Journal of Digital Economy最新文献

In the era of digital economy, the data has increasingly become one important production factor. Taking Guiyang Global Big Data Exchange (GBDEx) as an empirical case, this paper first proposes a SEED model for constructing the data factor market which mainly consists of four components: S for System rules designing which refers to the design of rules, standards, policies and laws on data transaction process; E for Exchange platform building which should be credible, controllable, reliable and traceable; E for Ecosystem nurturing that refer to diverse data suppliers, customers for data demand, data intermediaries, data regulators, and other data trading alliances should be nurtured; and D for Data convergence and co-governance refers to the convergence and co-governance of various types of data trading subjects. The SEED can also be interpreted as a process of constructing the data factor market, with the data exchange as the core, igniting the vitality of the whole data factor market like a seed. We believe this paper can make contributions to the digital economy literature: first, it contributes to extant literature on data marketplaces and data ecosystem; second, it provides practical suggestions for constructing the data factor market; third, relevant policy makers and higher-level managers will likely achieve much enlightenment from this paper.

Despite their growing significance in the digital economy, some sharing platforms struggle to achieve sufficient scale, while others fail entirely. By extending the focus beyond network effects and trust-building mechanisms, this paper seeks to identify factors that impact platform growth and to analyze their implications for governance mechanisms and the strategic management of sharing platforms. We center our analysis on transaction costs economics (TCE) and its three key related variables: transaction frequency, transaction uncertainty, and transaction-dedicated investments. Our aim is to examine how these variables determine transaction costs at the platform level and how these costs shape member participation and hence platform growth. To explore our hypotheses, we surveyed a community of members of a digital, peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing platform. Our empirical findings confirm that a platform's growth is significantly affected by transaction features and that, alongside other theoretical approaches, TCE represents an appropriate and complementary lens with which to explore the growth dynamics of sharing platforms, as well as to consider appropriate actions platform owners can take at the organizational, governance, and strategic design levels.

Firms providing virtual platforms that connect buyers with sellers of goods and services are increasingly venturing abroad, sometimes from or near inception. However, these platform multinational companies (PMNCs) seem to struggle more against local competitors in foreign markets compared to more traditional MNCs when it comes to capturing market share and generating profits. In this study, we explore the underlying causes of these patterns. We first flesh out several stylized facts from a longitudinal case study of the mobile phone industry in China, and then we use these facts as input for formal economic modelling and simulations to derive generalized propositions. We find that informal institutional distance (IID) at the macro business system and micro product market levels poses challenges to all MNCs. Yet, whereas traditional MNCs can overcome IID by leveraging their product quality advantage, PMNCs are usually unable to do so and are, thus, more likely to underperform. We explicate that this pattern is likely underpinned by network effects that exacerbate the role of IID for the foreign PMNC. We discuss implications of these results for theory of the PMNC, particularly focusing on the need for research examining how this unique form of MNC can overcome internationalization challenges associated with IID.

With the process of digitalization, digital trade has become the primary pattern of international trade, and digital platforms and data have become two essential ingredients in digital trade. Meanwhile, the governance of digital trade has been a critical issue in international cooperation and domestic regulation. The governance system on digital trade is fragmented, and the governance approaches of the leading economies show divergences and conflicts. With the aim to explore the factors for the policy conflicts, this article selects the United States, the European Union, China, and India as typical cases to analyze their trade development strategies and digital trade rules comparatively. We find that the four economies adopt differentiated digital trade policies and data governance approaches on the basis of digital industrial benefits. We concluded that the government implements trade policies strategically to influence the distribution of digital trade gains and increase the share of the digital industry by intervening in cross-border data flows. This article contributes to current research by keeping up with the latest progress in digital trade governance and making theoretical analyses on strategic digital trade policies and governance approaches.

Analyzing and assessing the quality risks is essential to leverage the value of data assets. In this paper, a framework for proactively assessing the quality risks of data assets based on an improved FMEA is proposed. First, quality risk metrics are identified from a lifecycle perspective through literature research and experts' discussions. Then, Triangular Fuzzy Numbers are adopted to express uncertain and complex information about the expert's assessment. Subsequently, a new risk factor ‘C' is introduced to describe the difficulty of risk controlling and a DEA approach is applied to calculate the weights of risk factors. Finally, a practical case is provided to demonstrate the proposed FMEA framework, and several recommendations are provided to control data asset quality risks.

