IMBA個案教室》精技電腦海外投資 進退有據

■ 王維元、于卓民
★ I. Company Background
Unitech Electronics Co., LTD was established in March 1979. It began with an initial capital of NT$1million, and the core business was to provide microprocessor-based solutions in the fields of automation services and production. Unitech later set up subsidiaries in the US, Germany and China, respectively. For the past 20 years, Unitech has continuously focused on providing information technology products and services, which have increased customers' productivity. Through its diligence, Unitech also obtained the international quality assurance certification of ISO-9002; six ROC National Awards of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises; and ten ROC National Gold Awards of Excellence. In addition, Unitech has received recognition from both domestic and international professionals. As of 2004, Unitech has amassed a capital of approximately NT$1.517billion and a labor force in excess of 500 employees. Their sales revenue alone has reached NT$10.4 billions the same year.
★ II. Current Operation
Unitech's main products are desktop personal computers, notebook computers, Network devices, Internet connection equipment, graphical equipment, printers, monitors, optical imaging and scanning devices, automatic data collection devices (such as desktop and handheld laser barcode scanners, handheld CCD scanners, etc.), and various peripherals, especially consumable items and post-sale services. Presently, the major business model of Unitech has two categories: 1. High-tech products through channel distribution, and 2. Design, Manufacturing, and Marketing of Data Capture Products.
For many years, Unitech’s market distribution, cost centers, sales directions and backroom support systems have shown that quality management, systematic processes and computerized operations at Unitech are receiving recognition from different parties. The production and distribution in Taiwan have already reached economies of scale; its geographical coverage stipulates that research and development, and production are based in Taiwan, while finished products are sold in Taiwan, the US, Europe and many other countries. It has an extensive distribution network and market operations have adapted to a multi-customer framework. Because Unitech's customers are across many different industries and businesses models, the company regularly deals with 5,000 or more customers; this has obviously reduced its operational risk.
★ III. Factory setup in Xiamen, China
Unitech has always expected itself to become a world leader of Automatic recognition systems. Also, due to the rapid growth of China's market, Unitech has actively planned its China operations and its sales networks have expanded to cover the entire greater China region. It invested factories in Xiamen first to produce automatic recognition systems and scanner products but found the political environment quite different from that of Taiwan and future changes were rather difficult to control. Unitech therefore developed strategies to cope with detailed understandings of：
*The uncertainties of the general environments (including political, government policies, macro economics, social and natural)
*The uncertainties of Industrial environments (including supply chains, customers and competition)
*The uncertainties of the company's environments (including operational, responsibilities, research and development, credit, and behaviors).
Hence Unitech felt it was better to adopt suitable risk management strategies, which will help and benefit its future competitiveness and its continuous internationalization.
一、公司背景簡介
精技電腦股份有限公司成立於西元1979年3月，初期資本額為100萬元，以應用微處理器提供顧客自動化系統為主要業務，後來陸續在美國、德國與大陸等地成立子公司。20幾年來精技電腦公司，持續專注於提供能提升客戶生產力的資訊產品及服務，並取得ISO-9002國際品保認證、第六屆國家磐石獎、及第十屆國家產品形象「金質獎」的殊榮，受國內外專業人士的肯定。
截至2004年，資本額已累積至15億1,700多萬元，員工500餘人，2003年度營業額更超過104億元。
二、目前經營情況
精技電腦公司的主要產品為個人電腦桌上型、筆記型、網路伺服器、網路連線設備、繪圖設備、印表機、顯示器、平台式與滾筒式影像掃描裝置、自動資料收集裝置（如桌上型及手持式雷射條碼掃描器、手持式光偶合條碼掃描器等），各種周邊耗材與後續的維修服務等多種產品。
目前的主要業務可區分為兩大類：
1.科技產品通路經營業務。
2.資料收集產品設計、製造及銷售。
多年來，可從市場通路、三大責任中心與三大業務方向與後勤支援作業系統，看出精技電腦公司的品質管理、制度化、電腦化方面受到各方肯定。
該公司在台灣的生產與配銷都已達規模經濟；其在台研發、生產，並將成品販售至全台及歐美等其他多個國家。擁有廣大的配銷通路，客戶遍佈各行各業，有往來的客戶約有5,000多家，可顯著降低經營風險。
三、大陸廈門設廠
精技電腦公司一直期許自己能成為自動辨識系統的世界領導廠商，加上中國大陸市場成長迅速，因此積極在大陸佈點，將業務範圍擴充至整個大中華地區。首先到廈門投資設廠，生產自動辨識系統及掃描器等產品。因為大陸地區政治環境與台灣不同，未來變動也較難掌控，所以精技電腦公司認為若能詳細認知
*大陸一般環境的不確定性(包含政治環境、政府政策環境、總體經濟環境、社會環境與自然環境等五項不確定性)。
*產業環境的不確定性（包含供應環境、顧客環境與競爭環境等三項不確定性）。
*公司環境的不確定性(包含營運環境、責任、研究發展、信用與行為等五項不確定性)，及採取適當的風險管理策略，將對未來的競爭力與持續國際化的發展，有莫大助益。
（作者是實踐大學企業管理學系系主任、政治大學商學院企業管理系教授）
【2005/06/12 經濟日報】

