(The) study of management strategies in the ICT business ecosystem

Abstract

This thesis applied the business ecosystem concept to study the necessary management strategies required for firms to survive and grow in the evolving ICT industry environment. Specifically, two primary topics are discussed. 1) The cross-effects of mergers and acquisition (M&A) within the mobile ecosystem 2) Consumers’ preference for the attributes of virtual reality (VR) devices.

The first essay empirically examines the effects of M&As conducted by the keystone firms of the mobile ecosystem (Apple and Google). After the target firms are classified according to the businesses of the acquiring firm that each target firm is related to, the study examines the effects of different types of M&As on the values of the acquirer, the rival, or both. The results provide a basis for understanding the complex relationship between two keystones within the mobile business ecosystem.

The second essay explored consumers’ preferences for the attributes of VR HMDs, which can be considered as the most important aspect in the current stage of VR ecosystem development. Conjoint analysis was conducted and the marginal willingness-to-pay (MWTP) for these attributes was derived to analyze the preferences. On the basis of literature review and a product analysis, six attributes were derived: visualization, accessories, weight, ergonomic design, number of contents, and price. The results highlight the wearable aspect of the device as being most important. Implications concerning the future development direction for the mass adoption of VR and ecosystem establishment are suggested based on the results.