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Dear colleagues,
Electronic Markets is inviting submissions for a Special Issue on "Discovering Chinese-driven technologies: Connecting global communities". Please find further details below.
Call for Papers: "Special Issue on "Discovering Chinese-driven technologies: Connecting global communities"
Submission deadline: November 15, 2025
Guest Editors
- Jose Weng-Chou Wong, Associate Professor, Macau University of Science and Technology, China, wcwong@must.edu.mo
- Xi Y. Leung, Associate Professor, University of North Texas, USA, xi.leung@unt.edu
- Sai Liang, Associate Professor, Nankai University, China, liangsai@nankai.edu.cn
- Mingming Cheng, Professor, Curtin University, Australia, mingming.cheng@curtin.edu.au
- Emily (Jintao) Ma, Professor of Hospitality, University of Surrey, UK, jintao.ma@surrey.ac.uk
- Chulmo Koo, Professor, Kyung Hee University, South Korea, helmetgu@khu.ac.kr
Theme
The rapid emergence of Chinese-driven technologies has transformed innovation landscapes across industries, firmly establishing China as a global leader in technological advancement (Jiang & Murmann, 2022). Groundbreaking innovations in e-commerce, social media, entertainment, and logistics have revolutionized traditional business models and reshaped consumer experiences (Bai et al., 2023; Li et al., 2024; Ma & Hu, 2021). Super apps like WeChat exemplify China's distinctive approach to platform development by seamlessly integrating multiple functionalities, ranging from payments and communication to shopping and entertainment, into a unified ecosystem (Jia et al., 2022; Peng et al., 2023). The dominant smart business ecosystems (Gretzel et al., 2015) in China, exemplified by platforms like TikTok, have significantly shaped the global virtual experience.
We address the comparison of Chinese (super)apps and platforms with US and other global competitors. A notable digital divide exists where international travelers face challenges using unfamiliar Chinese platforms when visiting Chinese destinations, while mainland Chinese users cannot access Western services such as Google, Facebook, and emerging AI platforms. This separation has created two distinct digital worlds in the 21st century, hindering seamless information exchange and contributing to mutual misunderstanding between users on both sides. Nevertheless, technological advancements continue to create opportunities for cross-cultural connection. The unique governance structures, cultural influences, and consumer behaviors that shape Chinese ecosystems are often oversimplified or neglected in comparative analyses with Western counterparts (Guan et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2022). Additionally, the rapid evolution of super apps and live-streaming commerce, poses significant challenges to existing market structures and cultural norms, particularly in their approaches to handling user data and ensuring algorithmic transparency (Roberts et al., 2021). Ethical challenges, including data governance, algorithmic bias, and privacy concerns, remain underexamined, particularly regarding AI-powered platforms (Koo et al., 2021) and their long-term effects on societal norms and market dynamics (Ryu et al., 2024). Addressing these gaps is imperative to develop a holistic understanding of both the opportunities and challenges posed by Chinese-driven technologies.
To respond to these research needs, Electronic Markets announces a call for papers for a special issue dedicated to exploring the multifaceted relationship between Chinese-driven technologies, platform innovation, and their ecosystems. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these technologies are applied and transformed across various sectors, how platforms drive technological advancements, and the distinctive evolution of Chinese ecosystems in comparison to their Western counterparts.
Central issues and topics
Possible topics of submissions include, but are not limited to:
- Platforms and ecosystems: Platform evolution in China, analysis of super apps, All-in-One Ecosystems and the like
- Application of artificial intelligence (AI): Use of AI in e-commerce platforms, analysis of personalization and recommendation functionalities in Chinese E-commerce platforms
- Role of the consumer: Analysis of marketing and consumer behavior processes by the Chinese Consumers (e.g., in smart tourism)
- Application of extended reality (XR) technologies: Analysis of virtual/augmented/mixed reality/metaverse technologies to enhance user (e.g., tourist) e
- Role of sustainability: Analysis of technological innovation and sustainable technologies in Chinese ecosystems
- Macro and societal implications: Impact of Chinese platforms on global market structures and competition
- Global views and comparison: implications by Chinese vs. Western approaches, role of governments, governance, and regulations
- Ethical considerations: Ethical implications of data collection, content moderation or algorithmic bias and fairness in Chinese digital platforms
- Platform governance and design: Transparency in e-commerce platforms, digital inclusion and accessibility
- Application domains: Analysis of Chinese platforms in specific domains, in particular smart tourism (e.g., AI-driven smart tourism, smart experiences, smart destinations, smart consumers)
Submission
Electronic Markets is a Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)-listed journal (IF 7.1 in 2023) in the area of information management and information systems. All submissions should fit the journal scope (for more information, see www.electronicmarkets.org/about-em/scope/) and should be original, unpublished, and not under consideration at any other journal. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are welcome, provided the research exhibits strong methodological rigor. Contributions can take the form of conceptual and theoretical development papers, empirical hypothesis testing, position papers, case-based studies, and more. All papers will undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Submissions must be made via the journal's submission system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/elma/) and comply with the journal's formatting standards. The preferred average article length is approximately 10,000 words, excluding references. Instructions, templates, and general information are available at www.electronicmarkets.org/authors/general-information/. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this special issue, you may either contact the guest editors or the Editorial Office.
