Optimal Bundling Strategy for Cloud Computing Services

如資訊商品或線上服務一樣，雲端服務具有網路外部性，所以服務的價值會隨著使用者的人數增加而上升。而數量折扣則會鼓勵消費者使用雲端服務。據我們所知，並沒有模型在分析雲端服務的組合策略時，同時考慮網路外部性與數量折扣。因此，在本篇論文中，我們提出一個模型分析雲端服務的組合策略，如何受網路外部性、數量折扣、邊際成本、固定成本與邊際價格遞減率的影響。我們探討三種組合策略，分別為純粹個別服務策略(PC)、純粹組合服務策略(PB)以及混合組合服務策略(MB)。研究結果顯示，最佳需求量與最佳利潤會隨著網路外部性與邊際價格遞減率的增加而上升，並隨著固定成本和邊際成本的增加而下降。當邊際價格遞減率較低時，純粹組合服務策略是最佳策略。混合組合服務策略在網路外部性低且數量高或邊際價格遞減率高且數量高時，具有較高的利潤。而當數量低且網路外部性高時，純粹個別服務策略是最佳策略。最佳策略隨著不同的市場條件而有所不同。因此，我們所提出的模型可以幫助服務供應商，根據雲端服務的特質來擬定適合的競爭策略。Like information goods or online services, a cloud computing service has network externality. That is, its value increases with the number of consumers using the service. Quantity discounts may encourage consumers to use cloud computing services. To the best of our knowledge, there is no model dedicated on analyzing bundling strategies of clouding computing services by considering both network externality and quantity discount. Therefore, in this thesis, we propose a model to analyze how the bundling strategies of cloud computing services are affected by network externality, quantity discount, marginal cost, fixed cost, and decreasing rate of marginal price. The proposed model investigates three bundling strategies, namely, pure components (PC), pure bundling (PB) and mixed bundling (MB). The results suggest that the optimal demand and profit increase with the network externality and the decreasing rate of marginal price, and decrease with the fixed cost and marginal cost. PB is optimal with lower decreasing rate of marginal price. Next, MB is more profitable when network externality is low and quantity is high, or when decreasing rate and quantity are high. PC is the optimal strategy when quantity is low and network externality is high. The optimal strategies are different for various market conditions. Therefore, the proposed model may offer service providers to develop the appropriate strategies based on the characteristics of the cloud computing services