Innovation and Spatial Organizations of Taiwan’s Phalaenopsis Industry

• Main Authors: Tsai, Han-Sheng, 蔡漢生
• Other Authors: Wu, Lien-Shang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/60933120830733779943

博士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 地理學系 === 104 === The Phalaenopsis industry is one of the few industries in Taiwan that is independently innovative and internationally competitive. Its development resembles that’s of Taiwan’s economic growth—by first learning from more advanced knowledge, technology, and experience from overseas experts and then transforming it into independent, indigenous innovation. Its industrial structure transitioned from agricultural to industrial and then to more service-related; its international competitiveness changed from import substitution to export-oriented; its development momentum gradually changed from resources application-driven to cost efficiency-driven and finally to intensive innovation-driven. Therefore, upon completing independent innovation on various levels, breakthroughs have been made, and a competitive positioning has been achieved in the global division of labor. As a result, Taiwan has narrowed the gap in the Phalaenopsis industry with other countries that have traditionally been strong in Phalaenopsis production, such as Japan and the Netherlands, and even surpassed them. Taiwan has achieved a miracle of development, not only by enabling Taiwanese Phalaenopsis farmers to move from the periphery toward the core of the global market but also by winning the reputation of being "The Phalaenopsis Kingdom." The industry originated from the Confucian scholars’ socio-cultural traditions of appreciating orchids. Catalyzed by the economic motives of capitalism, and through technological innovation and evolution, professional cultivation that generates tangible benefits was developed. Subsequently, through innovations in new varieties, breeding technologies, production management, and the industrial division of labor, development strategies such as establishing the “Taiwan Orchid Plantation,” bio-tech park and organizing international orchid exhibitions, cultural creativity, and biomedical technology transformation, an internationally competitive and export-oriented industry has thus been constructed. Today, the industry requires a massive investment in technology, human resources, and innovation. However, the improvements involved will inevitably result in the co-existence of creative and destructive forces among business, social, and spatial organizations as well as in the industrial structure, which, in turn, will drive changes in spatial organizations. The present study aims to explore the industry’s ecosystem and the changes in its spatial organizations. The study focused on the main distribution areas of the Phalaenopsis industry, namely Tainan, Chiayi, Pingtung, Yunlin, Kaohsiung, Changhua, and Taichung, between September 2013 and October 2015. A three-stage observation was conducted by participating in and observing the orchid gardens’ operations, and by interviewing people from the industry. Twenty interviewees’ records and relevant statistics were collected and used for the observation and interpretation of the present study, in order to deepen its discussion. The study found that a series of innovations in this industry were made by high-quality industrial communities. According to the development strategy of “Global vision, Local innovation," Taiwan was positioned as the seedling supply base in the global industry chain. Based on the development strategy of “Local innovation, Global connection," the distribution area of Tainan was developed into a key node linking the outside and cohering with the inside in the global industrial chain. Moreover, through path-dependent innovation, the development of Tainan led to a forward cycle of a dialectical relationship with the Tainan-centric industry cluster. This allowed Tainan to accumulate industrial resources and reinvent itself continuously, thus becoming the cluster center, production center, and innovation center of the industry. Meanwhile, the positioning, competitiveness, and linkage of the industry in the global industry network have been gradually strengthened. Furthermore, Taiwan’s Phalaenopsis industry has formed a highly complementary international vertical division of labor with mid- and high-latitude countries, and a horizontal division of labor that presents potential international competitiveness with low-latitude countries. In other words, the industry consolidated its global industry position and competitiveness through local innovation, thus developing the ecosystem and spatial organizations with a forward cycling path of “Local innovation ↹ Global connection” and Local clustering ↹ Global connection.”