Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop initial evidence about the nature and features of crowdfunding in China, given it is largely unregulated regulatory frameworks. Design/methodology/approach The paper used extensive desk research using data collected from the public and private sectors, after which the data was analyzed parallel to existing academic literature, that is, institutional context by Bruton et al. (2014). This paper uncovered patterns of development, profiling crowdfunding platforms, examining the regulatory landscape and providing antecedents of successful crowdfunding projects in China. Findings When the traditional financial markets are hard to reach, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were starved for capital. Crowdfunding can play a major role in funding and risk sharing. It is an innovative and dynamic vehicle for MSMEs as well as enthusiastic investors in China. Since its initial introduction to China in 2009, crowdfunding has gained substantial popularity in a relatively short period. Currently, there is still not an identifiable guideline on how to delineate the significance of the crowdfunding platform. The development of crowdfunding in China faces a few unresolved key issues. As researchers exploring this phenomenon in new ways, crowdfunding platforms can be enhanced in a manner that benefits the capital seeker, investors and society as a whole. Originality/value There is a dearth of information on start-up crowdfunding in Asia. With little data available to analyze, so this paper hopes to contribute to knowledge and provide valuable information to researchers and industry representations. Crowdfunding represents a potentially disruptive change in the way that new ventures are funded. This paper represents an initial analysis in the study of new ventures in China. Finally, the authors provide recommendations for entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers as well as researchers and practitioners with suggestions about yet unexplored avenues of research.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a strict 100-day lockdown period in Spring of 2020 in China. One of the consequences of the lockdown was the disruption of the food supply chain for the millions of people confined to their homes. The well-established online food delivery service (OFDS) in China were disrupted by pressure to scale up rapidly to resolve the last mile of food delivery. The importance of the OFDS during periods of crises became apparent, as did the realization that uninterrupted food distribution was only possible due to the presence and scalability of the existing delivery network. Focusing on the importance of an established OFDS as a foundation for food distribution, this paper seeks to explore factors that affect consumers’ perception and acceptance of the retail food delivery system in urban China. By applying the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), mean value calculation, univariate linear regression, and multiple linear regression have been adopted to test the hypotheses. Data obtained online from 260 participants demonstrate that the software’s characteristics concerning hedonic motivation (HM), convenience motivation (CM), perceived ease of use (PEOU), navigational design (ND), information quality (IQ), privacy and security (PS), restaurant credibility (RC), and perceived severity (Psev) have positive and significant impacts on customers’ intention to use (ITU), and thus, affects the actual use (AU) of the application in a positive way. The findings of this research contribute to the existing literature by consolidating, validating, and extending the TPB model, especially under the large-scale public health crisis circumstances. Customized practical insights are provided to emphasize developing HM, CM, Psev, and RC factors with maximal marginal effects that promote consumer acceptance; this is a prerequisite to the development of a robust OFDS. which can be repurposed during periods of crises to provide sustainable last-mile food delivery networks.

This study applies and builds on the Use and Gratification (U&G) theory to explore consumer acceptance of applied artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of Chatbots in online shopping in China. Data were gathered via an anonymous online survey from 540 respondents who self-identified as frequent online shoppers and are familiar with Chatbots. The results of the data analysis provide empirical evidence indicating that utilitarian factors such as the “authenticity of conversation” and “convenience”, as well as hedonic factors such as “perceived enjoyment”, result in users having a positive attitude towards Chatbots. However, privacy issues and the immaturity of technology have had a negative impact on acceptance. This paper provides both theoretical and practical insights into Chinese attitudes toward Chatbots and may be of interest to e-commerce researchers, practitioners, and U&G theorists.

The objective of this paper is to explore the relationships between different types of Chinese social media influences and their use of short videos, and how that content is managed influence Chinese Generation Z consumers. Effective use of social media is a way for SMEs and new ventures to level the playing field and compete with established enterprises; it is cost effective and can target a very specific consumer demographic. Data was collected by online surveys of Gen Z Chinese self-described heavy social media users. The results of this study may be of particular interest to entrepreneurs who tend to be early adopters and who can most benefit from strategic use of social media advertising to locate and reach their target customers more efficiently and more effectively.

This article aims to identify and assess the factors influencing consumers' purchase intentions towards made-to-order (MTO) tea drinks. The made-to-order milk tea drink industry in China has generated over USD 14bn in revenue in 2018. The size of the market, the nature of the preparation and delivery to consumers, combine to create opportunities for individuals, entrepreneurs, investors, etc. Relatively little is known about the drivers of purchase intentions for MTO milk tea drink consumers. For the purposes of this research, the various options that influence purchasing of tea drinks among Chinese consumers were classified into 10 factors, and data was collected through online surveys. The results indicate the extent to which Chinese consumers' purchase intentions are influenced by consumers' age, price of the drink, pursuit of a pleasant state of mind, quest for social network interaction, search for novel experiences, and concern for health.

Economic sustainability for firms of all sizes and sectors is likely to depend on some type of online commercial activity. While technical barriers to e-commerce are not high, adaptability to new online markets is a critical part of sustainable economic growth for many firms. The Chinese e-commerce market has increased dramatically to become larger than that of the United States, Europe, and Japan combined. This study explores the underlying factors that influence Chinese online consumers’ acceptance and patronage of the online shopping platforms where those firms must operate. Firm competition in the e-commerce platform in China is highly competitive, making exploration of the factors that influence consumer purchase behaviour more valuable. After an extensive qualitative focus group study, a quantitative online survey of 691 savvy Chinese online shoppers was completed. When the data was subjected to structural equation modelling (SEM) for analysis, it was found that a model of three factor constructs explains whether an online shopping platform would be the preferred online shopping platform of choice. E-commerce platform preference (EPP) can predict purchase intention (PI) and site commitment (SC). The results explain why e-commerce platforms should address important EPP factors such as: order fulfilment and delivery process, company image enhancers, the variety of products offered, the design of the online shopping platform, trust of its recommendation system, and finally, awareness of the online shopping platform itself. These findings may be of interest to e-commerce practitioners as well as those whose research interests include e-commerce and consumer behaviour.

The importance of entrepreneurial activity as a driver of sustainable economic growth is well established. Interest in social enterprises as a means to fill gaps that exist in society is growing. With the emerging concept of social entrepreneurship in China, this paper aims to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial mindset, individual intention to start an enterprise, the likelihood of actually starting a business and personal interest in social causes. Theoretical models in the field of entrepreneurship study indicate that personal entrepreneurial desire is a strong factor in predicting future business behaviour but there is little in the existing research about entrepreneurial mindset as a predictor of actual activity. Considering entrepreneurship and psychological research and theory, four main psychological entrepreneur traits including chance alertness, risk tendency, tolerance of vagueness and intentional optimism are considered to measure the aptitude towards starting a business. Based on the results of 590 online surveys, the role of entrepreneurial mindset as a predictor is analysed using Correlation, Linear Regression and Multiple Regression Analysis. The findings of this research indicate that social cause interest is unlikely to drive entrepreneurial activity in the absence of structured intervention. The findings contribute to the future development of social entrepreneurial programs, and to the role and assessment of the entrepreneurial mindset of potential social entrepreneurs. The study also provides insight into the perspective of the individual towards the concept of social responsibility.

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