholarships of the same type; (7) The total duration of their scholarship(s) should not exceed 5 years; (8) They should not be foreign students who have already enrolled at local educational institutions at their own expense. (However, they will be eligible to apply to individual universities/colleges for Foreign Students’ Scholarships, which are subsidized by the MOE.)

6. Application Process:

(1) Procedure: The overseas missions of the ROC should refer to MOE Regulations Regarding International Students undertaking Studies in Taiwan and these Guidelines while receiving and reviewing applications either independently or in joint cooperation with foreign local governments, schools, or cultural and educational institutions. Each year, by the end of January, the overseas missions should report their selection and assessment methods (through meetings or paper review) regarding these scholarships to the related government agencies and the MOE. (2) Application Period: Annually from February 1st through the end of March.

(3) Required Documents: Applicants need to submit the following documents: A. Taiwan Scholarship Application Form (Form A with Study Plan; the format will be regulated by the MOE); B. Proof of highest educational qualifications and academic performance; C. Proof of application to enroll at local universities/colleges and/or language centers (e.g. a copy of the application form); and D. Other documents as requested by the overseas missions of the ROC.

(4) Selection: After reviewing the application documents, the overseas missions will select eligible scholarship candidates, as well as alternatives and create a list. This list will be sent to the related universities/colleges or language centers by the end of April for their reference. Copies of this list will also be provided to the related government agencies and the MOE. (5) Approval: Applicants are responsible for their application process to the universities/colleges or language centers that they would like to attend. Each school and/or language center shall refer to the guidelines of individual schools admission process for foreign students and begin the application review process. The school and/or language center should notify candidates, of their final decision, no later than mid-June.

(6) Notification of Admission: Applicants, upon receiving their admission letter, need to submit a copy of the admission letter to the designated respective overseas missions in order to secure their scholarship by no later than the end of June. Late submission of these documents, after the deadline will be deemed as a waiver for accepting the scholarship. In this case, the respective overseas mission should send a scholarship award letter to all qualified recipients and inform the alternative(s) in order to fill any vacancy(s). Candidates will be disqualified if they fail to pass the application review process of respective schools.

(7) Acceptance Lists: By the end of July, the overseas missions should provide recipient acceptance lists, which will include their legal names, Chinese names, nationalities, gender, scholarship sponsoring agencies, type of scholarship, duration of scholarship, admitting universities/colleges and/or language centers, highest educational qualifications, references of the recipients and other information to the related government agencies (including the MOE) and universities/colleges and/or language centers involved.

The overseas missions shall also provide such information to the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the MOFA and the National Police Agency of Ministry of Interior, in order to assist them with their follow-up procedures. In case of special conditions or failure to complete the aforementioned processes, before the required deadlines, the overseas missions should report such circumstances to the related government agencies for approval (and inform the MOE of such events). (8) For those recipients whose scholarships are funded by the MOFA, the respective ROC overseas missions will purchase one-way economy airfare tickets to Taiwan for the recipients.

The overseas missions need to submit the original receipts and copies of passenger coupons to the MOFA in order to be reimbursed. The return economy airfare tickets will be bought by the MOFA. 7. Renewal process for scholarship recipients in Taiwan before the expiration of scholarships and the application for enrollment: (1) Recipients who want to pursue further study programs need to follow the terms found in Subparagraph (2) and (3) of this Article. For other recipients in Taiwan, who wish to renew their scholarships (in August), they have to submit each year a Taiwan Scholarship Application Form (Form B; the format will be regulated by the MOE) and reports of their academic performance to their universities/colleges by the end of February.

The universities/colleges will review their applications to see if they are qualified and send the list to the related government agencies (including the MOE) for review in order to reserve the number of scholarship recipients and follow the Article 10 for allocation. (2) The MOE may assist recipients who have been approved for scholarships up to five years (the LEP and undergraduate degree programs) in applying to enroll undergraduate programs. If the said recipients are unable to apply to universities/colleges on their own, they may submit their reports of academic performance (including the academic records for each year of their highest study, including language center records) and the Admission Assistance Application Form (the format will be regulated by the MOE) to the language centers.