Keywords
Chinese-driven technologies, Smart tourism, Digital Platforms, Ecosystems, Artificial Intelligence, AR/VR/Metaverse, Sustainability, Application domains, Ethics and privacy, Governance, Leisure, Travel, Sports, Tourism, Hospitality, Restaurant, Hotel, Mobility and Accessibility, Social media, China
Important deadline
* Submission deadline: November 15, 2025
Accepted papers will be published online immediately after having passed the production stage.
References
Bai, W., Lee, T. J., Wu, F., & Wong, J. W. C. (2023). How effective are user-generated travel short videos in promoting a destination online?. Journal of Vacation Marketing, https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667231221816.
Gretzel, U., Werthner, H., Koo, C., & Lamsfus, C. (2015b). Conceptual foundations for understanding smart tourism ecosystems. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 558-563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.043
Guan, Z., Hou, F., Li, B., Phang, C. W., & Chong, A. Y. L. (2022). What influences the purchase of virtual gifts in live streaming in China? A cultural context‐sensitive model. Information Systems Journal, 32(3), 653-689. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12367
Jia, L., Nieborg, D. B., & Poell, T. (2022). On super apps and app stores: digital media logics in China's app economy. Media, Culture & Society, 44(8), 1437-1453. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221128937
Jiang, H., & Murmann, J. P. (2022). The rise of China's digital economy: An overview. Management and Organization Review, 18(4), 790-802. https://doi.org/10.1017/mor.2022.32
Koo, C., Shin, S., Gretzel, U, & Zheng, X. (2025). AI-Powered Smart Tourism 2.0: A 10-Year Retrospective and Updated Model. Electronic Markets, Invited Paper, in progress.
Koo, C., Xiang, Z., Gretzel, U., & Sigala, M. (2021). Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in travel, hospitality and leisure. Electronic Markets, 31, 473-476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-021-00494-z
Li, J., Liu, S., Wang, Y., Wang, Q., & Wong, J. W. C. (2024). Should chatbots use dialects? Exploring the influence mechanism of chatbot language form on value co-creation intention. Current Issues in Tourism, https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2024.2431520
Ma, Y., & Hu, Y. (2021). Business model innovation and experimentation in transforming economies: ByteDance and TikTok. Management and Organization Review, 17(2), 382-388. https://doi.org/10.1017/mor.2020.69
Peng, H., Lu, Y., & Gupta, S. (2023). Promoting value emergence through digital platform ecosystems: Perspectives on resource integration in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 189, 122338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122338
Roberts, H., Cowls, J., Morley, J., Taddeo, M., Wang, V., & Floridi, L. (2021). The Chinese approach to artificial intelligence: an analysis of policy, ethics, and regulation. AI & Society, 36, 59-77. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81907-1_5
Ryu, S., Koedijk, K.G., Chow, V., & Gao, X. (2024). Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) for online marketplaces. Electronic Markets, 34, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-024-00701-7
Wong, J. W. C., Lai, I. K. W., & Wang, S. (2024). How social values gained from sharing travel experiences influence tourists' satisfaction: moderated mediation effect of onsite mobile sharing behaviour. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 36(10), 2593-2610. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-10-2023-1060
Best regards,
Rainer Alt, Mathias Klier, Maria Madlberger, Hans-Dieter Zimmermann, Ramona Coia
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Electronic Markets - The International Journal on Networked Business
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Editor-in-Chief: Rainer Alt, Leipzig University
Co-Editors: Mathias Klier, Ulm University; Maria Madlberger, Webster Vienna Private University; Hans-Dieter Zimmermann, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences
Executive Editor: Ramona Coia, Leipzig University
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