P1

Exploring Mechanisms for Effective Operation of Urban

Community Commerce: A Study Based on Investigations in

Four Communities in Chengdu City

Advisor: Prof. Xuemei Wang

Institution/Major/Presenter: Lanzhou University/MSW/ Weilu Gao;

University of Melbourne/MPH/ Zhuofan Liu

P4

Background and Significance of the Research

International Background:

Community commerce first emerged in the United States in the 1950s

and subsequently developed on a large scale in other Western

countries.

Domestic Background:

Domestic research on community commerce began in the early 21st

century. The focus of the research has evolved from initially drawing on

foreign experiences to adapting them to the local context of China and

exploring intelligent solutions to meet the diverse needs of residents.

Numerous scholars have conducted a series of studies on community

commerce, and the existing literature has reached four points of

consensus.

P5 Summary of International Research

01 - 1950s

Community commerce first appeared in the United States in the 1950s.

At that time, the widespread adoption of family cars and the

development of highways in suburban areas led to a significant

expansion of suburban residential areas, which in turn gave rise to

community commerce dedicated to serving these new suburban

residents.

02 - 1960s and 1970s

In the 1960s, community commerce emerged in Western countries such

as the United Kingdom, Japan, and France due to suburbanization. By

the 1970s, Singapore's community commerce also began to develop on

a large scale.

03 - Three Community Development Models

These include the community bottom-up development model, the

community commercial street development model, and the shopping

center development model.

P6 Domestic Current Research Status:

Existing literature mainly focuses on studying the differences between

community commerce and general commerce, the development models

of community commerce, the existing deficiencies in community

commerce development, and the significance of community commerce

development. It tends to lean towards researching the current situation

and forms of existence of community commerce, as well as exploring

the operational experiences of community commerce both domestically

and internationally, and researching the intelligentization of community

commerce systems. A series of research achievements have been made,

but there is relatively little exploration of the problems existing in the

operation of community commerce and research results on the overall

operational mechanism of community commerce under the current

social governance background are also scarce.

P7 Significance of the Research:

The development of community commerce forms in Chengdu City is

relatively rich, with many emerging "community commerce +" new

forms. Operational models such as thematic operation, leading formats

driving, overall upgrading, and branded operation are emerging. The

experience of community commerce development in Chengdu has

significant implications for the operation of community commerce in

other regions.

P9 Research Approach:

This study employs structural-functionalism theory to analyze the

adaptive function, goal function, integrative function, and maintenance

function of community commerce. By investigating the typical problems

encountered in community commerce across four urban communities

in Chengdu, it seeks to uncover mechanisms for the effective operation

of urban community commerce.

P10 Research Methods

Data Collection Methods:

 Questionnaires and Semi-Structured Interviews: Data were collected

from community businesses, residents, and merchants using questionnaires
and in-depth semi-structured interviews. A total of 170 valid
questionnaires were retrieved, and 36 interviews were conducted.
 Purposive Sampling: Four communities in Chengdu with well-developed
community commerce were selected: Fucheng Community, Tazishan
Community, Wuxing Community, and Zongfulu Community.
 Thematic Analysis: Thematic analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti, with
data analysis beginning concurrently with the interviews. Analysis
continued until data saturation was reached.
P11

Theoretical Foundation:

 Structural Functionalism. Parsons believed that social systems must meet

certain functional requirements in order to ensure their own existence,
continuity, and effectiveness. In general terms, there are four necessary
functions: Adaptation (A), Goal Attainment (G), Integration (I), and Latency
(L). The exploration of the operational mechanism of community
commerce is a multi-party social system that requires the interaction of
various elements such as policies and regulations, resource linkage, diverse
stakeholder participation, and value guidance, thereby promoting the
overall exploration of the operational mechanism of community commerce.

 Adaptation function. The adaptation function refers to the system's need
to extract necessary resources, energy, and information from its
surrounding environment to allocate to its various parts as the energy and
cognitive evidence for the system's activities and its situation.

 Integration function. The integration function refers to the system's need
to control, coordinate, and facilitate the various subsystems within the
system, as well as the connections between other systems at the same level
or higher-level super systems.

 Goal function. The goal function refers to the system's ability to define
and distinguish the size and urgency of goals, and also involves how the
system utilizes its resources, energy, cognitive abilities, and problem-
solving means and strategies to pursue goals and implement
predetermined plans.

 Maintenance function. The maintenance function, also known as type
maintenance and tension management, implies that the system must
maintain a certain degree of consistency, coherence, and continuity.