Artificial intelligence (hereafter AI) is widely considered as a driving force in the current digital economy, with many firms having already invested in AI. Since AI is unconstrainted by humans' cognitive limitations and inflexibility, and thus a key assumption in popular press is that AI is crucial for firms' success in digital economy. However, surprisingly, many managers indicate they are yet to benefit from their AI investments. To address this issue, the main purpose of this paper is to summarize the extant literature on AI in business and management fields to identify how AI can create competitive advantages and underpin the key barriers that prevent AI from realizing its full potentials. Our results suggest AI can increase revenue by improving employee productivity, increasing consumer evaluation, setting competitive price and creating unique resources. AI can also reduce cost by improving efficiency and reducing risks. However, our results also indicate that AI adoption, task nature and AI management are the key barriers preventing AI from realizing its full potentials. This is because AI lacks interpersonal skills. Thus, we encourage future research to focus on improving AI's interpersonal skills.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems and economic growth at the urban level from the knowledge-based view. This paper also scrutinizes the moderating roles of industrial diversities and digital technology service. Based on the data of 32 cities in China from 2008 to 2018, the findings show that entrepreneurial ecosystems' development promotes municipal economic growth significantly via knowledge creation and knowledge flow. Moreover, industrial diversity and digital technology service are found to positively moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial ecosystems’ development and the urban economic growth. This study extends the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional economic development at the urban level from the perspective of knowledge-based view. The findings also provide policymakers and stakeholders a different mentality when forming strategies and policies on entrepreneurship.

The patent system is instrumental in contributing to firms' innovation and nations’ economic growth. However, the system has been plagued by a series of persistent problems that prevent it from playing its full role. For example, the fundamental issue of who should be awarded the patent has not yet been resolved; the massive backlog of patent applications in patent offices worldwide has become a major headache for policymakers and innovating firms. In the paper, we propose and discuss a framework that digital technologies could offer promising solutions to these long-standing issues, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of the patent system. Meanwhile, we also present and discuss a few challenges faced by the patent system due to the cumulative nature and interconnectedness of digital technologies. Therefore, the digital era opens up new possibilities for the patent system but also brings about new challenges. This paper hopes to shed light on the discussion on the reform of the patent system in the digital era and point out a few possibly fruitful research directions in this area.

As an emerging information technology, blockchain has aroused extensive discussions around the world and been suggested as a solution to address current issues in supply chain finance (SCF). The Chinese government also attaches great importance to this technology, and many Chinese state-owned enterprises have invested in establishing their own blockchain research and development centres. However, there is a lack of studies on identifying challenges when deploying this technology; theoretical framework and conceptual exposition are also scarcely seen. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the challenges and obstacles in the adoption of blockchain technology in SCF. An exploratory case study of a Chinese state-owned enterprise was conducted to build up an initial conceptual framework. Semi-structured interview was applied to collect data from the case firm's employees, top management, and technical specialists. The results of the analysis indicate that in the adoption of blockchain technology, there are technological, operational, and other challenges. From a technological perspective, framework identification, cross-chain interoperability, and data governance are major barriers; whereas, from an operational perspective, the new business process and transformation in the entire supply chain are identified as challenges. Besides, other obstacles such as the elimination of jobs and regulatory issues are also not neglectable. This study contributes to research on blockchain and supply chains by shedding light on the challenges of blockchain adoption through an exploratory case study of a Chinese state-owned enterprise. A conceptual framework was generated as a basis for future research, and the findings also provide insights for companies that may or are planning to adopt blockchain technology.

Purpose

While blockchain is considered to have many unprecedented characteristics, and its application is recognized as another new opportunity for the development of e-commerce, there is limited evidence on the factors affecting the adoption of blockchain in the commercial e-commerce sector. This study aims to identify determinants influencing consumers' intention to adopt blockchain technology in e-commerce.

Design

/methodology/approachDrawing on the classic technology acceptance model (TAM), a conceptual framework is developed and empirically assessed to present the relationships between the core characteristics of blockchain and consumers' adoption intention. Survey data were collected from 228 users of the blockchain e-commerce system in China. The structural equation modeling (SEM) approach is used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that cost saving and traceability have a positive effect on perceived usefulness while insignificant associations are found between data privacy security and perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use and consumers' adoption intention.

Research limitations/implications

The research only examined Chinese users, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research is encouraged to conduct comparative studies beyond this region, e.g., emerging markets versus developed economies. It would also be useful to explore mediating and moderating effects of other new technologies that complement the application and adoption of blockchain.

Practical implications

The research results also bring managerial implications with the ways of attracting customers via blockchain technology, including improving system ability to reduce cost and enhance traceability.

Originality/value -

This paper is one of the early empirical endeavors that examines determinant factors affecting individual users towards the adoption of blockchain technology in e-commerce that is absent in the extant research. This study further contributes to the development of the knowledge bank of blockchain via the conceptual framework of its adoption under the e-commerce context, in particular considering its technical features.