Enhancing Competitiveness through Synergy:
A Qualitative Study of China’s Sporting Goods-Related and Supporting Industries Based on NVivo Software
Abstract
How can the Chinese sports goods industry break away from the “production efficiency-oriented” industrial competition model? This study highlights the significant role of mutual synergy efficiency between related and supporting industries (RSI). Using Porter’s “Diamond Model” as the theoretical framework, this study examined the composition and interaction mechanism of RSI, one of the six elements of the Diamond Model, to validate the view. To gather insights, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 stakeholders from government agencies, enterprises, academic institutions, and the consumer market. NVivo 14 software was utilised for three-level coding, employing grounded theory techniques for analysis. The results revealed five key supporting themes: supply chain integration enhanced the system’s ability to resist risks, R&D cooperation promoted the development of cross-domain technologies, digital technology empowered the reconfiguration of the value chain, policy support served as the institutional foundation for industrial development, and a significant drawback was that the logistics system has become the main bottleneck for the international expansion of Chinese sports goods enterprises. The study illustrates the existence of a digital ecosystem that supports this process. Based on the findings, an analytical model centred on RSI has been constructed, which highlights the crucial role of digital infrastructure in the current international market competition and reveals the cooperation mechanisms across industries and fields. It provides a new comprehensive perspective for understanding the industrial upgrading of emerging economies, and offers reference directions for enterprises and policymakers aiming to expand in the global market.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gading Journal for the Social Sciences (e-ISSN 2600-7568)
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