Beijing, 8th May 2025 (BISTU)--- “Research on Corporate Spin-off Entrepreneurship: A Review Based on the Theoretical Maturity Ladder” by Prof. Li Honglei (the first author) of BISTU Business School and Prof. Wang Fengbin of Renmin Business School of Renmin University of China was published on Issue 5 of 2025 Journal of Management World.

Management World is a nationally recognized academic journal certified by the State Press and Publication Administration and ranked among the "Top 100 Social Science Journals." It is endorsed as a leading academic journal by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has received key funding and distinction as an outstanding journal from the National Social Science Fund. In evaluations across China’s three major social science journal assessment systems, Management World ranks first among management academic journals. It has been designated as the sole "top-tier journal" in management by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) journal evaluation. Internationally, it holds the highest influence among domestic management journals. According to the Annual Report on the Impact Factors of Chinese Academic Journals (Humanities & Social Sciences, 2024 Edition)—jointly released by the China Academic Journal (CD Edition) Electronic Publishing House and the Chinese Science Citation Database—Management World has shown improved impact factor metrics, securing the top position among Chinese management journals. In 2023, its composite impact factor reached 35.785, and its journal impact factor rose to 27.332, marking increases of 4.581 and 4.775, respectively, compared to 2022. The journal was once again honored as a "China’s Most Internationally Influential Academic Journal" in 2024.

Abstract and key words of the paper:

Corporate Spin-off Entrepreneurship is a critical pathway for established firms to overcome growth bottlenecks and achieve strategic transformation. Existing research has established multi-dimensional theoretical frameworks at the micro (employee departures to launch new ventures), meso (corporate genealogy construction and competitive-cooperative processes), and macro (industrial cluster formation and evolution) levels. This paper systematically reviews the current state of corporate spin-off entrepreneurship research, categorizing its theoretical development into three stages. Accordingly, we present a theoretical critique following the logical framework of "exploiting existing theories—constructing new theories—interdisciplinary deepening." To be specific, exploiting existing theories means that researchers conduct spin-off entrepreneurship studies within their respective fields, seeking to enrich and expand the applicability and explanatory power of established theories. Constructing new theories means that researchers develop and extend novel theories independent of existing frameworks, based on the characteristics and patterns of spin-off entrepreneurship practices. These include theories of intergenerational resource transfer, corporate genealogy, spin-off competition-cooperation processes, and industrial cluster spin-off dynamics. And interdisciplinary deepening refers to the process that scholars integrate and refine spin-off entrepreneurship theories across different domains and dimensions, advancing them toward greater maturity and systematization. This includes diachronic relational dynamics research, cross-level impact studies combining strategic and financial perspectives, governance mechanisms of corporate genealogy from a spin-off strategy lens, and spin-off entrepreneurship studies grounded in traditional Chinese philosophy. These interdisciplinary efforts not only facilitate the theoretical development of corporate spin-off entrepreneurship but also foster deeper integration between indigenous Chinese management theories and traditional philosophical thoughts.

Key Words: Corporate Spin-offSpin-off EntrepreneurshipSpin-off Development StrategyCorporate GenealogyStages of Theoretical Development

About the Author:

Li Honglei is a Professor and Master’s Supervisor at the School of Business, Beijing Information Science & Technology University (BISTU). He serves as the leader of BISTU’s "Digital Ecology" Innovation Team and the "Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship" Outstanding Graduate Supervisor Team. He is also the academic leader in Digital Innovation Management within the Business Administration discipline and the Director of the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Center at the School of Business. Additionally, he holds several key roles such as Secretary of the Chinese-Style Management Committee of China Research Institute of Enterprise Management, Council Member and Deputy Secretary of the Management Philosophy and Organizational Ecology Research Center at Renmin University of China, Expert for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Collaborative Project (SDG Action 35553), Professor at the Sustainable Development Management Institute. And he has led multiple national-level research projects, including Key Project of the National Social Science Fund of China (*24AGL016*), General Project of the National Social Science Fund of China (*20BGL094*), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Grant (*2022M723474*). In addition to over 30 journal articles published on Journal of Management World, Nankai Business Review, Economic Management, Management Review, Chinese Journal of Management, Foreign Economics and Management, Journal of Knowledge Management, Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, Chinese Management Studies, Asia Pacific Business Review, etc. and two academic monographs, he delivers several modules for undergraduate and postgraduate students, such as Management Principles, Innovation of Digital Business Models, Research Methodology for Social Sciences, Strategic Management, and Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship.