This book represents one of the first attempts by a multidisciplinary research team, encompassing the social sciences, business, architecture and planning, engineering, and finance and economics, to help rural communities discover sustainable and self-reliant paths to development and transformation. The opening chapter outlines the background of the research, its importance in the context of China and other countries, the rationale for choosing the case study communities in rural China, and the composition of the research team. Chapter 2 explores key issues in the role of social entrepreneurship and leadership in rural community development. Chapter 3 analyses a green platform for a pilot transaction of China forest carbon sinks led by the Huadong Forestry Exchange. The fourth chapter examines carbon trade, forestry land rights, and the livelihoods of farmers in rural Chinese communities. Chapter 5 explores alternative energy development in rural Chinese communities, where the poor are often disproportionately dependent on fuel wood and solid biomass, causing environmental degradation, reduced productivity and the decline of income generating opportunities. Chapter 6 examines and tests the proposition that stronger communities will result from 'connected up', holistic, synergistic and inclusive planning of services and supporting infrastructure. Chapter 7 analyzes information and communications technology (ICT) based service innovations for supporting rural community enterprises. Chapter 8 highlights key elements of stronger rural communities, drawing together the themes and proposals of preceding chapters and constructing an integrated model. The authors demonstrate that interconnected community enterprises based on clean forest products, forest carbon and ecotourism can be underpinned by local infrastructure enterprises such as renewable energy, water, waste management, ICT and transport, and financial mechanisms like carbon finance, all involving skills development, leadership and social entrepreneurship coupled with corporate and investment partnerships. Such interconnected approaches are expected to generate increased employment and prosperity, improve social livelihoods, and benefit the environment.

This book clarifies the direction of business innovation using new ICT such as the Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), smartphones, and cloud computing through a series of case studies on successful trials and advanced businesses in the Asia-Pacific where many industry sectors have been growing successfully in the 21st century. ICT has been playing an important role in value creation for customers and in profit generation for providers, contributing to various service innovation and business innovation. Now, digitalization using IoT and AI provides solutions to address various issues in the human society, which is transforming services and businesses in the 21st century. "What is the direction of the business innovation using new ICT?" is a highly concerned question for business researchers and practitioners. Aiming to answer the question, this book conducts a number of cases studies in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, as well as Australia. Among the studies, there are 4 cases from ICT providers, 4 cases from traditional and services, and 6 cases from new ICT applications and businesses. Each case analyzes social needs and human desires, new value created, roles of new technologies, processes and difficulties in developing new businesses, the relationship among customers, providers, and stakeholders, value chain co-creation and optimization, factors of success, and business models. Finally, the direction of business innovation with new ICT in the Asia-Pacific is suggested by summarizing the findings from the case studies through the lens of the theoretical analysis in service science.

This book is dedicated to the analysis of the entrepreneurship in successful companies by presenting and comparing a series of case studies in the Asia-Pacific where many new companies have been growing successfully in the 21th century. In total, 5 cases in the manufacturing industry, 4 cases in the services industry, and 3 cases related to new business and social innovation are chosen from The mainland of China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Each case provides insight into the entrepreneur's aspiration, the processes of personal and business developments, the factors of success, and the inspirations drawn from the analysis. These cases are analyzed and compared from the viewpoints of entrepreneur's motivation, ability of foreseeing changes and opportunities in the future business environment, core resources and innovation, knowledge management and culture for the company, determination and ethos. These are critical factors in value creation for customers and the society, especially in the future business environment. Finally, commonalities and uniquenesses in entrepreneurship relevant to industry sectors and social-economic-cultural contexts are clarified and a typical entrepreneurship model in the Asia-Pacific is proposed.

