Business Model Ontology Research Articles

The concept of a sustainable business model: Opportunities and challenges


 
 
 The concept of sustainable development is considered one of the most important and urgent challenges facing humanity today. Therefore, solutions that promote sustainable business are of particular importance. The purpose of this article was to explore the concept of a business model as a potentially promising way of shaping the contribution of businesses to sustainable development. A systematic literature review method was used to identify, analyze and critically evaluate the first theoretical proposals for the concept of a sustainable business model. Fundamental differences between the proposed conceptualizations were identified, stemming from different understandings of the business model concept on the one hand, and from its embedding in different, partly contradictory approaches, to corporate contributions to sustainable development, on the other. The article adapts the holistic approach of corporate sustainability and the understanding of the business model as a representation of the essence of business including the proposition, creation, delivery and capture of value. As a result, key elements of the emerging new ontology of the sustainable business model have been identified and defined. The proposed concept of a sustainable business model primarily means adopting a different logic of business, and the basis for defining the various elements of the business model is the reconstruction of the concept of value. The sustainability of a business model is thus referred to the extent to which this model maximizes benefits while reducing economic, social, and environmental damage, and creates value not only for the company and its customers but also for various stakeholder groups. The main part of the article is a systematic identification of the opportunities and challenges associated with the new proposal. These are discussed according to the key elements of the sustainable business model, which are: the value proposition, value creation and value capture.
 
 

An Analytical Scrutiny with Fuzzy Approach on CGMA' Business Model Ontology

An Analytical Scrutiny with Fuzzy Approach on CGMA' Business Model Ontology

A roadmap for business model adaptation in the construction industry: a structured review of business model research

PurposeSurvival challenges compel construction firms to change their business thinking on adapting business models (BMs). Unlike in the other fields, in the construction field, it is still a novel concept, probably because BM adaptation in the industry has not been sufficiently studied. Hence, the purpose of this study is to set a roadmap for the effective adaptation of the BM concept in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachTo develop a roadmap, this study analysed BM literature through a comprehensive literature review by finding the BM research development stages using studies done in other fields and locating construction industry BM literature.FindingsNo stage-wise development of BM research has taken place in the construction industry. The four BM research development stages, namely, defining BMs, listing BM components, describing BM components and modelling BM components as a business model ontology (BMO) in relation to the construction industry have to be followed for proper BM adaptation in the construction industry.Originality/valueThis study provided an overview of and a roadmap for BM adaptation in the construction industry for the benefit of future researchers. The proper adaptation of the BM concept through a BMO will enable construction business managers to easily innovate, design and change construction BMs to streamline their business thinking.

Identifying and incorporating business requirements into the business model

A business model by definition is an abstract representation of the business logic of a firm and as such encapsulates the core aspects of a firm. Business model ideation is a sequential process composed of three precursors - surveying the technological landscape, identifying and incorporating customer outcomes, identifying and incorporating business requirements. These precursors serve as key inputs to the final business model ideation phase. This paper focuses onthe third precursor, identifying and incorporating business requirements into the business model,and this is termed as developing the business perspective.The paper consists of three sections. The first section explores the concept of business requirements - what it is and how to identify business requirements. The second section explores the concept of business model. Specifically, it will focus upon the concept of business model as defined in the Business Model Ontology. The final section details out how to develop the business perspective i.e. explicates methodology by which business requirements can be incorporated into the business model of a firm using Solution Summary matrix, Solution Comparison matrix and the Solution Canvas.

Modelling the social business venture - an ontology-based approach

The key contribution of this paper is the proposal of a novel conceptual model for the social business value proposition. This research was about making sense out of the body of knowledge underlying social business concepts and perspectives, stemming from the social entrepreneurship literature, and building on the so-called business model ontology that underlies the widely used business model canvas. The developed constructs were built in the scope of a design science approach to research, supported by an assessment process that involved several steps comprising the interaction with well-known academicians and practitioners in the area of social business, culminating with a case-study for final validation and assessment. Interviews with the experts from the field helped in the iterative development process of the ontology and its assessment, further supported by informed arguments and a continuous review of the literature.

