台灣的後起者會逐步升級成為自創品牌、參與尖端競賽的國際先進廠商嗎？如何評估？瞿宛文與安士敦（2003）指出台灣上一次升級是藉由後起者代工成熟產品來介入高科技產業，本文則探討這些後起者進一步升級的途經將為何。本文發現除了少數早已顯示出自創品牌策略承諾的企業外，若外在條件不變，則從資源角度來探討台灣後起者的擴張策略選擇，有相當的解釋能力。即後起者累積的組織能力以規模生產及計畫執行能力為主，是其進一步發展的依據與限制因素，因此多數後起者的擴張策略選擇順序可能會是代工升級優先，跨業代工次之，自創品牌再次之，若其他條件不變則後起者並無必然進行自創品牌之理。其他會影響自創品牌的結構性因素包括國家政策、代工模式之成長空間及相關的產業特性。產業的研發與行銷強度越高，技術與規模差距越大，則後起者自創品牌面對的限制因素較大。但策略選擇也牽涉到管理者主觀意向，並非結構性因素所能完全決定。後起者既有管理人對自創品牌企圖心較為強烈之時，選擇自創品牌仍為可能。 至今，台灣少數自創品牌較為成功的案例，如巨大、宏碁等，多牽涉管理人自身一向來主觀的願景與選擇。近年來則多一些受代工模式成長空間限制所迫而開始自創品牌的企業，如華碩、明基等。此外，一般而言台灣大企業自創品牌者稀，既有國際品牌則多由非主要企業經營。南韓條件與台灣類似，但已成功培育出國際級品牌企業，其案例顯示除了企業強烈的企圖心之外，政府的長期性產業發展策略與制度安排扮演關鍵角色。 如果政策及其他結構性因素不變，台灣企業多仍會顯現代工模式的路徑依賴。但代工模式成長空間的限制日漸顯著，自創品牌必然是產業升級需考慮的途徑之一。鑑於自創品牌多非後起者策略首選，且南韓式的制度安排並不可能，因此在自創品牌可行性較高的產業與市場作選擇性支持，尤其是對早已選擇自創品牌的企業，應是較為適合的政策。

Taiwan, one of the best performers among latecomers in the postwar period, has successfully industrialized, but is yet to close the technological gap with the West. This paper extends the second-mover theory in Amsden and Chu（2003）to discuss how the second-movers can continue to upgrade once the growth of subcontracting opportunities slowed in mature high-tech. Judging from the progress made so far, it is found that, except some firms which committed to the branding strategy early, Penrose’s resource-based approach to business strategy can explain most second movers’ behavior. Having accumulated capabilities in production and project execution, the second mover’s strategy of choice will be in upgrading subcontracting, cross-industry subcontracting, and then own-brand-manufacturing, and in that order. Some external conditions, including government policy, growth potential for subcontracting, and industry characteristics, may also influence the firm’s strategy choice. Moreover, the structural factors are not entirely deterministic. When the managers are committed to the branding strategy due to their vision of the firm, they may still choose to do branding. The few success cases in South Korea, in terms of second movers closing the gap with the West, indicate that the state’s strong resolve and unwavering long-term support to the chaebol to build ones’ own brand were necessary to support the latecomers’ entry into the ruthless global competition at the frontier.