企业边界的多种变化及其原因

企业边界普遍发生着显著变化。探索企业边界变化的原因有助于对企业性质的进一步理解。企业边界可以由企业内运用知识的规模决定，也可以由交易效率与生产效率的相对比较决定。信息技术节约交易费用，因而强化了企业间按照生产效率的分工，而知识交易效率的低下，导致越来越具有知识经验仓库性质的现代企业扩大着边界。交易费用论作为分析方法，对解释企业性质仍是有效的。

Changes of Firm's Boundary and Their Reasons

Notable changes in the boundary of enterprise have taken place lately. By exploring the cause of such changes, further understanding of the properties of enterprise could be obtained. The boundary of enterprise could be determined by the scale of knowledge application, or by the comparison between efficiency in trade and in production. As information technology reduces trade costs, the division of work between enterprises is strengthened in conformity to production efficiency; in contrast, the inefficiency in trade of knowledge leads to expansion of boundary of modern enterprises with the characteristic of knowledge and experience storehouse. The transaction cost theory, as an analytical tool, is still effective in explaining firm's nature.