Qiuying Li

This study explores the multifactorial and complex causal relationships affecting the performance of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises during service transformation. A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method was applied using 33 sporting goods manufacturing enterprises listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares and the New Third Board in China. The study developed a model using the Technology-Organization-Environment(TOE) theoretical framework, to analyse the factors driving the servitisation transformation of China’s sporting goods manufacturers. The results revealed that (1) none of the seven secondary factors such as the degree of digital transformation, innovation capability, top management level, staff knowledge structure, organisational redundancy, government support, and degree of marketization individually contribute to enhancing the servitisation performance of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises in China. (2) The four grouping paths that drive the transformation of the servitisation of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises in China are divided into three types: “talent–resource driven”, “technology–organisation driven, and “technology–talent driven”. This study reveals the role of multiple factors behind the transformation of servitisation and the upgrading of sporting goods manufacturing enterprises and provides useful insights into the structural rationalisation and advanced development of China’s sports industry.

The global manufacturing landscape is undergoing a profound shift, and the paradigm of service-led industrial evolution has taken on paramount importance. Service-oriented manufacturing has emerged as a pivotal conduit for the transformation and elevation of China’s sporting goods manufacturing sector. However, we acknowledge that the current state of service-oriented transformation in this sector is still in an embryonic phase. The nuanced interplay between the level of servitization and its consequent impact on corporate performance, along with the intricate forms of interference exerted by various factors in the process of servitization, are shrouded in ambiguity. This article, which is predicated upon the financial disclosures of China’s sporting goods manufacturing enterprises listed on the A-share and New Third Board markets, presents a rigorous investigation. Through the construction of an imbalanced panel dataset covering the period of 2007 to 2022, we embark on an empirical journey examining the intricacies of a moderated mediation model to ascertain the mechanisms underlying the influence of servitization on the performance of sporting goods manufacturing entities. Through this research, we unearth a compelling revelation: (1) Within the cohort of sampled enterprises, an elevation of servitization evokes a modest suppressive effect on corporate performance, thus resulting in the enigmatic "servitization paradox." (2) A total of 29.1% of the servitization impact on enterprise performance is achieved through marketing intensity; that is, there is a partial mediating effect of marketing intensity on the relationship between servitization and enterprise performance. (3) Market power play a negative regulatory role in this relationship, which drives the servitization paradox in sporting goods manufacturing but can also promote the positive impact of servitization on marketing intensity. In addition, with the expansion of market power, corporate servitization does not need to impact corporate performance through marketing activities. (4) R&D intensity negatively affects the relationship between marketing intensity and corporate performance, promotes the inhibitory effect of marketing intensity on corporate performance, and aggravates the inhibitory effect of servitization on corporate performance through marketing intensity.