Abstract This study investigates the surviving mechanisms of Chinese state-owned wholesale enterprises through multi-case studies of four companies, combining with the common feature in macro-function of state-owned enterprises and the characteristics and performance in micro-efficiency of wholesale organization. The results show that both market expansion and risk sharing have significant but limited possibility, so state-owned wholesale enterprises can achieve profit innovation via vertical integration in industrial chains. As for the enterprises of macro-function type, positive interactions between macro-function and micro-efficiency are formed based on upstream control of “industry-wholesale integration”; while for the enterprises of micro-efficiency type, iteration mechanisms of micro-efficiency are formed based on downstream control of “wholesale-retailing integration”. Traditional state-owned enterprises have different focuses on macro-function or micro-efficiency because of distinct decisions to industry development or resource utilization.
2016, Vol. 13 