A CRM Process Model for Agent-Based Simulation

To simulate the value generated by information and communication technologies, there is a need to design a suitable model. This article focuses on the little-used technology of ontologies, particularly Business Model Ontologies. Ontologies allow the representation of very abstract concepts, such as Business Models. The concept consists of four pillars, one of which, the “customer interface” is related to Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This paper proposes a modeling approach and a generic CRM model for the simulation of the value generated by information and communication technologies. The model must have a sufficient level of accuracy to achieve meaningful and helpful results, while maintaining a sufficiently generic level of abstraction to allow rapid implementation.

Evaluation of E-recruitment as a Business Model through Internet of Things Approach

Objective - Modern e-businesses are developing rapidly as new modern enterprises; e-business management is an important topic across contemporary management and modern information technology. The purpose of the paper is to investigate e-recruitment based on Business Model Ontology framework, to provide useful implication of e-recruitment as a business model. The aim is to create a usable model for building company's value added through e-business, helping companies to evaluate contribution of each element added to the model. Methodology/Technique - The research done by reviewing previous studies in related areas. Findings - E-recruitment`s effect on initial job-seeker interest is limited, decreasing the potential possibility to attract a job-seeker and receive positive feedback. Information interaction plays a certain role in job seeker's attitude and job acceptance decisions, but the motivation-enhancing possibilities are likely to be less effective than traditional ones Novelty - The proposed model of study will provide a practical framework for business users. Type of Paper: Review Keywords: E-Recruitment; Internet of Things; E-Business; Business Model Ontology; Value Creation; Information and Communication Technology. JEL Classification: M15,M51, D83.

Innovative business models for exploiting green vehicle potential in urban logistics

Abstract When viewed through a traditional mindset, the goals of green and the goals of business seem incompatible; however, logistics companies that embrace a green mindset are becoming increasingly successful in today's economy. That is because the focus on green has not come at the expense of profit for these companies who managed to take advantage of key benefits of doing green. To generate value from these kind of benefits, new green business models are needed. This paper investigates the impacts that such business models might have on the effective uptake of green vehicles by the urban logistics industry. Particular emphasis is paid on assessing the level of eco-innovation this might bring and the repercussions it may have for business viability. To facilitate the research an adaptation of Osterwalder's business model ontology is applied to create a shared, formal, and explicit conceptualization of a green business model for logistics companies.

Mobile Health and Wellness Applications

The rapid-pace development in mobile technology offers tremendous opportunities for both the public and private sector in healthcare domain. Unlike other forms of communications, e.g., the Internet, increasingly ubiquitous use of mobile technology and devices allow mobile health and wellness applications to have a greater impact on how care is delivered. Although, technology is an essential tool for healthcare provision, to fully leverage these opportunities other major issues on the emergence of more patient-centric healthcare solutions need to be addressed. A sustainable business model plays a significant role in exploration and exploitation of mobile health and wellness applications. Therefore, this paper presents a systematic literature review based on a business model ontology, in order to lay the basis for exploitation of these applications. The review shows that the extant literature mainly focuses on the service platforms components of business models and their underlying technological challenges, and that non-technological business model components such as value proposition, organizing and revenue models have not attracted the attention that is deemed necessary for exploitation of mobile health care solutions. This paper cautions that in a highly regulated yet often monopolistic industry such as healthcare, the regulatory and the legal issues must be considered as an external business factors.

Business Model Ontology (BMO): An Examination, Analysis, and Evaluation

Defining business model constitutes a major challenge. This is primarily because there are many different aspects to a business, hence when we talk of business models, it means different things to different people. Difference lies in the very concept of what constitutes a business (key aspects) and how such a concept can be represented using a common notation. One solution to the problem is to use ontology to communicate. Ontologies are agreed upon frameworks for representing concepts in any domain area. Hence, ontologies are used to represent knowledge, processes, business motivations, business strategies, enterprise structure, and more including business models. The Business Model Ontology (BMO) is one such ontology. Designed and developed by Alexander Osterwalder, it is aimed specifically at representing, understanding, communicating and analyzing business models. This paper is an evaluation of the Business Model Ontology (BMO). The paper consists of two parts. In the first part the researchers describe the four pillars, the nine elements and their sub-elements comprising the ontology. In the second part the ontology is reviewed and evaluated using nine criteria. The fundamental aim is to examine the ontology capabilities – its strength and weaknesses.

