5. Conclusion
In this paper, according to the characteristics of the transaction system, we put forward the concept of essential services quantity and come up with a new definition of transaction efficiency. On this basis, we set up a decision model of middlemen’s transaction services specialized production. Meanwhile we consider the influence of services’ total supply and demand in the market on the prices, which makes the model more real. We simulate the middlemen’s decisions to explore the effect of transaction efficiency on middlemen’s division of labor and the effect of the degree of specialization economy, the price gradient and the relative equilibrium price on the results. The results show that with the improvement of transaction efficiency, the level of division of labor first ascends, then descends and may finally ascends again. The improvement of transaction efficiency decreases the costs of buying transaction services, which makes middlemen able to put more resource to produce the service with highest profit. However, with the further improvement of transaction efficiency, there is no need to buy service from the market for middlemen. The services they produce themselves can satisfy their demand. Thus, the level of division of labor descends. When transaction efficiency reaches a higher value, a lower commodity equilibrium price or a higher price gradient may make middlemen to start specialized product again for that can help them make more profit. This research provides a theoretical basis for the evolution of e-commerce transaction system. In the future, the division of labor’s level of e-commerce system will fluctuate. Ecommerce middlemen will explore the diversified production models combined with the market situation. The future e-commerce model will be a balance of specialization and diversification.
