微軟供應鏈管理模式探討：交易成本觀點

Abstract

按照交易成本理論，企業在面臨生產或製造決策時，會考慮內部生產和外部交易之間的成本差異，這些成本包括交易成本和生產成本，交易成本是指在市場交易中與供應商進行搜尋、談判、合約制定、信息取得和監督等所需的管理成本，而生產成本則是指企業自行生產所需的資源和成本；微軟作為一家大型的軟體科技公司，如果要自行生產所有硬體，將需要投入大量資本建立龐大的製造和生產能力，這會導致微軟內部無法專注於核心能力上，而既有製造商通常已經有長時間的投入製造技術，累積了豐富的知識和經驗，具有更強大的規模經濟並且擁有更緊密的供應鏈網絡，可以降低生產成本並提高生產效率；再者，委託製造能使微軟能夠更靈活地應對市場需求的變化、分擔市場風險，讓微軟能夠更好地應對不確定性。

微軟新任CEO Satya Nadella 自2014年上任以來，重新定位了微軟的戰略重心，將公司自個人電腦的Windows操作系統移轉至雲端服務產業，在轉型的過程中，其供應鏈也從個人電腦產品轉移至雲端基礎設施之供應鏈，兩種產業的產品的元件雖然相同，但其規格設計與用途有所不同，本論文將探討微軟個人電腦與雲端伺服器的產品特性，分析其規格與用途的差異所在，進而探討其差異對供應鏈造成的影響，並以多個面向來觀察其差異，再從交易成本理論觀點解釋微軟在兩者在供應鏈上的變化；最後，將介紹微軟供應鏈如今所面臨的挑戰及微軟的應對管理辦法，供讀者參考。

According to Transaction Cost Theory, when making production or manufacturing decisions, companies will consider the cost difference between internal production and external transactions. These costs include transaction costs and production costs. Transaction costs refer to the management costs needed for searching, negotiating, contract making, acquiring information, and supervision in market transactions with suppliers. Production costs, on the other hand, refer to the resources and costs needed for companies to produce internally.

Microsoft, as a large software technology company, would need to invest a significant amount of capital to build substantial manufacturing and production capacity if it were to produce all its hardware. This could lead to Microsoft being unable to focus on its core competencies. Existing manufacturers usually have long-term investments in manufacturing technologies, rich knowledge and experience, stronger economies of scale, and tighter supply chain networks. They can reduce production costs and improve production efficiency. Furthermore, outsourcing manufacturing allows Microsoft to respond more flexibly to market demand changes, share market risks, and better handle uncertainty. Since taking office in 2014, Microsoft's new CEO, Satya Nadella, has repositioned the strategic focus of the company, shifting from the Windows operating system for personal computers to the cloud services industry. In the process of this transformation, its supply chain has also shifted from personal computer products to the supply chain for cloud infrastructure. While the components of the products in these two industries are similar, their specifications, designs, and uses are different. This paper will explore the product characteristics of Microsoft's personal computers and cloud servers, analyze the differences in their specifications and uses, and further examine the impact of these differences on the supply chain. The differences will be observed from multiple perspectives and explained from the viewpoint of Transaction Cost Theory. Finally, the paper will introduce the challenges Microsoft's supply chain faces today and Microsoft's management response measures for readers' reference.