A Comparative Study on Business Models of the Leading Makerspace Companies in the United States, Taiwan and China

• Main Authors: Tzu-Yi Kao, 高姿宜
• Other Authors: 賴明弘
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8avc99

碩士 === 國立臺中科技大學 === 企業管理系碩士班 === 104 === Makerspace is the impetus of the maker movement and a strong supporter of the makers. Providing space and equipment for the makers, makerspace is capital intensive. To stay in business, makerspace companies can rely on business model to increase its competitive advantages. The objectives of this research are: 1. To compare the business models of the leading makerspace companies in the United States, Taiwan and China. 2. To study how to improve the competitive advantages of the Taiwanese makerspace companies. Business model canvas proposed by Osterwalder & Pigneur (2012) forms the theoretical framework of this study. There are nine constructing elements, which are customer segments, value proposition, channels, customer relationships, revenue stream, key resources, key activities, key partners, and cost structure. After mapping the business models of TechShop (U.S.), Futureward (Taiwan), and Chaihuomakerspace (China), this study compares the three cases with the cross tabulation data analysis technic proposed by Yin (2009). The results show that Taiwanese makerspace companies can improve their competitive advantages by: 1. Collaborating with manufacturing companies in large-order production, 2. Targeting kindergarten customer segment with supplement modules in electronic commerce, 3. Gaining new customers from the internet community by coaches, plant managers, and volunteers. 4. Applying for subsidies from the government or opening new branches.