This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kawakami, M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Learning from Customers

Growth of Taiwanese Notebook PC Manufacturers as Original Design Manufacturing Suppliers

Institute of Developing Economies, Chiba, Japan

This article explores the firm-level competitive edge that underlies the dominance of Taiwanese manufacturers in the global production of notebook PCs. Based on the study of the business flow of original design manufacturing trade and the author's interviews with outsourcing and subcontracting firms, the article argues that the successful formation of multifaceted capabilities in product development, mass production, and logistics, as well as the creation of information advantages, underpin the drastic rise of Taiwan's position in the global competitive landscape. The article also examines the mechanism through which such firm-level competitiveness has been created, and it argues that the unique attributes of the notebook PC value chains have allowed Taiwanese firms to effectively absorb technology, know-how, and information by interacting with and learning from a wide variety of customers, and thus enhance their competitiveness as original design manufacturing suppliers.

Key Words: original design manufacturing • firm-level competitiveness • notebook PC industry • global value chains • learning

China Information, Vol. 23, No. 1, 103-128 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0920203X08100949


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?