Mechanisms for establishing collaborative business models: A longitudinal case study

This paper offers insight into the boundary-spanning practitioners and the operationalization of their capabilities that are critical to sustainable value co-creation, delivery, and capture within collaborative business models. Few empirical studies have focused on the concept of collaborative business models - those business models in which value is co-created, delivered, and captured between practitioners outside the boundaries of a single firm - and research into the dynamic/ordinary capabilities of their boundary-spanning practitioners appears neglected. The study is centered on three firms that form a solutions collaborative (public-private) business model. A case study methodology is deployed to examine the firms as three embedded units of analysis. The data sources consist ofsemi-structured interviews supplemented by archives of publications. The findings advance understanding of practitioner dynamic/ordinary capabilities in solutions collaborative business models that are critical to support value co-creation, delivery, and capture.

PurposeSustainable development comprises three bottom line concepts, i.e. protect environment, improve economic performance, and social performance. Business organization with only profitability as the primary objective may lead to a highly competitive market which mainly focuses on financial performance and pay less attention to environmental and social performance. Companies that adopt the product recovery activities also select economic performance as the prime priority of their business objectives. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief idea about a different kind of business model other than conventional business models. Here, the authors aim to represent collaboration among firms, companies, and players within a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) to build a leading business model that establishes three basic concepts of sustainability.Design/methodology/approachFrom literature the authors identified that the primary objective of establishing a sustainable business model is environmental issues but achieving economic performance and gaining market share increase competition among companies. The authors also identified that increasing financial performance results in the development of a competitive business model. This literature review helps to represent the concept of collaborative business model, its benefit, and its mechanism and also helps to compare it with competitive business model in terms of sustainability.FindingsIn case of the collaborative business model, the authors found that collaboration is better than competition to sustain in the market. The authors described the collaborative business model and mechanism of both competitive and collaborative business strategies in a CLSC. The authors gave an idea to adopt some well-known business model and pricing policies for the collaborating firms. The authors presented a comparison between the collaborative and competitive business model and also identified different types of collaborative and completive relationship among the players within a CLSC.Originality/valueGovernment legislations, e-waste rules, and environmental rules involve original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for taking back its end-of-life (EOL)/end-of-use products. A collaborative business model helps OEM to manage those huge amounts of used products by involving third parties within the supply chain. Here, in this paper the authors represent different collaborative parties and their purpose for collaboration, and also represent a strong belief that collaborative business model is the recent trend for establishing sustainability than competitive business model.

Collaborative business models: Aligning and operationalizing alliances

Innovation is a key skill of companies. The academic literature on innovation in product development is well documented and abundant. However, the one according to innovation at the level of collaborative business models is less available and rarely addressed. We are going to focus on innovation in terms of collaborative business model, more specifically on companies operating in a cluster. In 2020, it is necessary for companies to collaborate. However, when the time comes to carry out collaboration, they encounter different challenges. In order to act and try to resolve them, we will propose the design of a collaborative business model specifically for companies operating in a cluster. In this article, we will present the state of the art at the level of clusters as well as business models. We will then present our problematic relating to the need to collaborate between the companies belonging to a cluster. As an example, we will be referring to the Quebec aerospace cluster. We will end with the presentation of a proposal for a collaborative business model, which was developed by using three business model representations and performed validation interviews with key people. The model will be presented according to the Osterwalder and Pigneur business model canvas. Ultimately, the collaborative business model will allow clustered businesses not only to collaborate more effectively with one another, but also to distribute the gains to all businesses in the cluster.

Collaborative business models among enterprises require defining collaborative business processes. Enterprises implement B2B collaborations to execute these processes. In B2B collaborations the integration and interoperability of processes and systems of the enterprises are required to support the execution of collaborative processes. From a collaborative process model, which describes the global view of the enterprise interactions, each enterprise must define the interface process that represents the role it performs in the collaborative process in order to implement the process in a Business Process Management System. Hence, in this work we propose a method for the automatic generation of the interface process model of each enterprise from a collaborative process model. This method is based on a Model-Driven Architecture to transform collaborative process models into interface process models. By applying this method, interface processes are guaranteed to be interoperable and defined according to a collaborative process.KeywordsBusiness-to-BusinessCollaborative Business ProcessInterface Business ProcessModel-Driven Architecture