How to measure business value of business model ontologies? A proposal

A business model is an attractive concept for business management. It can benefit from ontology paradigms that are described more formally and more precisely. However, case studies of ontologies describing enterprise business models have rarely been reported in the literature, although there are a few indications of the impact of these ontologies on business models; however, these indications do not ease the assessment of the added value of this type of ontology. The aim of this paper is two-fold; on one hand, we highlight the lack of task-based assessment of enterprise business model ontologies via some concrete case studies, and on the other hand, we aim to tackle this issue by proposing indicators intended for measuring the impact of business model ontologies in the framework of enterprise business models.

An innovative business model for marketing service value networks in the logistics and supply chain industry

So far research in service value networks (SVNs) has focused on technical interoperability, including the development of standards for message exchanges and service process coordination. Business concepts, however, such as customer value and other business dependencies cannot be tackled with technical specifications. As a consequence, interoperability and business models become difficult to keep aligned. To address this issue, this paper focuses on the interaction of business model research and developments in SVNs with the aim to investigate how the free value strategy delivered via the freemium model can be used for marketing supply chain SVNs. To facilitate this, an adaptation of Osterwalder's business model ontology is applied to a case study from the container management service industry. The research shows that a freemium model can provide the means to coordinate the business and technological dependencies of a supply chain SVN while actually promoting its real value and long-term monetisation.

Designing network-based business model ontology

Survival on dynamic environment is not achieved without a map. Scanning and monitoring of the market show business models as a fruitful tool. But scholars believe that old-fashioned business models are dead, as they are not included the effect of internet and network in themselves. This paper is going to propose e-business model ontology from the network point of view and its application in real world. The suggested ontology for network-based businesses is composed of individuals' characteristics and what kind of resources they own. Also, their connections and pre-conceptions of connections such as shared-mental model and trust. However, it mostly covers previous business model elements. To confirm the applicability of this ontology, it has been implemented in business angel network and showed how it works.

Research on the Parallel and Reciprocal Mode of Commercial Operations and Public Service of Digital Cultural Resources

Since the construction of digital cultural resources is a long-term process, national investment is not enough to achieve the sustainable and sound development of digital culture resources. In order to promote national culture and meet people's growing spiritual and cultural demands. This paper provides strong support for business operations through studying different characteristics, operations and specific cases of non-profit cultural undertakings and for-profit cultural industries. With the Business Model Ontology (BMO) and E3-value validation method for the digital culture resources of public service and commercial operations in Parallel Mutually Beneficial Operating Mode. At last, the ideal results can be obtained by the verification methods, which can provide the theoretical basis for the mutually profit cooperation of cultural undertakings and cultural industries.

Developing and manipulating business models applying system dynamics approach

PurposeConsidering the significant necessity of organization's conformity with environmental changes and also the importance of predicting the result of managerial decisions, this research has been accomplished with the purpose of designing a dynamic business model. In today's ever changing business environment, the simulation of different decision making scenarios is obligatory for managers in order to create the possibility of studying the effects of decision results on business model (BM) components, interrelation of component and total benefits in an organization. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to take advantage of the dynamic system approach as an operational, quantitative and flexible approach for business model simulation.Design/methodology/approachBased on this purpose, related literature was thoroughly reviewed and proportionate with the level of study and research approach, Business Model Ontology (BMO) was chosen. The model designed using the system dynamics approach and its structure was evaluated via expert judgment. In the next step, some scenarios were developed and executed to confirm the behavior of the model and also to evaluate the importance of applying the dynamic approach in business model simulation.FindingsThese results show that decision making for a BM change leads to complexities and dynamic behavior of business components and also other actor reactions which are usually nonlinear and complex. In this regard this paper suggests dynamic simulation utilization to predict and analyze the results.Originality/valueThe system dynamic approach has precedents in business studies; however, this research makes this approach operational in BM design and analysis.

