本研究的目的是衡量2001年到2010年期間亞太經濟合作會提供固網服務、行動服務、網路服務的綜合電信業者之生產力改變、技術效率改變、技術改變，以及技術缺口比率，同時，檢驗私有化、市場自由化與營運規模對電信業者的生產力表現之影響。本研究採用麥氏生產力指數法與共同邊界麥氏生產力指數法為研究方法。其研究步驟如下，首先，藉由麥氏生產力指數的分解得到效率改變值、技術改變值、純技術效率改變值、規模效率改變值、總要素生產力值；並將亞太經濟合作會成員依照國際貨幣基金組織之分類分為兩個群組，分別為先進經濟體與新興經濟體；再者，分別求得相較於共同邊界與群組邊界的技術效率變動值和技術變動值，最後，也將計算共同邊界麥氏生產力指數值、群組邊界麥氏生產力指數值、技術缺口比率值、追趕值。
本研究主要的發現如下，整體而言，新興經濟體中的電信業者生產力呈現較強勁的成長，但是，技術缺口卻較先進經濟體電信業者來得大。在先進經濟體中的電信業者，其群組邊界麥氏生產力指數值與追趕值呈現改善的趨勢，此現象也代表群組邊界逐漸向共同邊界趨近。再者，由其共同邊界麥氏生產力指數值與技術缺口比率值可得知，除了2003年至2005年期間之外，新興經濟體電信業者相較於共同邊界皆呈現強勁的成長。另一方面，新興經濟體中的電信業者，其群組麥氏生產力指數值與追趕值呈現改善的趨勢，此現象也代表群組邊界逐漸朝共同邊界趨近，共同邊界麥氏生產力指數值呈現正向的成長，但是技術缺口比例值卻不如共同邊界。更甚者，本研究發現電信業者的營運規模與所有權的類別以及所處的市場之結構皆與其生產力表現無關。最後，本研究提供相關的管理意涵與政策建議，用以促進電信營運商之生產力成長，並降低技術缺口。

This study measures and compares the productivity change, technical efficiency change, technical change and technology gap ratio of the APEC major integrated telecommunications operators that provide fixed-line services, mobile services, Internet services from 2001 to 2010. The relationships among the privatization, market liberalization, operating scale and the productivity performance of the operators are also examined. The methodology used are Malmquist productivity index (MPI) and metafrontier Malmquist productivity index (MMPI). The three steps are adopted in applying MMPI to measure the productivity change and technology gap. First, the values of efficiency change, technical change, pure technical efficiency change, scale efficiency change, and total factor productivity in the MPI model are derived. Second, the sixteen APEC integrated operators are classified into two groups: the group of advanced economies and the group of emerging and developing economies according to IMF (2011). The third step is to estimate the metafrontier with respect to the two groups under constant return to scale. The values of the technical efficiency change and technical change with respect to the metafrontier and the values of technical efficiency change and technical change with respect to the group frontier will be calculated. Finally, metafrontier Malmquist productivity index (MMPI), group Malmquist productivity index (GMPI), the technology gap ratio (TGR) and the catch-up are calculated.

The main findings are summarized as follow. Overall, the operators in the emerging and developing economies are found to achieve higher productivity growth but have larger technology gap than the ones in the advanced economies. In the group of advanced economies, the GMPI and catch-up values displayed improving trends, indicating that these economies showed improving productivity changes with respect to the group frontier and that the group frontier moved toward the metafrontier. Their MMPI and TGR values displayed positive productive changes and advanced technology level with respect to the metafrontier except in 2003-2005. In the group of emerging and developing economies, the GMPI and catch-up values displayed positive productivity changes with respect to the group frontier, implying that group frontier moving toward the metafrontier. The MMPI values displayed positive productive changes but the TGR values displayed inferior technology level with respect to the metafrontier. Surprisingly, the scale and ownership of an operator and the market structure are found not to be related to the productivity performance of the integrated operator. Finally, the managerial and policy suggestions are drawn from the results of this study to promote productivity growth and reduce technology gap of telecommunications operators.

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