Science Research Management

Science Research Management ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (6): 93-103.DOI: 10.19571/j.cnki.1000-2995.2025.06.010

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The action mechanism of the high-quality development of metaverse firms empowered by city-level business environment

Chen Xiaohong1,2,3, Liu Liu1,2,3, Yuan Yige2, Liu Xiaoliang1,2,3, Li Dayuan1   

  1. 1. School of Business, Central South University, Changsha 410083, Hunan, China;
    2. Xiangjiang Laboratory, Changsha 410205, Hunan, China;
    3. School of Frontier Crossover Studies/School of Management Science and Engineering, 
    Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410205, Hunan, China
  • Received:2024-02-02 Revised:2025-04-22 Online:2025-06-20 Published:2025-06-06

Abstract:    The metaverse is an important symbol of strategic competitiveness within the national digital economy. How to optimize the city-level ecosystem of doing business to promote the high-quality development of metaverse firms is an important management problem to be explored. Taking 193 metaverse firms and their 49 cities as samples, and combined with the methods of NCA and QCA, this paper analyzed the configuration effects of doing business, and revealed the complex mechanism between the city-level ecosystem of doing business and the quantity and quality of metaverse firms. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Any single condition of ecosystem of doing business is not necessary for the quantity or quality of city-level metaverse firms. Instead, an effective "combination" strategy is essential to unleash the systematic synergy of ecosystem of doing business. (2) There are three paths to promote the high quantity of city-level metaverse firms, namely, "advantageous and balanced type under the market logic", "innovation-driven type" and "public-service-driven type under the market environment". Likewise, there are three paths to promote the high quality of city-level metaverse firms, namely, "public-service-driven type under the government environment", "innovation-driven type under the government environment and the market environment" and "advantageous and balanced type under the government and market dual logic". The difference in paths lies in the variation of ecosystem of doing business required by "reasonable growth in quantity" and "effective improvement in quality". (3) There is no single configuration that can simultaneously promote both high quantity and high quality of city-level metaverse firms, but it is possible to achieve path transformation through learning from excellence. The findings of the paper will help to provide some theoretical guidance for different cities to accelerate high-quality development of metaverse firms. 

Key words: business environment, metaverse, high-quality development, QCA, NCA