4. 受到科技發展與全球化的影響，組織的營運可能需要考量全球環境 (globalenvironment)的議題。這些組織外的力量，可能為管理者帶來機會與威脅，故管理者需要了解全球環境的應力，以便適當地因應可能的挑戰。數位內容產業亦如此，當其產品可以藉由網路科技輕易地取得時，其商業模式更需要適當地調整。請試閱讀以下節錄自 BBC 的新聞，並回答下列問題。

January 2013 Last updated at 00:15 GMT
Video games embrace China's freemium model to beat piracy
By Juliana Liu Hong Kong correspondent, BBC News

In China, where mobile gamers virtually refuse to pay up front forsoftware, developers are figuring out innovative ways to makemoney, and creating a possible solution against internet piracy.

When German mobile game developer HandyGames launched its casualtitle "Clouds and Sheep" in China this year, it decided to partner with aBeijing-based publisher to tailor it for the Chinese market.

The founder and chief executive of the publisher Yodo1 Henry Fong says itwas obvious the game, which features a flock of cute cartoon sheep, wouldappeal to the country's legions of female players.

But, it would also need to be extensively "localised" for a market in whichplayers generally do not believe in paying up front to download software.

"Chinese gamers have been trained from day one to prefer the freemiummodel," he tells the BBC.

"You have to culturalise the content, as well as the business model."

Freemium refers to a way of doing business in which a basic product isgiven away free of charge.

The service provider then makes money by charging for premium add-onservices or features.

Paying to go premium

A study by the Business Software Alliance trade group suggests that 57%of global computer users admit to using pirated software. It says thecommercial value of software theft amounts to $63.4bn (£39.1bn)worldwide.

This has been a particular problem in China where the high cost ofMicrosoft's Windows software in the early 1990s helped create a culture inwhich piracy became the norm.Even as the wealthy elite and then the middle class began buying personalcomputers, they steadfastly refused to pay for software.

This has been a particular problem in China where the high cost of Microsoft's Windows software in the early 1990s helped create a culture in which piracy became the norm.Even as the wealthy elite and then the middle class began buying personal computers, they steadfastly refused to pay for software.

Video games consoles are banned in China, so the local market is focused on PCs for which it is relatively easy to copy software.

The switch to freemium looks to have worked. Publishers using the model made more
than $9bn in sales last year, according to Lisa Hanson, managing partner of the research firm Niko Partners.

Based on revenues, mobile represents about a tenth of that figure.
But in terms of the number of players, the positions reverse. There are now about
192 million mobile gamers in China versus 150 million playing on PCs, says Ms Hanson.

Pricey purchases

Games developers say that despite the eye-popping player numbers, it has proved far harder to make money from smart devices than PCs because mobile games are less sophisticated. Chris Shen, from the Chinese online gaming giant The9, says that the sector is still in a developmental stage.

"Chinese users are very used to getting games for free," he says.

"They are very well educated on how to get software and games for free. But we want them to pay eventually,"

That is why developers and publishers like The9 and Yodo1 rely on advertising and in-app purchases.

When Yodo1 adapted Clouds and Sheep, it sold advertising space within the game to America's Yum Brands, which operates the wildly popular fast food chains Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut in China.

It also created a wide range of in-app purchases, called "coin packs" which vary from just six yuan ($0.16; £0.10) all the way to 388 yuan

That large amount of money buys hundreds of different virtual items that can help high-rolling players keep their sheep happy, which is the aim of the game.

Mr Fong of Yodo1 says the alterations helped make Clouds and Sheep the second
most-popular mobile game in China's Apple Store within three days of its launch.

It was downloaded more than two millions times on both Android and iPhones
over a one-month period, he says, but declined to reveal how much the game made in revenue.

He adds that while most Chinese gamers have developed an aversion to paying for
downloads, they have also developed a propensity for showing off their wealth to friends online.

"The nouveau riche is not afraid to flaunt their wealth," he says.

"The leader of the group in some massively multiplayer online games will
buy a lot of items within the game for everyone else to share."

…

Source:Adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20899165