Guo Yi: Internet platform companies carry more expectations for social innovation

April 20, 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of China's official access to the Internet. The 30-year history of industrial development of China's Internet industry is also a history of continuous efforts to solve various social problems through the innovative application of information technology.

In particular, Internet platform enterprises, due to their in-depth participation in people's clothing, food, housing, transportation, tourism, shopping and entertainment, etc., have increasingly increased their social influence, and have developed into a new organizational form with both market identity and social attributes, so they carry more social responsibilities and expectations for social innovation.

Professor Guo Yi, director of the Department of Economics and Management of Beijing Technology and Business University, believes that the ability of Internet platform enterprises in information acquisition, resource mobilization and organizational coordination has been continuously improved, realizing the "technology empowerment" and "market empowerment" of social innovation, and also improving the ability level of participating in social governance, which is an important force to participate in social governance. At the same time, there are still some problems in the social innovation carried out by Internet enterprises, such as unrealistic results, difficult cost assessment, and innovation mechanisms and ecology that need to be improved.

The ability of enterprises to participate in social governance is improving

Southern Weekly:

How do you assess the overall performance of China's Internet industry in fulfilling its social responsibilities over the past 30 years?

Guo Yi:

Over the past 30 years, China's Internet industry has developed rapidly. Due to the public nature of the Internet, we can see that China's Internet industry is developing together with the awareness and practice of social responsibility of enterprises in the industry.

Over the years, Internet companies have made some remarkable contributions in the practice of international standards for social responsibility, participation in the formulation and implementation of domestic standards, the development of characteristic and innovative social responsibility projects, and the leading social responsibility actions of business partners in the supply chain and value chain. It can be said that most of the Internet companies in mainland China have made positive efforts to fulfill their social responsibilities, and they have also produced substantial results.

Southern Weekly:

What is the difference and connection between the two concepts of corporate social responsibility and corporate social innovation?

Guo Yi:

Generally speaking, what we usually call "corporate social responsibility" refers to the generalized social responsibility movement that took the lead in some socially influential enterprises in developed countries in the sixties and seventies of the 20th century, which includes many issues and a variety of implementation methods, and also reflects different cultural value differences and institutional differences in practice.

It should be said that corporate social innovation belongs to the corporate social responsibility movement in a broad sense, and there is not much difference between the value orientation, basic goals and core issues pursued by corporate social responsibility, but corporate social innovation emphasizes the realization of the above aspects through "innovation", including technological innovation and application, innovation and reconstruction of institutional mechanisms, social value co-creation and sharing, and so on. In a general sense, corporate social responsibility also includes participating in the resolution of social issues in conventional ways, such as career promotion channels within the enterprise, occupational disease prevention, and external public welfare and charity behaviors of the enterprise, etc.

Southern Weekly:

You have conducted in-depth research on the social responsibility of Internet platform enterprises, why do you pay attention to this issue?

Guo Yi:

Internet platform-based enterprises have profoundly influenced and changed our lives, and have become a new type of organization of our social life in many aspects such as clothing, food, housing, transportation, travel, shopping and entertainment.

On the one hand, Internet platform-based enterprises are different from enterprises in the general competitive market, and platform-based enterprises have obvious social attributes. Although both are called "enterprises", the latter is a general competitive enterprise that "participates in the market", while the former is an actor that "organizes the market" and provides corresponding public services and quasi-public services similar to government functional departments, and has certain information advantages, technological advantages and market dominance, so it also bears more social responsibility expectations than the latter.

On the other hand, Internet platform enterprises are still "enterprises" in essence, and they are the main players in the market that pursue profits. This means that Internet platform enterprises are faced with a very broad value spectrum, which can not only pursue maximum profits, but also actively assume social responsibilities and become a so-called "social enterprise".

It is precisely because Internet platform enterprises have both market identity and social attributes, and there are multiple levels and dimensions in their own social value target positioning, with the increasing social influence of platform enterprises, the social responsibility of platform enterprises is very important, and therefore it has become a key topic in the field of social responsibility.

Southern Weekly:

You have always advocated that Internet platform enterprises should participate in the construction of social governance community, what is the relationship between Internet platform enterprises to carry out social innovation and participate in social governance?

Guo Yi:

With the diversification, networking, and flattening of people's social life, new problems of normal social governance continue to emerge, and the complexity is also correspondingly increased. The development of modern information technology has enabled the relationship ecology in the traditional interpersonal society to be reproduced in the Internet system, and has greatly expanded the dimension of communication between people and the efficiency of communication. Through the application of big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other technologies, social life has realized the integration of online and offline, showing an increasingly rich and diverse form.