The next generation network technology 5G introduces new business opportunities for telecom operators that can help them mitigate their declining revenues. 5G reduce the network latency and enables a massive number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to be connected to its network. This paper proposes a co-creative approach for telecom operators when they exploit 5G/IoT technologies in industry use cases in rural communities and builds upon the concept of collaborative business modelling. Partnering with providers of digital niche services and in-depth understanding of users’ pains and challenges is key when establishing “beyond connectivity” solutions. Moreover, the collaborative model secure long-term survivability in which all ecosystem stakeholders benefit through participation, hence moving away from individual profit maximization. The initial design of the collaborative business model occurs as a part of an agile development process, in which stakeholder needs, and requirement are uncovered together with technical trials and commercial validation of suggested solutions (MVP's/protocepts). Our findings provide novel insights towards the understanding of how collaborative business models support the deployment of enhanced connectivity enabled solutions (remote operation support and fire situation awareness service) in the forestry industry in rural areas of Norway, as well as the role of the telecom operator in orchestrating the ecosystem. Updated business models based on forthcoming development and trials of these two solutions will be presented in later publications.

Designing circular business models requires a combination of systems-level and company-level approaches, highlighting the importance of collaboration. While digital technologies can enable such business models, studies that shed light on the creation of multiple types of value in collaborative and digital technology-driven environments, are currently limited. This paper, therefore, aims to explore the process of designing digitally-enabled collaborative business models, using the UK plastics sector as a context that has seen a rise in new digital technology applications to plastics mandated by new regulations. To this end, we have worked with fifteen plastics sector organisations as part of an empirical qualitative study aiming to develop collaborative business models for a future plastics circular economy system in the UK. Together with the stakeholders, we have co-designed the value-retention and data-as-a-service business models that could be enabled by digital technologies such as tags. We show that the main stakeholder tensions relate to digital technology investments, access to recyclate and data, and digital asset management. We argue that such tensions might be the key cause of delaying experimentation with circular business models and enacting collaborations at the systems level. We suggest that future research could draw on quantitative data, such as investment costs to test these circular business models, in order to inform the discourse on infrastructural investments for sustainability.

In a collaborative context, the integration of industrial partners deeply depends of the ability to use a collaborative architecture to interact efficiently. In this paper, we propose to tackle this point according to the fact that partners of the collaboration respect SOA (Service-Oriented Approach) concepts. We propose to design such a collaborative SOA architecture according to MDA (model-Driven Approach) principles. We aim at using business model (the needs) to design a logical model of a solution (logical architecture). The business model is a collaborative business model (in BPMN, at the CIM level), while the logical model is a collaborative architecture model (using UML, at the PIM level). This paper presents the theoretical aspects of this subject, the mechanisms of morphism and the dedicated translation rules. Finally, we show the prototype of a demonstration tool embedding the transformation rules and running those principles.

Fostering green chemistry through a collaborative business model: A Chemical Leasing case study from Serbia

New energy vehicle (NEV) power batteries are experiencing a significant “retirement wave”, making second-life utilization (SLU) a crucial strategy to extend their lifespan and maximize their inherent value. This study focuses on prominent enterprises in China’s SLU sector, including BAIC Group, BYD, China Tower, and Zhongtian Hongli. Employing a multi-case study approach, a variety of business models and applicable scenarios developed through the cooperation between NEV manufacturers and SLU enterprises are effectively identified, including “co-constructing and purchase”, “co-constructing and leasing”, “self-constructing and purchase”, and “self-constructing and leasing”. The choice of collaborative business model is closely linked to the developmental stage of the NEV manufacturers and SLU enterprises. Additionally, this paper finds that the achievement of collaboration is influenced by the interplay between market dynamics and government policies. The theoretical framework developed from this study offers valuable insights for NEV manufacturers and SLU enterprises to establish stable and effective collaborative business models.

