Business Ecosystems in China

We cannot afford to miss the remarkable rise of Chinese business ecosystems. Alibaba and their peers Baidu, Tencent, Xiaomi, and LeEco showcase unprecedented growth and success in China and are expanding their impact globally. With a combined market capitalization of close to 600 billion USD, incubating over 1,000 new ventures and an average annual growth of over 50%, they have become a force to reckon with for the likes of Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and IBM. ‘Business ecosystem’ is a frequently used concept to describe the unique competitive advantages of the American technology giants. This book explores not only the application of a business ecosystem approach in the Chinese context but also deals with the key strategic question: How did these five Chinese business ecosystems grow so rapidly and successfully?

The book takes the growth and transformation of Alibaba’s business ecosystem as a focus case in comparison with Baidu, Tencent, Xiaomi, and LeEco. These business ecosystems developed in less than 20 years and transformed from organic growth to rapid expansion by investment and acquisition, entrepreneurship and incubation of new ventures, continuous innovation, and internationalization. This book brings insights and practical lessons on leading, creating, and disrupting markets for corporate executives and professionals in global business, a comparative case study for researchers and students of management, and food for thought on Chinese ways of doing business.

Author Biography

Mark J. Greeven is a Chinese-speaking Dutch Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Zhejiang University, China. For over a decade he has been collaborating with innovative Chinese companies and entrepreneurial multinationals. His work has been published in academic journals and newspapers like The Financial Times and China Daily. He is on the 2017 Thinkers50 Radar list of 30 next generation business gurus.

Wei Wei is an entrepreneur, investment professional, and the founder of GSL (www.gslpartner.com), an innovation management consultancy. Combining international experience in engineering and venture capital, she helps multinationals and ventures improve innovation practices and achieve growth. She received master degrees in engineering from Tsinghua University and RWTH Aachen University.