Business Ecosystems: Constructs, Configurations, and the Nurturing Process

The business ecosystem theory has captured many imaginations and attentions in industrial innovation and manufacturing transformation in last twenty years. However, the concepts, boundaries and theoretical systems are still not comprehensively explored and structured. In order to tackle how a company can nurture its business ecosystem for future sustainable competitive advantages, Business Ecosystems provides very detailed and convincing case studies demonstrating the dramatic transformations of mobile computing industry and the significant impacts from its business ecosystem. This book systematically examines business ecosystems in an emerging industry context whilst fundamentally exploring and identifying four essential areas of business ecosystems: the business ecosystems’ key constructive elements, their typical patterns of the element configurations, the five phase process of their life cycle, and the nurturing strategies and processes from a firm perspective. The book not only contributes to different disciplines but also provide insights to practitioners who can be inspired to develop their business ecosystems.