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Digital Enterprise Design and Management 2013 pp 161–182Cite as

Business Models, Symbionts and Business Ecosystem: A Case Study from E-commerce Industry in China

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Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 205))

Abstract

The essence of a business model defines a transaction structure that involves stakeholders. This article examines the transactional features that exist between stakeholders, such as relationships and form. We also introduce the new concept of “symbiont” and analyze the aggregation of the focal firm’s and stakeholders’ business models. By proposing this innovative concept, we seek to bridge the gap between the macro Business Ecosystem and micro Business Model, and as such expand our ideas about business models. The concept of “symbiont” in the business model that we have created provides a shared coordination system for different business models under the same business ecosystem, making direct comparison between them possible. Moreover, it allows us to analyze a focal firm’s business model from a micro perspective, which may clarify how to precisely and scientifically restructure or reform the focal firm based on the anatomic picture of the company. To explain this theory, our research focuses on China’s E-commerce industry.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Management, HSBC Business School, Peking University, Peking, China

    Wei Wei

  2. Professor of Finance, Finance Department, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Peking, China

    Wuxiang Zhu

  3. Economics, HSBC Business School, Peking University, Peking, China

    Guiping Lin

Authors
  1. Wei Wei
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  2. Wuxiang Zhu
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  3. Guiping Lin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wei Wei .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , CRG, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau Cedex, 91128, France

    Pierre-Jean Benghozi

  2. , LIX / DIX, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau Cedex, 91128, France

    Daniel Krob

  3. , Institut d'Economie et, Université de Nantes, Chemin de la Censive du Tertre, Nantes Cedex 3, 44322, France

    Frantz Rowe

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Wei, W., Zhu, W., Lin, G. (2013). Business Models, Symbionts and Business Ecosystem: A Case Study from E-commerce Industry in China. In: Benghozi, PJ., Krob, D., Rowe, F. (eds) Digital Enterprise Design and Management 2013. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 205. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37317-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37317-6_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-37316-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-37317-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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