IMBA個案解析》問題與討論
■ 王維元、于卓民
1. Because of the environmental uncertainties faced in China by the Xiamen factory, what types of risk management strategies should Unitech adopt Are there any alternatives; possibly better methods
2. How can Unitech establish a systematic procedure for analysis and risk management strategies of the environmental uncertainties faced in China when setting up its Xiamen factory How can the company's other future factory establishments benefit from the risk strategies adopted at that time How does it help the company's future internationalization when setting up factories in other countries
【Critics and analysis】
1. Unitech should have a detailed analysis on the three environmental uncertainties: 1. the general environment in China; 2. the industrial environment; and 3. the company's environment. So that it can adopt suitable risk management strategies such as self-controlled, co-operative, risk sharing, risk transferring, risk buffering, and so forth. A complete understanding of the environments and plan for suitable risk management strategies will help and benefit the company's operational efficiency. Readers can start from the analysis of the three types of uncertainties by probing into each environmental uncertainty and understand the sufficient levels of the company's resources, then link with the five strategies to find out more detailed methodologies of different strategies.
2. Businesses investing internationally confront tremendous risk, as far as Unitech is concerned, it effectively understood the changes in environments and adopted suitable risk management strategies, and these are important tasks and challenges. Unitech has spent all efforts to gather relevant information on China's environments and performed detailed analysis for the different environmental uncertainties and planed suitable risk management strategies. Readers perhaps can start from the viewpoint of knowledge management and discuss how can a company's future factory establishments and internationalization benefit from the knowledge gained on environmental uncertainty analysis and the knowledge sharing mechanisms of such analysis.
【問題與討論】
1. 針對廈門廠在大陸面對的「環境不確定性」，精技電腦公司應採取何種風險管理策略因應？是否有更佳做法？
2. 精技電腦公司如何將其在大陸廈門設廠時，所做的環境不確定性分析與風險管理策略制度化？此時所採取的風險管理策略，對公司未來在大陸設其他廠有何幫助？對公司未來國際化，在其他國家設廠有何幫助？
【評析】
一、精技電腦股份有限公司，應該詳細分析大陸一般環境、產業環境及公司環境等三種不確定性，並採取適當的風險管理策略，如自我掌控、合作、分散風險、移轉風險與緩衝等，好的環境認知與擬定適當的風險管理策略，對公司的經營績效將有所助益。可從三種環境不確定性分析著手，並探討其中各類的環境不確定性、其次探討企業資源豐富程度，再與五大策略結合，探討出策略中更多詳細的作法。
二、企業對外投資存在相當大的風險，對精技電腦公司而言，迅速地認知環境的變遷，採取適當的風險管理策略，是經營的重要課題。精技電腦公司費盡心力蒐集大陸環境的各種相關資料，仔細分析各種環境的不確定性，並擬定適當的風險管理策略。或可從知識管理的角度著手，探討此類環境不確定性，分析知識的建立與分享的機制，對公司未來建廠與國際化有何助益。
【2005/06/12 經濟日報】

IMBA策略小辭典》風險 不確定性
■ 台北訊
風險(risk) 與不確定性(uncertainty)嚴格劃分是有稍許不同，但在一般管理文獻上多將二者混用，且在實務用語上，風險也比不確定性的接受程度高。
風險：為某一決策的可能結果，對可能的結果發生的機率可以預知，或事前知道各種可能的狀況，且狀況是確定的、可被估算的。
不確定性：為決策的可能結果與機率均未知，或是個人認知到無法準確的預測某事。不確定性應和特定領域一起研究才有意義，若定義太廣泛將徒勞無功。例如應指出是供應商的不確性或競爭的不確定性等。
【2005/06/12 經濟日報】