DEFINING COOPERATIVE BUSINESS MODELS FOR INTERORGANIZATIONAL COOPERATION

Usage of software platforms alongside the business transformation potential of information and communication technology enables cooperation between different companies in both open and networked environments. This is possible when multiple actors cooperate in the delivery of services; each one contributes its own resources, and there is an underlying attractive business model for all of the players involved. This research paper investigates the definition process of a cooperative business model, which involves partners from different countries with different levels of technology, different markets, and different statutory regulations. The aim of this paper is to contribute to both theory and practice by introducing an approach for a cooperative business model definition that can be used in instances where there are conflicting requirements of partners who are willing to cooperate. In the case which is analyzed in this paper, the premature identification of the exploitation alternative scenarios among partners, the adoption of a perspective based on customers’ needs by the means of the business episode concept, and the usage of the business model ontology for the description of the structure of the cooperative business model, have helped the different partners to successfully converge to a common and agreed solution. To cite this document: Alessio Maria Braccini, Paolo Spagnoletti, and Alessandro D’Atri, Defining cooperative business models for interorganizational cooperation, International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, Vol.3, No.2, pp. 229-249, 2012. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/ijecs.1093

A New Framework for Mapping Business Domain Ontologies

In cross enterprise collaboration, business domains need to interoperate and collaborate to each other for receiving profits. To create an understanding of enterprises and the ways they do business, a starting point could be business models. The goal of business modeling is to create semantically representations of business domain concepts like transactions, processes, value chains. Business domain ontologies can be used as a reference model for concrete business models. Business domain ontology describes concepts, concept relations and axioms that are potentially relevant for business models. The three main business modeling ontologies are REA, the e-value ontology and the Business Model Ontology (BMO). In this paper, a mapping is proposed between these three well known business domain ontologies (REA, e-value and BMO). The proposed mapping helps business domains with different ontologies in a cross enterprise collaboration, to be understandable and interoperable, but it does not force each business domain to have a common vocabulary and a unique ontology in order to be interoperable to each other. General Terms Business domain ontology mapping.

Incumbents and Challengers: Conflicting Institutional Logics in SaaS ERP Business Models

With a shift in the architecture for the design and delivery of information systems (IS), new business models are emerging. Professional analysts predict that by the end of 2012, a majority of all enterprise-wide information systems will be delivered by a business model dominated by services rather than by on-site installations. This paper reports on a research project conducted between 2009 and 2011 that involved case studies of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems delivered according to a Software as a Service (SaaS) logic. Using a business model ontology, 10 case studies in the Swedish ERP market were conducted and analyzed. After constructing generic business models that explain two types of vendors in the market—the Incumbents (the traditional ERP vendors) and the Challengers (the new SaaS ERP vendors)—a discussion follows, based on institutional logic, which examines how these two groups of vendors adapt the dominant institutional logic. As the results show, both vendor groups hybridize their business models using the other’s institutional logic. At the same time, the vendors differentiate themselves as they try to establish the dominance of their own logic.

Best practice network business model for internationalization of small and medium enterprises

Small and medium enterprises’ entry to international markets leads to their continuous growth and facilitates national and global economic development. In an attempt to substantiate these outcomes, they seek to acquire best practices and experiences in order to facilitate entering, surviving, and growing in global markets. To address this challenge practically, the present paper introduces a media for networking and a system for transferring internationalization best practices across small and medium enterprises under the concept of Best Practice Network. Subsequently, the paper tries to depict Best Practice Network as a viable business and establish a guideline for implementing it by developing its business model. To achieve this objective, the authors have administered multi-case study research among the top managers of international small and medium enterprises in the information and communication technology sector of Iran. The resulting model is based on business model ontology and proposes a bird’s eye view of the Best Practice Network including product, customer interface, infrastructure management, and financial aspects. Moreover, by proposing a media for sharing related best practices, this paper can lead to the decline of the stage theory of internationalization and can excel the born global theory of small and medium enterprises.

The Ontology of the OSS Business Model

This study focuses on theory building providing a holistic conceptual framework that consists of an ontology based OSS business model and an OSS business model taxonomy. The study extends existing theory in OSS business models and corresponding taxonomies, based on the structured-case methodological approach. An exploratory study is conducted in two research cycles, for the identification, validation, and evaluation of the critical constructs of an OSS business model. Results reveal that OSS business models differ from traditional software business models, having specific features that affect the software value chain, the infrastructure, and the revenue model of an OSS oriented firm.