This book represents one of the first attempts by a multidisciplinary research team, encompassing the social sciences, business, architecture and planning, engineering, and finance and economics, to help rural communities discover sustainable and self-reliant paths to development and transformation. The opening chapter outlines the background of the research, its importance in the context of China and other countries, the rationale for choosing the case study communities in rural China, and the composition of the research team. Chapter 2 explores key issues in the role of social entrepreneurship and leadership in rural community development. Chapter 3 analyses a green platform for a pilot transaction of China forest carbon sinks led by the Huadong Forestry Exchange. The fourth chapter examines carbon trade, forestry land rights, and the livelihoods of farmers in rural Chinese communities. Chapter 5 explores alternative energy development in rural Chinese communities, where the poor are often disproportionately dependent on fuel wood and solid biomass, causing environmental degradation, reduced productivity and the decline of income generating opportunities. Chapter 6 examines and tests the proposition that stronger communities will result from ‘connected up’, holistic, synergistic and inclusive planning of services and supporting infrastructure. Chapter 7 analyzes information and communications technology (ICT) based service innovations for supporting rural community enterprises. Chapter 8 highlights key elements of stronger rural communities, drawing together the themes and proposals of preceding chapters and constructing an integrated model. The authors demonstrate that interconnected community enterprises based on clean forest products, forest carbon and ecotourism can be underpinned by local infrastructure enterprises such as renewable energy, water, waste management, ICT and transport, and financial mechanisms like carbon finance, all involving skills development, leadership and social entrepreneurship coupled with corporate and investment partnerships. Such interconnected approaches are expected to generate increased employment and prosperity, improve social livelihoods, and benefit the environment.

This book clarifies the direction of business innovation using new ICT such as the Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), smartphones, and cloud computing through a series of case studies on successful trials and advanced businesses in the Asia-Pacific where many industry sectors have been growing successfully in the 21st century. ICT has been playing an important role in value creation for customers and in profit generation for providers, contributing to various service innovation and business innovation. Now, digitalization using IoT and AI provides solutions to address various issues in the human society, which is transforming services and businesses in the 21st century. "What is the direction of the business innovation using new ICT?" is a highly concerned question for business researchers and practitioners. Aiming to answer the question, this book conducts a number of cases studies in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, as well as Australia. Among the studies, there are 4 cases from ICT providers, 4 cases from traditional and services, and 6 cases from new ICT applications and businesses. Each case analyzes social needs and human desires, new value created, roles of new technologies, processes and difficulties in developing new businesses, the relationship among customers, providers, and stakeholders, value chain co-creation and optimization, factors of success, and business models. Finally, the direction of business innovation with new ICT in the Asia-Pacific is suggested by summarizing the findings from the case studies through the lens of the theoretical analysis in service science.

This book is dedicated to the analysis of the entrepreneurship in successful companies by presenting and comparing a series of case studies in the Asia-Pacific where many new companies have been growing successfully in the 21th century. In total, 5 cases in the manufacturing industry, 4 cases in the services industry, and 3 cases related to new business and social innovation are chosen from The mainland of China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Each case provides insight into the entrepreneur's aspiration, the processes of personal and business developments, the factors of success, and the inspirations drawn from the analysis. These cases are analyzed and compared from the viewpoints of entrepreneur's motivation, ability of foreseeing changes and opportunities in the future business environment, core resources and innovation, knowledge management and culture for the company, determination and ethos. These are critical factors in value creation for customers and the society, especially in the future business environment. Finally, commonalities and uniquenesses in entrepreneurship relevant to industry sectors and social-economic-cultural contexts are clarified and a typical entrepreneurship model in the Asia-Pacific is proposed.

This book systematically describes the development of manufacturing servitization in the Asia-Pacific region. It offers a practical and theoretical reference guide to the manufacturing companies in the Asia-Pacific region, which is now a major global manufacturing center. Servitization is a fairly recent trend in the manufacturing industry: some American and European manufacturing companies have successfully transformed to service oriented manufacturing companies over the past three decades, while Asian-Pacific region companies have only more recently begun to recognize the importance of servitization. But some Asia-Pacific region companies have been exploring approaches in the same direction of servitization without being aware of the concept. One unique aspect of this book is the fact that it takes into consideration the social and cultural influences of this region. It introduces companies within and beyond the region, as well as the academic world, to the current state of development of the Asia-pacific manufacturing industry and its servitization trend. This is the first book that focuses on this topic, one which is of great theoretical and practical importance.