Title: Business ecosystem extension: facilitating the technology substitution

Authors: Ke Rong; Guangyu Hu; Jie Hou; Rufei Ma; Yongjiang Shi

Addresses: The Business School, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, BH8 8EB, UK; Institute for National Energy Development, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China ' Institute for National Energy Development, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China ' School of Urban Planning and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China ' School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China ' Institute for Manufacturing, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK

Abstract: This paper studies how the technological ecosystem extension facilitates the technology substitution in an emerging industry. Specifically, this paper has three findings: 1) the technological ecosystem with an expanded scope including supply, demand and intermediaries; 2) two type of ecosystem extension as the bottom-up and top-down ecosystem extension; 3) the determinants of sustaining the ecosystem extension. We have conducted in-depth interviews in the Chinese low-speed electric vehicle industry, which adopted the bottom-up ecosystem extension by comparing with the traditional car industry with top-down ecosystem extension to the emerging EV industry. This paper also offers managerial implications to the focal firms and policy makers to capture the emerging opportunities within an ecosystem.

Keywords: business ecosystems; technology substitution; ecosystem extension; China; low-speed electric vehicles; demand chain.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2013.056901

International Journal of Technology Management, 2013 Vol.63 No.3/4, pp.268 - 294

Published online: 10 May 2014 *

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