Affiliations: Department of Information Management, Aletheia University, Taiwan. E-mail: cfhong@email.au.edu.tw | [x] ATR Knowledge Science Laboratories, Japan | [y] School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Abstract: In this study, opportunities based on the associative relationships, defined as Interactive Value-Focused Thinking Model (IVFT), were discovered. This system combined opportunities, defined by middle occurring frequency but with high link's entropy, with the associative relationships, which supplied the opportunity map to an analyst to create a meaningful scenario. Initially, the analyst thought that the short wavelength laser diode would be an important technology in the next generation DVD products, so he defined “blu-ray” as the strategic factor. Using KeyGraph and the strategic factor analysis, the IVFT system suggests that Toshiba has strong potential to be the leader in the next generation DVD industry. In addition, two kinds of rare opportunities, defined by low occurring frequency but with high link's entropy, were next discovered using entropy analysis of keywords links: 1. Investor's scenario, supported by the opportunity graph, under video and audio scenario “JVC” was emerged out, which was connected to the most important enterprises and technologies in the associative (opportunity) map. 2. Innovating scenario, constructed by the opportunity graph, in which only the special chemical technologies were connected to “Eternal” for emerging out the scenario of niche market. These experimental results indicate that this model could discover two kinds of opportunity, predictable and rare opportunities, based on both the data driving and the analyst's scenario recognizing the chance.
Keywords: Value focused thinking, chance discovery, competitive strategy, business intelligence
