探討技術網絡之社群結構與位置關係－－以保險商業方法專利為例

To Study the Community Structure and Its Positional Relationship of Technological Network-- Insurance Business Method Patents

網絡結構的研究是社會網絡分析關注的一個核心議題。依定義，隨機構成之節點集合可視為是一個社群。但隨機集合而成的社群，無法對應到一個有意義的群體。社群研究主要是觀察整體網絡結構的特徵，並從中找出幾個「自然存在」（naturally existing）的社群。本研究將社群概念與操作方法運用到技術領域上，找出技術網絡中自然形成的技術社群，並詮釋其在技術結構中的存在意涵。本研究有以下的重要分析結果：（一）、依網絡位置關係將技術社群分為：孤立者（isolate）、主事者（primary）、追隨者（sycophant）、仲介者（broker）。（二）、推導技術社群之內部與外部關係的緊密變化，提出可能的技術位置的轉換路徑。本研究亦提出一些理論意涵的探討，以及對技術發展與技術策略的一些管理上看法。

The study of community structure of networks has received an enormous amount of attention in recent years. According to the definition a community could be a set of nodes by randomly selected, but the problem was that the set composed by random nodes might not consist with any significant meanings. The methodology of studying of community structure is to find out the naturally existing community by inspecting the network structure. This paper utilizes the concept and methodology of community to study technological domain. The results of this study are as follows: first, to divide technological communities according to their mutually relationship in the position of network, and technological communities can be the isolate, primary, sycophant and broker. Second, to derivate the variety of the densities of internal and external, this paper proposes a possible transaction route of the change of technological communities in the technological development. In addition, the paper also proposes some technological implications to be further discussion.