Enterprises, especially large-scale platform enterprises, have gradually integrated all links in the industrial chain and value chain, forming an online agglomeration of countless buyers and sellers, and building different types of online social ecology. This kind of platform-based enterprise is not only an important carrier of modern information technology application, but also an important carrier of people's social life, and the ability of enterprises in information acquisition, resource mobilization and organizational coordination has been continuously improved, realizing the "technology empowerment" and "market empowerment" of social innovation, and also improving the ability to participate in social governance.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to build a social governance community where everyone is responsible, responsible, and enjoyed. In fact, enterprises in the market economy are not "ethically uninvolved", and Internet platform enterprises are an important force to participate in social governance.

Set up social innovation topics in combination with specific businesses

Southern Weekly:

Compared with other industries, are there different characteristics and methods of social innovation of Internet enterprises?

Guo Yi:

We believe that corporate social innovation should be carried out in combination with the main business of the enterprise, and give full play to the technical and industry business expertise in the market field it is involved in, solve specific social problems, and create substantial social value.

Compared with Internet platform enterprises, as mentioned above, they should give full play to their technological advantages, information advantages and market influence, and set up social innovation topics and implementation plans in combination with the specific social issues faced by the business ecology on the platform, such as the construction of a platform integrity business environment, privacy protection, data security, and the requirements of specific businesses.

Southern Weekly:

Are there any cases of social innovation in Internet companies that impress you?

Guo Yi:

Social innovation should effectively echo the public management of government functional departments, and make a difference in some areas where the cost of government behavior is large and commercial organizations have advantages.

For example, due to the occasional nature of the activation of the emergency disaster response plan, if the government uses regular material resources to reserve emergency disaster response, the input cost will be high and the daily wear and tear will be large, while commercial platforms such as JD.com have a normalized and capillary business network distribution in geographical space, and can quickly transfer stored food and daily necessities from commercial to public welfare in the case of emergency response.

In addition, in response to the environmental pressure brought about by the current abuse of packaging materials in the express logistics industry, platforms such as Meituan have actively carried out actions such as limiting plastic packaging, promoting degradable materials, and reducing disposable products, and have used this to restrain the behavior of commercial organizations joining the platform. These are relatively mature and successful social innovation initiatives in recent years.

Southern Weekly:

What is the current stage of social innovation of Internet enterprises, and what is the basis for your judgment?

Guo Yi:

Due to the development and application of new technologies, as well as the continuous innovation and reconstruction of business organization forms, the current application scenarios are constantly enriched. It's a dynamic, open, generative process, and I don't think it's time to do a post-mortem review.

There are abundant innovation scenarios, but the results still need to be observed

Southern Weekly:

What does the commercial application of artificial intelligence technology mean for the social innovation of Internet enterprises?

Guo Yi:

It can be roughly summarized into three aspects: first, it provides efficient and convenient technical solutions, the iteration of technology is accelerated, and the application scenarios of technology emerge in an endless stream; Third, due to the ethical requirements of artificial intelligence and the commercial application of artificial intelligence, a series of new issues have arisen, which urgently need to be solved through social innovation. Some routine jobs, such as lawyers, are also beginning to be replaced by artificial intelligence, and the employment-related problems raised by them need to be solved by new social innovations.

Southern Weekly:

What are the current shortcomings of social innovation in Internet enterprises?

Guo Yi:

First, although the innovation scene is dizzying, the effect needs to be further observed and evaluated, especially with the blessing of capital, some "innovations" are conceptual, The second is to scientifically evaluate the cost of social innovation, we can not only focus on the problems that innovation may solve and the results produced, but also need to scientifically evaluate the cost of social innovation, especially the social cost cost; third, innovation is a systematic project, the formation and implementation of innovation programs, effectiveness evaluation, etc., need lean management and resource support. Fourth, the external social ecology of innovation needs to be formed, and the communication between stakeholders and social response is insufficient.

Southern Weekly:

What advice do you have for Internet companies to carry out social innovation?

Guo Yi:

The second is to incorporate social innovation projects into the scope of effective and scientific management, match responsibilities and rights, protect people, finance and materials, and integrate project planning, organization and implementation, process management, and effectiveness evaluation; and third, strengthen stakeholder communication and widely attract stakeholders to participate.

• In 2024, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of China's full-featured access to the Internet, Southern Weekly will hold the "4th China Internet Industry CSR Forum" in July, inviting all walks of life to review the methods and achievements of Internet companies in carrying out social innovation, and explore effective ways for Internet companies to better create social value. For more information, please stay tuned to Southern Weekly.

Zhang Shuguan, a special researcher at Southern Weekly

Editor-in-charge: Hou Minghui