These language centers will coordinate all forms and send them to the MOE. The MOE will assist in selecting the proper universities, according to the recipients’ wishes and levels of language proficiency. Applicants should agree to abide by all final arrangements. (3) Scholarship recipients, who wish to continue to study for their master or doctoral degrees, upon completion of their previous course of study, need to apply for the admission to the new degree program on their own. (4) Universities/colleges that accept these scholarship recipients, as stated in Subparagraph (2) and (3) of this Article, shall submit the lists to the related government agencies (including the MOE) by the end of June for review, in order to reserve the number of scholarship recipients and follow Article 10 for allocation.

8. Application process for re-applying for Taiwan Scholarships after the scholarships expire: Scholarship recipients who have already studied in Taiwan will be regarded as new students after the expiration of their scholarships. If they wish to re-apply for other types of scholarship and pursue further degree programs here, they need to follow Article 6 of these Guidelines and submit the Taiwan Scholarship Application Form (Form A) and their academic records to the ROC overseas missions by the end of March. The total duration of their scholarship period cannot exceed five years, as regulated by Article 4 Paragraph 2 of the Guidelines. Undergraduate, Master’s and Doctoral Scholarships recipients whose scholarship period was awarded for only one year, in accordance to the previous version of these Guidelines, should renew their scholarships following Article 7 Subparagraph

(1) of these Guidelines, and are not subject to the regulations stated in the previous Paragraph of this Article. 9. The Suspension and Cancellation of Scholarships:

(1) LEP students:
A. If a student is absent for more than ten hours of class (serious illness and accidents excluded) within a single month, the language centers will suspend his/her scholarship the following month. B. Starting from the second quarter of study in Taiwan, if a student’s academic average is less than 80%, his/her scholarships for the next quarter will be suspended for one month. If a student’s academic average is less than 80% for two consecutive quarters, his/her scholarship status will be cancelled beginning with the next quarter.

The remainder of the scholarship will also be cancelled. C. If a student is suspended from or drops out of school, the language center will suspend his/her scholarship and inform the related government agencies in writing (including the MOE) in order to cancel his/her scholarship status. The remaining scholarships will also be cancelled. (2) Undergraduate/ Master’s/ Ph.D. students:

A. For those Undergraduate/ Master’s scholarships recipients who are in each year of their study; Ph.D. scholarships recipients who are in the first two years of their study, if their academic average is below the passing standard set up by the school for any given semester, their school will suspend their scholarships for one month beginning with the next semester. If the schools have not set up an academic grading standard, then an undergraduate student’s academic average cannot be less than 60%, while a master and doctoral student’s academic average cannot be less than 70%. If a student is below passing for two consecutive semesters, their scholarship status will be cancelled starting the next semester. Their remaining scholarships will also be cancelled.

For those who are in their third year of a doctoral program, they must submit their thesis proposals to their schools, by the end of October of that year. Scholarships will be granted each month, if the schools approve the students’ proposals. Otherwise, scholarships will be suspended until proposals are approved, and will resume beginning from the month of approval. C. If a student is suspended from or drops out of school, his/her school will automatically suspend his/her scholarships and inform the related government agencies in writing (including the MOE) in order to cancel his/her scholarship status.

The remaining scholarships will also be cancelled. 10. The Allocation and Verification of Scholarships Accounts: (1) Allocation: Universities/colleges need to make a list of scholarship recipients and vouchers based on the various types of scholarships provided by the different government agencies. Universities/ colleges should enclose their list of qualified recipients and vouchers, and apply to the MOFA or the MOE (scholarship stipends provided by the NSC and the MOEA are handled through the MOE; it should be noted on each voucher that the MOE is in charge of the allocation of funds for scholarships) for appropriation in January and August. Each institution will directly pay a monthly stipend to the students or to their accounts.

(2) Verification of Scholarship Financial Transactions or Reports: A. For scholarships provided by MOFA, universities/colleges need to provide student signed receipts, or documents which show that money has been transferred into the students’ bank accounts, to the MOFA for verification in August and December. B. For scholarships provided by the NSC and the MOEA, universities/colleges need to provide three copies of financial transaction reports (signed by the head of the universities/colleges, accountants and cashiers) and any remainder of the stipends to the MOE (for it to make a transfer to the NSC and the MOEA at the end of fiscal year in order to close the case) in August and December.

