Business model innovation towards ecosystem sustainability: A case study of the Chinese super league

The emerging Chinese Super League (CSL) provides an interesting context for studying business model innovation (BMI) and ecosystem sustainability. New business modes from CSL football clubs boosted the league development with growing international influence but also raised issues on the sustainability of the CSL ecosystem. This chapter presents a case study of the BMI of CSL clubs. It aims to understand the secrets and rationale behind CSL clubs’ BMI and assess the impact of clubs’ BMI on their sustainability and the sustainability of the entire CSL ecosystem. This chapter investigates ten CSL clubs and evaluates their BMI actions based on the scope and novelty. Evergrande FC’s BMI actions are well ahead of other clubs regarding quantity, innovativeness and continuity. However, when examining the broader impact of Evergrande’s BMI, it suggests that Evergrande’s disruptive model shed a negative influence on the longevity of the CSL ecosystem by pushing up the cost level and encouraging other clubs to follow similar financially risky business model designs. Therefore, it calls for growing attention to managerial cognition in future studies as the vision and thinking of managers can determine the BMI outcome and the evolution of the business ecosystem.