A Study of Sustainable Business Models For Small and Medium Enterprises in China

Although studies of sustainability business models are increasingly popular in the literature, most businesses in China seldom include sustainability elements or the triple bottom line concept in their business model design. Given the fact that China has developed and become a stronger player in the global economy, sustainable practices and triple-bottom-line, business models (social, economic and environmental sustainability), should be better represented. This paper illustrates the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) concept of business models for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in China. It also examines Chinese SMEs’ perception of their own corporate development in reference to sustainability and their understanding of the TBL concept. A Pyramid of Chinese SMEs’ Sustainability Values and a Chinese SMEs’ Sustainability Credit Score (SCS) are designed and informed by the literature review; a SWOT analysis from the TBL perspective and a survey that focuses on Chinese SMEs’ perceptions of sustainability are developed. Sustainable business models for Chinese SMEs can be customized by using the two tools, SWOT analysis and SCS.