C. For scholarships provided by the MOE, universities/colleges need to provide two copies of financial transaction reports (signed by the head of the universities/colleges, accountants and cashiers) and any remainder of the stipends to the MOE in August and December. Universities/colleges need to also keep the original copies for the Ministry of Audit or other related authorities for review. 11. Emergency Deductions: In case of financial difficulties, a scholarship recipient may request that the school deduct tuition, miscellaneous expenses, insurance premiums and other payable fees in a lump sum or in installments from his/her award, and issue the remaining amount to the scholarship recipient.

12. Transferring to other schools: If scholarship recipients need to transfer
to other institutions due to health, psychological reasons or special environmental surroundings, they need to follow MOE Regulations Regarding International Students undertaking Studies in Taiwan. If the institution or language center agrees to their transfer, these institutions must inform the related government agencies (including the MOE) for future review. Only one transfer is permitted. 13. Additional Information:

(1) The MOE may allocate administration subsidies to institutions that join the Taiwan Scholarships Program and set aside a budget to assist institutions in setting up an information service center, in order to strengthen communication and the governing system for scholarships students. (2) ROC overseas missions shall organize orientations, in order to provide scholarship recipients with relevant information, before they travel to Taiwan. (3) ROC overseas missions shall be aware, if a student gives up his/her opportunity to come to Taiwan. If such a case happens, the ROC overseas missions will replace this student with another alternative.

(4) Scholarship recipients should arrive at their designated universities/colleges or language centers prior to the day of registration. Institutions should report the names of those who fail to register, to the related government agencies (including the MOE), by the end of October. (5) Medical insurance fees are already included in the stipends. Universities/colleges and language centers should require that scholarship recipients join the National Health Insurance plan. Scholarship recipients must purchase other forms of medical insurance before enrolling in the National Health Insurance plan. The premium of the medical insurance plan will be deducted from the scholarships; the remaining scholarship money will be given to the scholarship recipients.

(6) The ROC overseas missions should ask scholarship recipients to provide them with academic records or a report, postal and email addresses, within one month of the return to their respective countries after they complete their studies in Taiwan. (7) Each year by the end of October, the ROC overseas missions need to send a comprehensive evaluation, which should include each student’s academic records and the other materials as stated in the Subparagraph (6) of this Article, to all the related government agencies (including the MOFA and the MOE) (8) To improve healthcare services for MOFA scholarship recipients, the MOFA may arrange health examinations for the recipients.

The MOFA shall coordinate with schools and hospitals for such examinations, with fees to be covered by its Taiwan Scholarship budget. 14. The selection process regarding the Taiwan Scholarships, their types, benefits and duration will be subject to the terms regulated in the above Guidelines. Scholarships, which have been awarded due to bilateral negotiations, cultural and educational agreements, or based on the terms of equality and reciprocity, or special circumstances, approved by heads of government agencies are not subject to the terms and regulations under these Guidelines.

U. S. and China are two of the most powerful countries in the world with two very different ideologies (Cheung 1998). After Chinese communists took power in 1949, U. S. and China had been enemies until Nixon visited China in 1972 which made these two countries allies against the Soviet Union. While this good relationship did not last long, after the June 4 massacre and the collapse of the former Soviet Union and its eastern European bloc, the Sino-U. S. relations are more competitive than cooperative. Under this circumstance, the current American policy towards China should be: containment first, cooperation second.

First U. S. needs to contain China’s military and political might to prevent it becoming a new Soviet Union. To achieve this, America should focus on the following tasks: first, U. S. should focus on the war of hearts and minds to spread the ideas of freedom and democracy to Chinese people (especially intellectuals and the youth); second, assist independent organizations human rights activists inside China; third, support American allies around China (especially Japan and Taiwan) both politically and militarily. While confronting China in many areas, U. S.

and China need to cooperate on a number of important issues, such as economy, anti-terrorism, climate change, pandemic control, and nuclear non-proliferation, etc. In addition to facilitate a peaceful transformation of China, U. S. should help maintain the balance across the Taiwan Straits and assist China and Southeast Asian countries to solve the South China Sea islands disputes peacefully. To sum it up, though a democratic, free new China is in US interest, America should not push China too hard now while facing many big problems including the current economic recession.

