Today, one of the major impacts of business models have been an increase in the possible business configurations a company can adopt because of the reduced coordination and transaction costs. In other words, they can increasingly work in partnerships, offer joint value propositions, build-up multi-channel and multi-owned distribution networks and profit from diversified and shared revenue streams. This, however, means that a company's business has more stakeholders, becomes more complex and is harder to understand and communicate. Everybody would understand, that the existing management concepts and tools are not be sufficient enough anymore and that new ones have to be found. For example, Rentmeister and Klein call for new modelling methods in the domain of business models. Effectively, a whole range of authors propose using the relatively new concept of business models for managing companies in the Internet era.
When you are looking for the most modern frameworks to business model development you find three major approaches. Approach number one is a very complete concept for describing a business model. Furthermore, the high level of details also allows the improvement of single components of a company. This framework is called the Business Model Canvas and has been developed by Alexander Osterwalder since 2004.
The second approach is the Business Model Navigator from the university St. Gallen. This framework is less detailed than the Business Model Canvas, but focuses more on patterns of different companies. Besides, the framework can perfectly be used when a business model has to be described fast and low detailed.
Table of Contents
I. Significant prior research
II. Importance of the research for theory and practice
III. My interest in the topic
IV. Possible research approach or research methodology
V. The contribution you wish to make
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The dissertation aims to advance business model research by developing a framework that enables the quantification of future business model performance, specifically integrated within the context of trend analysis to support improved strategic decision-making.
- Evolution and updating of established business model knowledge.
- Integration of trend analysis processes with business model development.
- Quantification of business model strength and performance for comparison.
- Compatibility of traditional management frameworks with modern business models.
Excerpt from the Book
IV. Possible research approach or research methodology
A good starting point to design science is provided by March and Smith. They outline a design science framework with two axes, namely research activities and research outputs. Research outputs cover constructs, models, methods and instantiations. Research activities comprise building, evaluating, theorizing on and justifying artefacts.
Constructs form the vocabulary of a domain. They constitute a conceptualization used to describe problems within a domain. A model is a set of propositions or statements expressing relationships among constructs. In design activities, models represent situations as problem and solution statements. A method is a set of steps used to perform a task. Methods are based on a set of underlying constructs and a representation of the solution space. An instantiation is the realization of an artefact in its environment. Instantiations operationalize constructs, models and methods.
Concerning research activities, March and Smith identify build and evaluate as the two main issues in design science. Build refers to the construction of constructs, models, methods and artefacts demonstrating that they can be constructed. Evaluate refers to the development of criteria and the assessment of the output's performance against those criteria. Parallel to these two research activities in design science March and Smith add the natural and social science couple, which are theorize and justify. This refers to the construction of theories that explain how or why something happens.
Summary of Chapters
I. Significant prior research: This chapter reviews major existing frameworks like the Business Model Canvas, Business Model Navigator, and DigitalValueCreation-Framework, while highlighting the importance of incorporating trend analysis.
II. Importance of the research for theory and practice: The text argues that current management tools are primarily qualitative and insufficient for the quantitative data requirements of modern decision-makers facing future-oriented scenarios.
III. My interest in the topic: The author details their professional background in consulting and argues that the increasing complexity of modern business necessitates newer management tools beyond traditional frameworks like the Ansoff matrix.
IV. Possible research approach or research methodology: This section introduces the design science framework by March and Smith as the methodological foundation, categorizing research activities into build, evaluate, theorize, and justify.
V. The contribution you wish to make: This chapter defines the core research questions, focusing on how to quantify the performance of future business models to enhance strategic decision-making.
Keywords
Business Models, Trend Analysis, Design Science, Strategic Management, Business Model Canvas, Innovation, Quantified Comparison, Decision Making, Research Methodology, Value Proposition, Digital Transformation, Business Model Navigator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research?
The research focuses on the need for updated management frameworks that allow for the quantitative comparison of business models, specifically when integrated with trend analysis for future-oriented companies.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study covers business model innovation, strategic management tools, design science methodology, trend analysis, and the quantitative evaluation of business model performance.
What is the primary objective of this dissertation?
The primary objective is to create a framework that allows companies to quantify the strength and potential performance of multiple future business models to support better decision-making processes.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The work utilizes the design science framework established by March and Smith, focusing on research activities such as building constructs and models, and evaluating them through research outputs.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body discusses the limitations of traditional strategic tools, introduces the design science methodology, reviews existing business model frameworks, and outlines the necessity for quantifying future business configurations.
How are the key themes characterized by keywords?
The themes are characterized by keywords linking digital innovation, business model development, and the application of rigorous, scientifically grounded research methodologies to practical management problems.
How does the author view the 'old' strategic tools?
The author respects tools like the Ansoff matrix or Michael Porter’s frameworks but argues they are becoming insufficient to handle the complexity, speed, and digital nature of the modern business environment.
What role does the 'DigitalValueCreation-Framework' play?
It is highlighted as a specialized tool developed by Christian Hoffmeister that focuses on the digital aspects of business models, serving as a complement to more general frameworks like the Business Model Canvas.
- Citar trabajo
- M.A. Andreas Gassmann (Autor), 2017, Enhancements of business model researches towards a framework that enables quantified business model comparisons especially in the scope of trend analyses, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/381060