The increase in the complexity of social and societal problems that even a large actor cannot solve alone has caused pressure on many sectors, organizations and entities making the need for collaboration to be more urgent. This is because collaboration enables merging financial resources, human resources and expertise needed to tackle complex problems. However, the increased failure of collaborations requests greater consideration and investigation of the challenges in collaboration. The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges in inter-organizational collaboration at management and employee level with a focus on the Thomson and Perry (2006), model of collaboration. To fulfil this purpose, inter-organizational collaboration towards open Skåne 2030 strategy was used as a case study. The empirical data showed that there are challenges in both the management and employee level in inter-organizational collaboration. Further, the study also found that political influence is a major challenge in inter-organizational collaboration. The study makes a contribution with the adaption of the model of collaboration process. The model serves to enlighten collaborators that challenges in inter-organizational collaboration are inter-linked.

Urban freight transport generates significant negative externalities in the form of noise, congestion, and environmental impacts. Freight consolidation centres could be seen as a potential solution, offering benefits such as shorter delivery distances and fewer delivery routes. However, implementation of freight consolidation centers requires collaboration between actors with conflicting interests and goals. This study proposes a collaborative business model framework for freight consolidation centres. The novelty of the study lies in conceptualising collaboration as an outcome-based partnership and extending the Business Model Canvas with collaboration-specific components. This framework was empirically tested and refined through a pilot project in Gothenburg, applying the principles of engaged scholarship. The results indicate that last-mile consolidation can significantly improve operational efficiency and enable sustainability gains. At the same time, structural, economic, and organisational barriers need to be addressed to realise all benefits of the collaborative business model. The findings particularly highlight the need for deeper institutionalisation of collaborative practices, including the integration of new norms, procedures, and policies into the business models of the individual actors involved.