But U. S. should also be firm about its basic principles, not sending China wrong messages by saying that human rights issue should not affect the overall Sino-U. S. relationship (Clinton, as cited in Kralev, 2009). References Cheung, G. (1998). Market liberalism: American foreign policy toward China. New Jersey: Transaction Pulishers. Kralev, N. (2009, February, 21). “Clinton riles with rights remarks”. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www. washingtontimes. com/news/2009/feb/21/clinton-says-rights-take-back-seat-to-climate-chan/

Of all the movies that I’ve seen, only “A brighter Summer Day” was the longest hours film of them all, a very large project for the Chinese-language film. This film was directed by a Taiwanese director, Edward Yang who made it all possible to direct 100 actors to portray different roles. “A Brighter Summer Day“was actually based on a true incident which happened during 1960. The story was also a mixture of Yang’s youth which can be seen in the film though there is a little variation from the original. In June 15, 1961, a Taiwanese high school male killed his girlfriend in Gulling Street without any reasons.

“A Brighter Summer Day” was a personal vision which recalls both an actual street murder that shook the nation and Yang’s own childhood at the same time. The story doesn’t mainly focused on the gangster’s street rival in Taiwan during 1960’s but it’s story goes behind a young man who was experiencing a major upheaval in his own country in which he wants to overcome. This movie serves as an exploration of the novel which depicts the cultural identity of the Taiwanese. This film revolves around the life of S’ir, who was a high school student by then.

The cast was filled with different characters which seem equally worrisome. His cast is filled with plenty of variables, but each character’s plight seems equally worrisome. His father was one of the Chinese mainlanders who went all the way to Taipei during the wake of civil uprisings in 1949. Since the film was set over the course in 1961, it gave a printed introduction which explains that state is now in uncertainty where gangs thrive on the streets so they should be careful about their children and keep them safe and under control at all times.

The narratives of Yang jumps back and forth with different subplots which made it difficult to track, especially the shots that was taken from medium to long shots. Given that, the story telling skills of Yang made it possible to recognize some cues for each sequence which lets the audience trail the story. The most memorable scenes that revolve around the gangster’s school-age girlfriend have been smitten with him. They wind up next door, while they cut classes, and get easily attracted with the looks of the girl.

Upon forming an endearing bond, Si’rs friends warned him about being close to the girl and should not let her become the cause of any bad blood. This part is very thrilling, and mysterious enough to watch since you really want to know what the story behind the murder is as if you are really seeing how it happened. Yang sensed that when the dark historical moment happens, driving and being driven become one. I think that because of this feeling, it made a narrative filmmaking that creates a new genre of modern experience.

Literary, this film had hypnotically built a single act of violence when it reaches and end of one’s life which is inevitable and shocking at the same time. “A Brighter Summer Day” emerged as one of the finest film made in Taiwan. Even though the cast were all non-actors, the film was still beautifully made- shots were good, houses especially the interior were great, even the schools and the dance clubs brought a real effect that happened in the countryside during summertime. The film also created a good effect by inserting violence and serenity alternately.

The film is a rhythmic and poetic evocation of a particular era. Its ironic title (in that there is no “brighter summer day” for these characters) is taken from an Elvis song that one of the kids sings at a nightclub. It is a truly exemplary modern masterpiece that got no distribution in the West but deserves to be hunted out at all costs by those who love and cherish the film art. You can also see other characters with singing careers that has been the source of frustration and source of income of the gangsters.

The song which was entitled “Are You Lonesome Tonight” was the source of the movie’s title a song by Elvis song which was sung by some nightclub kids. This song was one of the artifacts that appear in the movie though it did not originate from Taiwan. The song captures the audience through its melodic sound and its giving such goose bumps effect when you hear it while it plays as a particular scene was shown. There were also several important props in the film particularly the samurai sword, radio a flashlight and a tape recorder as well.

Older characters appear to be strictly adhering to Taiwanese’s tradition or to something else like Christianity. The older characters, when they appear, either stubbornly adhere to Taiwanese traditions or have grabbed onto something else, such as Christianity while other older Taiwanese seemed to be powerless and weak. Children somehow understand this but perhaps cannot dig dipper to comprehend it and despite the murder that was inspired by a true to life incident, this film sees a light of hope.

S’ir’s father here was a civil servant with a high-ranking job and the accomplishments of his daughter. He often attends the best government-sponsored college and was very proud. If his son disappoints him, he butts his head against bureaucracy, hoping that he would get personal favors the system which he believes to have fair and firm regulations. Yang simplifies things by tossing a metaphor into the stew which made it so confusing in general when he narrates about the operation of the government against the people.