P13
Questionnaire Analysis:

The community commercial system is an important element of the

community governance system. Whether its adaptation function, goal

function, integration function, and maintenance function are

functioning properly affects the development of the community,

community businesses, and community residents, and also has a

significant impact on community governance. In order to promote the

better development of the operational mechanism of community

commerce, a research questionnaire was designed to collect data on

the adaptation function, goal function, integration function, and

maintenance function of community commerce. The questionnaire

involved three main subjects: community businesses, the community

itself, and community residents, aiming to explore how to enhance the

operational mechanism of community commerce. Team members

published the questionnaire online and collected relevant information,

totaling 170 valid responses.

P14 Field Survey Analysis:

The study identified several challenges:

 Lack of Mature Mechanisms: Inadequate mechanisms for the

participation of multiple stakeholders hinder the scale and diversity of
community commerce.
 Information Isolation: Insufficient communication about community
commerce initiatives results in merchants being unaware of relevant
development plans, leading to mismatched supply and demand.
  Safety Cooperation Mechanisms: The dependence of community
commerce on community officials and the need for improved safety
measures for goods and services were noted.

P16

Highlights: Exploring the Operation of Community Business

Mechanisms from the Perspective of Structural Functionalism

The study explores community commerce mechanisms from the

perspective of structural functionalism, providing insights into the

interactive dynamics between community commerce and community

governance, thereby contributing to practical applications.

Limitations: Whether the explored community business mechanisms

possess universality remains to be verified.

The effectiveness of the explored mechanisms in other urban

communities needs further verification, given the specific focus on four

communities in Chengdu.

P18. Research Conclusions

1. Policy Adaptation Mechanism: Exploring mature models of community

commerce to form policies adaptable to various contexts.

2. Safety Cooperation Mechanism: Enhancing entry thresholds and

cooperation sustainability to ensure safe and reliable community
commerce.

3. Information Matching Mechanism: Breaking down information barriers to

align supply and demand effectively.
 4. Sustainable Development Mechanism: Promoting long-term

development through smart technologies and comprehensive services.

P19

Developing a community commerce policy adaptation

mechanism；community level.
The community should provide the necessary resources and favorable policies to
local businesses to foster the development of community commerce. As
community businesses adapt to the community, it is important to effectively
utilize policy guidance to attract businesses that align with the community's
development direction and meet residents' needs, thereby overcoming the
difficulties of business entry. During actual development, efforts should be made
to guide community commerce towards distinctive development strategies,
offering high-quality services to residents.

Residents are an extremely important part of community commerce. Essentially,

both the community and businesses are there to serve the residents, but the
services provided must meet the residents' real needs. Services that do not align
with these needs will not enhance residents' sense of happiness and community
belonging, which contradicts the original intention of community commerce.

P20 At the Community Level:

 Establish a monitoring mechanism to conduct regular evaluations of

businesses.
 Enhance the cooperation continuity mechanism within community
commerce.

At the Business Level:

 Scientifically assess their own situation to determine if they can meet the
community’s requirements in serving the residents.
 Choose communities that align with their service goals and direction.

P21

Establish a Supply and Demand Information Matching

Mechanism for Community Commerce

(Integration Function)

Supply and Demand Matching

At the Community Level:

- Promote community businesses to enhance their visibility.

At the Business Level:

- Businesses should take the lead in showcasing their strengths to increase their
visibility.

At the Resident Level:

- Residents should actively learn about community activities and the basic
information of businesses that have moved in. If these businesses meet their
needs or interests, residents should actively participate in relevant activities,
thereby supporting the development of community commerce alongside the
community and businesses.

P22

Establish a Long-Term Development Mechanism for

Community Commerce(Objective Function)

Utilize Smart Assistants:
- Employ AI and robots to enhance the convenience of community commerce,
making services more precise and efficient.
Related Strategies:
- Develop a series of community commerce apps that provide cloud services,
realizing the integration of community commerce ("Community Commerce +").
- Expand the reach of community commerce, serving a larger population and
thereby promoting the construction of smart communities.

P24
Can we explore community commerce from an interactive perspective?

How does the development of community commerce contribute to community

governance through interactions?

The development of community commerce in China differs from that in other

countries. Can the new localized experiences of Chinese community commerce
provide valuable insights for the development of community commerce abroad?

Could we investigate the pathways to mobilize multiple stakeholders to support

community commerce and summarize the experiences to enhance community
governance?