| Since 1980s,Taiwan displayed stable and mature economy.Although neoliberalism was trendy for the period(Biersteker,1995),the bureaucracy hindered economic activities from swift liberation.Instead,Taiwan mixed old and new measures steadfastly to cope with global challenges and opportunities(Chu,2000).From 1980s to 1990s,with continuous upgrade and adjustment of industry combination,Taiwan has played an important role in high-tech sectors around the world and strives to maintain export advantage.In addition,the financial authorities are cautious to embrace financial liberalization along with renowned and healthy management mechanism.In this way,the external shock,such as sudden capital flow and regional currency crisis suffered by South Korea and Thailand,was isolated from Taiwan(Lee,P.S.,2000).In 1990s,the development of Internet products and information technology encouraged booming start-ups ranging from fast production to high-tech industry.This race in essence is to transform outsourcing model from Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM)to Original Design Manufacturer(ODM),to Own Branding Manufacturer(OBM)so that Taiwan could internalize import technology and establish new industry(Chu,2000)Taiwan Export Processing Zone(EPZ)in its fifties witnesses the industry history as well as one of contributors much to Taiwan Miracle.Taiwan EPZ,first establishment in the world,not only increases foreign exchange to enrich financial income,but also offers employment opportunity to extend international trading.It makes a huge difference for economic growth in Taiwan.Over the growing economy,the cost of labor and land is so desperating that Export Processing Zone Administration decided to promote transformation.In December 1997,a storage and transfer site in the harbor was set up located in Wuqi Town,which is close to Taichung Harbor(known as Chungkang EPZ).It functions as EPZ Administration Taichung Branch in order to construct market and speed-orientation storage as well as transfer exclusively.On February 5,1999,Linkuang Industrial Square built by BES Engineering Corporation was taken over by EPZ Administration and renamed it as Linkuang EPZ on August 22 for the purpose of facilitating EPZ transformation.Furthermore,to balance industry structure between south and north Taiwan in combination with local resource as well as regional prosperity sharing,Pingtung Park was established in December2000,which covers 124.1 hectares.Kaohsiung Software Park started groundbreaking in Dec.2000 in order to provide the most complete and advanced software RD environment in southern Taiwan.There are 248 companies registering investment up to 2016.In confrontation with urban industrial zone renewal policy and land extension demand by makers,EPZ Administration developed Veterans Plastic Factory owned by Veterans Affairs Council as Nanzih Second Park in Jun.2009.This park is defined as a high tech base for manufacture and RD,such as advanced semiconductor packaging and testing as well as green energy,and it intends to strengthen industry and economic development in Kaohsiung.In Dec,2011,EPZ Administration rebuilt tobacco and wine testing site owned by Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau as Taichung Software Park in order to connect both Taipei Nankang and Kaohsiung Software Park to upgrade software power.As a result,a software industry triangle is created to lift and add value to whole industry.In sum,EPZ attracts all sorts of sectors,such as manufacturing,logistics and high-tech industries.The individual equity takes advantage of active investment and comprehensive service to seize global opportunities.On the other hand,they render innovative spirits to improve product quality as well as environment protection.Accordingly,the industries in EZP are capable of fast transformation ahead of traditional bondage and step into the new phase of RD and own brand.However,to maintain the economic strength and respond to changing environment in terms of weak gross profit,soaring labor cost and more competitors,Taiwan authorities built up several EPZ facilitating labor-extensive industry to undergo investment,upgrade,innovation and globalization on the basis of public policy and resource.EPZ is crucial for economic transformation,but still encounters various difficulties.At present a large number of enterprises in EPZ face challenges such as higher labor cost,changeable global environment and lower gross profit.Given public resource to private enterprises,the solution is to improve regular operation smoothness,strengthen competitiveness and gross profit by means of information technology,HR management and service management.Innovation is regarded as a crucial key to empower EPZ makers in Taiwan.Nevertheless,current documents are found gaps:First,regarding the impact of innovation on business performance,there are few cases related to EPZ characteristics and situations resulting in empirical lack of EPZ research in Taiwan.Secondly,studies on innovation are abundant,but the lack of intact and systemic studies exists.Most of them focused on single or few types of innovation,or deemed innovation as an integrated but vague variable failing to expose the scenario between innovation and performance.Finally,the effect of innovation will not be attained right away.Many who tried to invest on innovation business fail to have expected effect positively.Besides,the studies have showed that some innovative results were not as the researcher expected.In fact,any innovation is attributed to the change of each enterprise nature before any business performance takes place.In a word,makers in EPZ demand innovation activities to actualize business performance in practice.Therefore this study made use of intellectual capital as mediating item to verify and fill the aforementioned gap.Nanzih EPZ is the benchmark of EPZ in Taiwan,so 85 makers there were chosen as the empirical subjects and conducted questionnaires targeting at exploring the mediating role of intellectual capital in association with innovation on business performance.The gap mainly concerns:1.Explore the subtle impact by management innovation on intellectual capital and business performance.2.Highlight the transformation mechanism based on performance via management innovation.Following is our findings:Management innovation impacts business performance(net growth,profitability,market share),via mediating effect of Intellectual Capital;As HR management innovation is concerned,there are three mediating effects involved including human capital,knowledge innovation capital and customer capital that affect business performance;When it comes to information technology innovation,mediating effect of knowledge innovation capital has an impact on business performance;In respect of service innovation,both human capital and knowledge innovation capital are mediating effects that affect business performance.In general,the study provides precise and sophisticated guideline for improvement of business performance by implementing management innovation and accumulation of intellectual capital whereas it provides the meaning of the policy to develop EPZ.It implies that the primary goal for management innovation is to transform creative ideas or technology into economic fruits eventually while the accumulation of intellectual capital is crucial for such transformation.With this framework,it is hereby suggested that 1.To position from conventional value-addition to value-creation,any makers in EZP shall enhance soft power,including service innovation,information technology innovation and HR management model innovation.Meanwhile,EAP Administration and makers shall evaluate and work on business performance via customer capital,human capital and knowledge innovation capital.In other words,the involvement of maker resource not only applies to management innovation and intellectual capital respectively but also makes switch and connection each other.2.In line with the above requirements,any organization shall conduct transformation on various scales.For example,set up an independent unit to manage interdepartmental affairs or staff unit to plan,monitor and initiate transformation from management innovation to intellectual capital or further the process of business performance.3.To increase the research as the development of management innovation and intellectual capital requires.Therefore,practices such as big data,service design and organizational learning can be helpful to clarify the relationship between resource and performance results. |
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