The backbone of the narrative structure was formed by S’ir’s shifting morality when the tragedy befalls him seems to be heartbreaking which made the entire nation moved by it. The strain has been weighed down on him and at that time, his family seems to be epidemic in the country. According to my research, the film took over several years to finish because its preparation needed to be meticulous on its construction as well as the feelings that community might have. Because the length is almost four hours, it definitely shows a remarkable film which gave an epic quality of the film.

Since the there are more than hundred speaking parts in the film, you should really focus in watching so that you’ll keep on track of what was going on with the story, which is a good strategy on capturing the audience attention. Without looking into the contradictions that it may bring in a political discourse, Yang personalized the politics and its complexities. The style of the film creates a paradox. He used I little bit of close-ups, which keeps it far away from his subjects but not so far in order for the viewers to judge them objectively and doesn’t’ lose the grasp on their concern.

The main accomplishment of Yang focused on the narrative that he made, as well as the political and emotional chaos. Familiarity arose from the running time that goes on with the consistent political attitudes which was evident in the script assures that audience concern were given focus where Yang wants it. This happens without using too much cinematic language which in turn prompts the viewer to barely identify the protagonists. Yang was never intimidated throughout the film although he made as a very expansive scope of a messy autobiographical of such territory.

Attached with the film is a nostalgia but not to the point of intelligence. Yang created a manifesto which obviously shows conflicting attitudes about the history of his country. We can see in the film that it was seemingly limitless to examine the country’s lamentation which a storyteller like Yang has done to probe the history of a nation’s developing country and its progress. For me, “A Brighter Summer Day” sure stands as a monumental achievement, and could probably be the greatest film among all modern Taiwanese cinema.

Abstract

Now these days the Smartphone industry along with the other sectors the one main thing is the competitiveness that declares the successfulness or failure in the global market place. As in the case of the Smartphone industry being competitive means that the industry can be able to offer a product of higher quality compared to its rivals, but at the same time, with a similar price. The Smartphone industry has achieved (reached) this competitiveness mainly because of its vertical integrated production chain. This specific coordination, besides reducing transaction costs, push toward a production of excellent quality, which can be immediately adjusted according to the consumer demand.

Keywords: Competitiveness, Smartphone Industry

Introduction

Recently, there have been many articles written about the Smartphone industry and this attention is because of/due to the fact that such a small country could have such a large production.Smartphones most definitely will become the information center as well as the device most everyone in public choose to own for entertainment. An increase in acceptance as well the prevalent usage of smartphone’s is not only a good sign for the makers of smart phones, but as well as the entire wireless industry.

In 2011, recently, a market research firm mentioned the fact that worldwide, the smartphone market would nearly grow by as much as 50% and the leading operating system would be taken over by Google’s Android.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), in 2011 more than 450 million smart phones compared to last year’s 303.4 million smart phones were shipped by vendors of smart phones. IDC also said that the smart phone market will grow greater than four times quicker compared to the overall mobile phone market as consumers as well as enterprise users’ upgrade from their basic handsets to smart phones that have many advanced capabilities. The research firm also believes in 2011, the Android likely will surpass Nokia’s Symbian and will take over in becoming the most smart phone platform that leads the market.

Methodology

The various methods used in order to carry out a thorough analysis of the competitive environment comes from Porter’s Five Forces, while describing the industry’s strength as well as its capabilities and the technique of SWOT can be used.

Porter’s Five Forces

In order to make a complete analysis of the environment of how the smartphone industry operates we need to evaluate those forces that work in it as well as seeing how the forces share its competitive environment. The forces that are taken into consideration normally are: the technology available technology & its development, the economy at large, the competitiveness, government legislation, population demographics, societal values and lifestyles. Even if some of these forces can’t be directly influenced from the industry is anyway important to evaluate each one of them to fully understand the forces behind the smartphone dynamics.

Michael Porter suggested that competitiveness as the force that most likely has the most impact on the industry and it can very much affect the environment where companies move their steps. The competitiveness generates pressure on the industry players and this pressure is captured by Porter’s forces. Porter’s framework suggests the following 5 forces as components of competition.

