| dc.description.abstract | In recent years, affected by the COVID-19, the world′s consumer demand has been transformed into a ＂non outdoor＂, ＂low contact＂ and ＂low risk＂ model in response to epidemic prevention surveys, which has driven the consumption and sales of ＂homebody economy＂ products and sporting goods to flourish. With the easing of the epidemic, the European and American markets took the lead in unsealing. With the reopening of gyms, the commercial fitness equipment market has a promising prospect. Based on the internationalization process of Taiwan′s sports equipment industry, this study uses the Structure-Conduct-Performance model (SCP) in economics to analyze the relationship among the market structure, manufacturer′s behavior and business performance of Taiwan′s sports equipment industry, and analyzes and evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 (2020-2021) on the industry itself, so as to seek suggestions for the sustainable development of domestic players and the entry of potential players into the industry and market.
We found that in terms of market structure, the sports equipment industry belongs to a low concentration and oligopoly of high-quality manufacturers. The products of manufacturers mainly come from customer designs or industry standard products, with limited differentiation. However, manufacturers can obtain new styles and structures of product development through talent and capital investment, and monopolize the market in a certain field for a period of time under international patent protection. Although the threshold for new manufacturers to enter is not high, it requires time for substantial capital investment and accumulated competitiveness. In terms of manufacturer behavior, apart from domestic manufacturers that cross international brands and channels, sports equipment manufacturers do not have strong market pricing capabilities. The factors causing price fluctuations are the fluctuations in the metal market and the fluctuations in supply and demand trends. The product strategy and research and development direction of manufacturers are closely related to the growth and profitability of the company, and mergers and acquisitions and alliances are also important means for manufacturers to pursue expansion. In terms of business performance, acquiring international brands and channels through mergers and acquisitions, creating new production capacity, and acquiring research and development technology are the main modes of profit growth for sports equipment manufacturers. The economies of scale, product market strategies, and market demand of manufacturers have a direct impact on their performance.
This study provides suggestions for existing or new manufacturers, including controlling upstream raw materials, expanding economic scale and risk management, establishing a solid quality system and continuous improvement, and developing directions for integration and expansion of upstream and downstream, in order to establish a good and solid physique and international competitiveness. The suggestion for the industry is to focus on market and product development orientation, face Chinese competition, break away from price competition in the Red Sea, adopt value and cost exchange mechanisms, and achieve sustainable operation and growth of the industry.
In terms of recommendations for the government and academic sectors in this study, with the global investment in the new form of sports technology industry, government departments should study how to assist local industries in technological upgrading, focus on research investment in software and hardware, and further coordinate and promote cooperation between industry, government, and academia to achieve a win-win situation. | en_US |