Cross-cultural legitimacy for orchestrating ecosystem-based business models in China: a Yin-Yang dialectical systems view

The Asia-Pacific economy is facing a new trend of de-globalization coupled with serious (hidden) risks caused by intensifying intercultural tensions and political unrest; such a phenomenon has hindered the progress towards the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). In response, this research considers the ecosystem-based business model (EBM) that reflects the core spirit of SDGs as the anchoring point, aiming to address the role of cross-cultural legitimacy (CCL) in the Asia Pacific; the unorthodox cultural perspective of Yin-Yang dialectical systems is adopted, exploring the mechanisms between CCL, digital transformation, and EBMs. Based on panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies over the period from 2010 to 2020, our results show that there exists an inverted U-shape relationship between CCL and EBMs, which is moderated by digital transformation. Findings provide novel insights into understanding the significance of achieving cross-cultural legitimacy for Chinese enterprises in simultaneously sustaining people, profit, and the planet under systemwide cultural conflicts.