The competitions among current industries or countries that carry out their activities in the same area are as follows:

1. The threat from new potential entrants
2. The threat from substitute products
3. The bargaining power stemming from suppliers

The bargaining power stemming from buyers

The competition among existing industries or countries that carry out their activities in the same area

This force is likely the strongest of the five, the rivalry increases both because of one or more industries foresee the opportunity to increase their market share to the detriment of others.

Entry Barriers

Under normal conditions, new entrants to a market bring an increment of production capacity and the desire to gain new market share. To determine how serious this threat from new entries, the two things we should think carefully about are as follows: barriers to entry as well as the expected reactions of firms already available in the market.

Several types of entry barriers are as follows:

1. Fixed costs: necessary research and development
2. Reputation of incumbent firms: people buy phones from companies they trust
3. Networking: people buy phones that their friends and acquaintances use
4. Switching costs: people buy phones that their friends and acquaintances use
5. Differentiation: limited ability to differentiate from other phones

Bargaining Power

Smart phone firms possess relatively weak bargaining power. There are some reasons that include the following:

1.  Substitutes: many substitutes (as seen below)
2. Elastic demand: Smart phones aren’t a necessary product; therefore there is an elastic demand for them
3.  Information: Customers tend to research capabilities of smart phones because of price as well as high reliance on the product
4.  Differentiation: Limited ability to differentiate from other competitors
5. Switching costs: Limited incentives for users to change phone companies

Substitute Products

A number of substitutes exist for smart phones. The main purpose of smartphones is for mobile access to information. The following are some products that share similar uses:

1. Cellular phones
2. Laptops
3. Organizers or pen and paper
4. Pager

In particular, notebooks and cell phones provide sufficient the services that are most needed for mobile access to information.

Complements

For smart phones, any application that works well with the phones can be considered a complement. Google owns a large number of such applications that will be mentioned later. Some of the complements include the following:

1. Email
2. Data manipulation applications (documents)
3.  Maps and GPS
4.  Organization applications
5.  Other internet applications and essentially any software available on phones
6. Music and other media content
7.  Computers (in order to install & manipulate software on the phone)
8.  Products involved in travel and mobility

Rivalry

The smartphone industry is rather competitive. Although there are a few strong competitors, the industry does not support many firms. The following are reasons for this:

1)Differentiation: There is only a limited ability that distinguishes smartphones from a competitor’s besides the interface. Nonetheless, for smart phones, a considerable differentiation exists between business and home users. This allows for multiple firms to exist, despite the fact that the total number may be still somewhat small.

2)Economy of Scale: There is almost no scalability to create more software, so this doesn’t force the market toward a small number of firms.

3)Prices: Generally speaking, customers value quality significantly over price when considering buying a phone that they will often use frequently. The reason is that most prices between phones are generally similar, and prices are mostly similar, and prices are insignificant compared to the usefulness and amount of time customers will use the phone. Hence, no room to differentiate for price exists and companies that perceive low quality and low budgets for R & D won’t survive.

4)Networking: Because there may be cheaper service between the same phones, people purchase the same phones as their friends.

5)Brand Name: Customers care about buying a phone from popular or reliable companies, so as a result, the existence of multiple small firms are limited.

As a result, the smart phone industry supports multiple firms due to ability to differentiate between business and home users, but does not support a large number of smaller firms. Then, the smart phone industry is very rivalrous as competitors fight to become one of these few firms.

PESTLE Analyses

“PESTLE analysis stands for “Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental analysis” and describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic management.”(Wikipedia 2011).

PESTLE analysis-Smartphone Industry

Political/Legal

• current legislation home market
• future legislation
• international legislation
• government policies

Economic

• economy situation
• economy trends
• overseas economies and trends
• market and trade cycles
• specific industry factors
• market routes
• distribution trends

Social

• lifestyle trends
• demographics
• consumer attitudes and opinions
• media views
• brand, company, technology image
• consumer buying patterns
• buying access and trends

Technological

• competing technology development
• replacement technology/solutions
• maturity of technology
• manufacturing maturity
• information and communications
• consumer buying
• technology legislation
• intellectual property issues
• global communications

SWOT analyses

After we have discussed the main features of the external environment where the Smartphone industry is set, in the following second section of the paper, we will carry out a general evaluation of the company’s internal resource capabilities and competitive advantage versus rivals. By exploring these factors, we can use the analytical technique of SWOT (acronym of Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and threats).

