Rags to Riches: Business Model Innovation Shifts in the Ecosystem of the Chinese Super League
The Chinese Super League (CSL) has witnessed unprecedented growth in recent years via evolutions in Chinese football clubs’ business models and the league environment.
Doctoral researcher Shuyang Liu and Professor James Skinner both of the Institute for Sport Business and Dr Anna Grosman of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, analyse business model innovation (BMI) in the light of changing ecosystem factors via a case study of the Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club in their forthcoming article.
The authors examine the types of BMI under the Foss and Saebi’s framework (2017), namely evolutionary, focused, adaptive and complex, which assess the scope and novelty of the BMI. The case study captures and categorizes the BMI types of Guangzhou Evergrande by disentangling the key elements of business models and finds that BMI constancy and novelty are vital to the club’s success.
The authors argue that CSL clubs have unique and under-rated value capture structures, where the value is captured by their investors rather than by the clubs themselves. The study identifies policy and investors as the two ecosystem factors within the Chinese football industry that have the most significant influence on the club’s BMI. Being proactive and thinking ahead is vital for clubs to achieve success and the authors provide illustrations on how Guangzhou Evergrande built a competitive advantage through anticipating ecosystem changes and adjusting business models accordingly.
This research contributes to the understanding of the nascent Chinese football ecosystem and the club management and can be applied to other organizations and industries.
The article entitled "From Rags to Riches: Business Model Innovation Shifts in the Ecosystem of the Chinese Super League", will be published in the Journal of Global Sport Manangement. Read the full article here.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
Specialising exclusively in postgraduate-level study, Loughborough University London is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers cutting-edge master’s and PhD degrees, as well as business collaboration, research and enterprise opportunities.
The seven specialist institutes at Loughborough University London include: Design Innovation, Digital Technologies, Diplomacy and International Governance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Management, Media and Creative Industries, and Sport Business. Close industry partnerships with a wealth of leading businesses and creative organisations means teaching and learning is informed by real-life challenges and driven by true industry pressures.