Trust Aspects in Collaboration.- Towards Establishing Trust Relationships among Organizations in VBEs.- Fostering R&D Collaboration - The Interplay of Trust, Appropriability and Absorptive Capacity.- Trust Building in Collaborative Networked Organizations Supported by Communities of Practice.- Performance and Value Systems.- Measuring Collaboration Performance in Virtual Organizations.- A Conceptual Model for Virtual Breeding Environments Value Systems.- Towards a Conceptual Model of Value Systems in Collaborative Networks.- Collaboration Network Analysis.- Network Analysis by the Codesnet Approach.- Assessment of Collaborative Networks Structural Stability.- A Decision Support Framework for Collaborative Networks.- VO Breeding Environment Enablers.- Towards Governance Rules and Bylaws for Virtual Breeding Environments.- Enabling Virtual Organizations in a Technological District.- In Search for an Innovative Business Model or How to be Successful in the Nowadays Business Environment.- The Role of Universities Developing New Collaborative Environments: Analysing the Virtuelle Fabrik, Swiss Microtech and the Tenet Group.- Elements of Breeding Environments Management.- Ontology Engineering in Virtual Breeding Environments.- Causal Cross-Impact Analysis as Strategic Planning Aid for Virtual Organisation Breeding Environments.- Assessing the Value of Mediators in Collaborative Business Networks.- VO Creation.- A Computer-Assisted VO Creation Framework.- Collaboration Opportunity Finder.- An Ontology-Based Approach for Selecting Performance Indicators for Partners Suggestion.- Multiple Criteria Partner Selection in Virtual Enterprises.- e-Contracting in Collaborative Network Scenarios.- Fundaments of Virtual Organization E-contracting.- Intelligent Contracting: Software Agents, Corporate Bodies and Virtual Organizations.- Agent-Based Contracting in Virtual Enterprises.- A Lawful Framework for Distributed Electronic Markets.- Learning and Inheritance in VO.- Towards Learning Collaborative Networked Organizations.- Identification of Forms and Components of VO Inheritance.- Establishing and Keeping Inter-Organisational Collaboration. Some Lessons Learned.- Architectures for Collaboration.- A Generic Strategic Layer for Collaborative Networks.- A Privacy-Based Brokering Architecture for Collaboration in Virtual Environments.- Virtual Power Producers Integration into Mascem.- Agent-Based Architecture for Virtual Enterprises to Support Agility.- Modelling Frameworks for Collaborative Networks.- Towards an Architecture Modeling Language for Networked Organizations.- Evolving Virtue.- Business Modelling for Knowledge Networks.- Business Benefits in Networks.- Distribution of Network Generated Profit by considering Individual Profit Expectations.- An Estimation Model for Business Benefits in Horizontal Collaborative Networks.- Examining the Antecedents to Innovation in Electronic Networks of Practice.- Professional Virtual Communities.- Support for Power in Adaptation of Social Protocols for Professional Virtual Communities.- Understanding Users' Response to Ontology Based Systems in the Context of an Enterprise Sponsored Virtual Community.- Continuous Management of Professional Virtual Community Inheritance Based on the Adaptation of Social Protocols.- Customer Involvement in Networks.- Virtual Customer Communities: An Innovative Case from the Media Industry.- The Impact of Customer Participation on Business Ecosystems.- Supporting Collaborative Work through Wireless Technologies Support in Patient Centric Virtual Organizations (PCVOS).- Social Network Analysis.- Social Network Analysis of Team Dynamics and Intra-Organizational Development in an Aerospace Firm.- The Tacit Dimensions of Collaborative Network Traffic.- Collaborative Services to Maintain Electronic Business Relationships.- Interoperability in Networks.- Towards Seamless Interoperability in Collaborative Networks.- Barriers Driven Methodology for Enterprise Interoperability.- Ambient Intelligence and Simulation in Health Care Virtual Scenarios.- Collaboration within the Tool-and-Die Manufacturing Industry through Open-Source Modular ERP/CRM Systems.- Collaborative Process Models.- A Cartography Based Methodology for Collaborative Process Definition.- Interactive User-Centered Business Process Managementservices.- Workflow Technology Supporting the Operation of Virtual ISPS.- Process Integration and Management.- Introducing a Collaborative Business Model for European ERP Value Chains of SMEs.- Integrated Construction Project Management System Based on IFC and ISO9001:2000.- Enhancing Enterprise Collaboration by Using Multifaceted Services.- Web Services and Fusion.- Application of the Fusion Approach for Assisted Composition of Web Services.- Semantic Integration of Business Applications across Collaborative Value Networks.- Web Service Discovery in a Semantically Extended UDDI Registry: The Case of Fusion.- Collaboration Environments Cases.- Supporting Mobile Virtual Team's Coordination with SOA-Based Active Entities.- Collaborative Environments Work: A Case Study of Teacher Training.- A Knowledge Search Framework for Collaborative Networks.- Product-Oriented Collaboration.- Maintaining Dynamic Product Designs to Enable Effective Consortium Building in Virtual Breeding Environments.- Distributed Design of Product Oriented Manufacturing Systems.- Virtual Organisation in Cross Domain Engineering.- Adaptive Collaborative Frameworks.- Collaboration and Adaptation in Scheduling.- Virtual Organizations for Municipalities.- A Service Infrastructure to Support Ubiquitous Engineering Practices.- Evaluation and Management of Collaborative Supply Networks.- Engineering Methodology for Organisation Networks.- A Procedure for the Analysis of Industrial Networks.- The Evaluation of Coordination Policies in Logistics Services Markets.- Business Models for Collaborative Planning in Transportation: An Application to Wood Products.- Providing Transparency in the Business of Software: A Modeling Technique for Software Supply Networks.

According to literature, digital transformation requires an organization to develop a broad, holistic, and business ecosystem perspective on how digital technologies can be used to rethink and improve business models, products, services, and processes. The objective of this research is to empirically explore the claim that the business ecosystem perspective is one of the dominant views in organizations’ digital transformation initiatives and more specifically in the digital strategy. We studied seven organizations in the Netherlands through semi-structured interviews and digital strategy documents. These organizations are aware of developments in their business ecosystem. However, their plans, as outlined in their digital strategies, mainly focus on improving internal operations. We also found that collaboration enablers are partially present in digital strategies. Digital strategies and subsequent digital transformations are mainly internally focused. We argue that collaborative business models must be developed at the business ecosystem level rather than at the individual organizational level.KeywordsDigital strategyDigital transformationBusiness ecosystemEnablers for collaborationCollaborative networks

Discussion Paper on Collaborative Business Models between Banks and FinTech for Green & Sustainable Growth