Identifying company strengths

HTC Corporation is the Taiwan-based manufacturer for smartphone industry.HTC is most known for its innovation as the company is always expanding upon its product line—introducing new devices that support specific applications. HTC made its name as the company behind many of the most popular operator-branded devices on the market. It has established unique partnerships with key mobile brands, including the leading five operators in Europe, the top four in theUS, and many fast-growing Asian operators. It has also brought products to market with industry leading OEM partners and, since June 2006, under its own HTC brand.

“HTC is one of the fastest-growing companies in the mobile sector and has achieved remarkable recognition over the past couple of years. Business Week ranked HTC as the second best performing technology company inAsiain 2007 as well as giving the company the number 3 spot in its Global listing in 2006” (HTC 2011).

Identifying company weaknesses

In the world,Taiwanis a small country with a small population. Hence, there is a small market for smartphones which limits the potential for sales. Because of the small market.

Identifying company’s market opportunities:

Many OEM factories could brand their products easily. These factories could step out from OEM factories into a brand. BecauseTaiwanis such a small country, in order to meet increasing demand,Taiwan’s leading smartphone producer HTC likely will outsource its smartphone production.

 Identifying of the threats to a company’s profitability:

Because of the obvious dominance in the world market place,Chinabeing one of the largest countries in the world, besides theUnited States, definitely poses a large threat toTaiwan’s smartphone industry. The market place inChinais quite large, which consequently means there is more competition. The population inChinais quite large and because of the large population size, in the market place, there are more consumers which create a bigger demand for supply.

Some other threats for theTaiwanmarketplace are other companies manufacturing cheap phones (many similar or substitute products). These cheap phones will affect the marketplace because those consumers who can’t afford the expensive items will buy these cheaper versions. These cheap phones may offer the same features but the quality might not be as good.

Taiwan’s smartphone industry faces major competition from other companies’ worldwide (intense competition from major rivals). Some major competitors forTaiwanare as follows:

1. United States- Apple (iPhone)
2. Japan-Sony Ericcsson
3. Canada- Research In Motion aka RIM (BlackBerry)
4. Finland- Nokia
5. Samsung-Korea

Conclusion

For a new firm that is considering entering the smartphone industry, the firm will need a lot of capital because intellectual property (IP) for smartphones is extremely important to license or create. Also, capital is necessary because lawsuits over patents are very common, which is probably a reason to avoid entering it altogether. Secondly, the smartphone industry is extremely fast moving; it’s a combination of computer technology (IT) with communication technology, a whole new industry called by some (ICT). So, as a result, good resources are needed in both areas. That’s the reason thatFinland’s Nokia is struggling in the market. Nokia never made computers. And the reasons above show why Apple is dominating the market with the iPhone. Apple has the computer know-how; they have tons of money for R&D to churn out designs, as well as having a very strong brand name, which is another huge factor. So, without having an established brand, it will be extremely hard to enter the smartphone industry. Acer as well is trying to become competitive in the industry. Acer is trying to leverage its brand (which is only known for PCs so far) and experience in PC design and marketing. A lot of companies are trying to jump on the bandwagon, probably all big PC makers, as well as Google, so it will be quite tough for newcomers to get a share of the market. Every new product will be measured against the iPhone which has set itself as the standard for smartphones, as it’s hard to compete against it.

In Richard Whittington’s book, “What is Strategy and does it Matter” he discusses four different approaches to strategy. The different approaches are as follows:

1. Classical
2. Evolutionary
3. Processual
4. Systemic

When knowing the difference between these theories, businesses can choose which theory matches its needs. These four different strategic approaches are different in terms of their point of view and position. The classical approach focuses on long term goals and objectives and is top-down driven (internal plans). Managers using the classical approach focus on profit-maximization. The classical approach is analytical and its key influences are economics as well as military.

The Evolutionary approach’s rationale is survival, while focusing on external (markets). The process behind the evolutionary approach is Darwinian, while its key influences are economics and biology. The Processual approach is vague while focusing on internal (politics/cognition). The processes behind this approach are bargaining and learning. Psychology is the primary influence for this approach.Systemic approach’s rationale is local while focusing on external (societies). While the process behind it is social and its key influence is Sociology.

By using these four different strategic approaches, businesses are able to compare rational implications of the different theories while in various situations. Management in businesses faces the challenge of implementing as well as evaluating these various strategy-making approaches. While doing so, leaders in management can use these different theories in an effective manner.

References

1. HTC. (2011). About HTC-Company Info-HTC Mobile Phones & Innovation. Available: http://www.htc.com/us/about. Last accessed 4th May 2011.
2. Collins D. J., Cynthia A. M., (1995), Competing on Resources: Strategy in the 1990s, Harvard Business Rewiw 73 No. 4, pp. 118-28
3. D?Aveni, Richard A., (1994), Hypercompetition,New York: Free Press
4. Ganapati, Priya . (2011). Strapped to Android, HTC Takes a Dizzying Ride to the Top. Available: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/android-htc-profile/. Last accessed 4th May 2011.
5. Hundeboll, K., (2003), Personal interwiev, Foreign Trade Director of DLG,Kobenhavn,Denmark
6. Porter M.E., (1980), Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors,New York: Gree Press, Chapter 1.
7. Porter M.E., (1985), Competitive Advantage,New York: Free Press, Chapter 2
8. Thompson A., Strickland A.J., (2001), Crafting and Executive Strategies, McGraw-Hill Education –Europe
9. Wikipedia: PEST analysis [online]. (2011) [Accessed 6th May 2011]. Available from: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEST_analysis>.
10. Zack M. H., (1999), Developing a Knowledge Strategy,California Management Review 41, No. 3, pp. 125-45.

It was established in 1975 and is organized as a non-profit and non-stock private corporation under Philippine law. B. About the Administration MECO promotes trade, investments, tourism, and labor, scientific and cultural cooperation with Taiwan. The MECO provides assistance to Filipinos in Taiwan and provides visas, legal and consular services. The MECO coordinates with the Philippine government agencies and the private sector to fulfill this mandate. C.

The Functions of the Administration MECO has its head office in Makati City, Philippines, principal representative office in Taipei and extension offices in Taichung andKaohsiung. MECO’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer are Chairman Tomas I. Alcantara and its Resident Representative and Managing Director in Taiwan is Ambassador Antonio I. Basilio. D. Roles and Responsibilties MECO’s main function is to serve as a liaison between the Filipinos and Taiwanese. They make sure that the relationship between Taiwan and the Philippines is in good standing at all times.

MECO also solidifies the Philippine government’s commitment and advocacy to serve Filipinos living and working in foreign countries. II. MECO A. ) Location and People in Charge The people on top are Chairman Perez and Ambassador Basilio. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer are Chairman Tomas I. Alcantara and its Resident Representative and Managing Director in Taiwan is Ambassador Antonio I. Basilio.

– B. ) Why was it made? – It was established to continue relations with Taiwan after China was recognized as the legal representative of the Chinese people. This made Taiwan sort of a non Country. As long as it about economic relations its ok with China C. ) What is its primary goal? Primary Goal of Meco -is to promote economic relations like trade, investments, labor and tourismIII. Vision A. ) MECO’s Vision -to become the primary mechanism for promoting beneficial relations between the Philippines and Taiwan.

B. ) Long Term Goals -to maximize the potential of our economic relations, because right now were the 5th largest trading partner B. ) Short term goals -Make meco an effective org so that it can deliver and be effective to its mandate, and to be able to perform its role in government, because the DFA doesn’t entirely do this with Taiwan. C. ) Overall goal -Exactly like the Long Term goal, to be an effective institution that serves its cause. IV. Mision A.

) Legal Services Consular services like issuing to Taiwanese visitors to the Philippines, issuing and renewing passports for Filipinos in Taiwan, Marriage certificates, Police Clearance, when Filipinos in Taiwan get into trouble MECO makes sure they get legal support. B. )Other Services -Consular If you’re a Taiwanese and you want to go to the Philippines, meco supplies you with a visa with approval from the dfa, also for Filipinos like passport renewal -Tourism Talk to airlines, travel agencies to encourage them to have more flights and to organize travel packages, approach market to directly advertise Trade and Investment Meco has an officer from the dti, meco supports his/her activities, supports trade and investments with Taiwan, and participates in trade exhibitions in Taiwan and the Philippines – Assitance to Nationals Filipinos in Taiwan who run afoul of the law or has cases against his or her employer, meco provides shelter and hires a lawyer for the oppressed – Info Center Mecos main goal is to generate positive news about the Philippines in Taiwan, releases regular press releases.