Digital technology integration in business model innovation for carbon neutrality: An evolutionary process model for SMEs.

This study delves into the strategies employed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to embed digital technology into their business models, aiming to reach carbon neutrality. We offer a comprehensive analysis of five high technology SMEs, unveiling an evolutionary process model that highlights their journey toward integrating technology. The integration process is delineated into three progressive stages. Initially, digital technology is seen as an 'enabler' that promotes the birth of an innovative business model, essentially transforming the mechanisms of value creation, delivery, and capture. As SMEs evolve to an intermediate stage, digital technology becomes a 'disruptor', reshaping and reinventing the business model in terms of how value is created, delivered, and captured. Entering the maturity stage, digital technology is elevated to the role of 'expertise', leading to a sophisticated business model that refines and optimizes these aspects of value. The influence of these business model innovations on carbon neutrality is complex and varies distinctly with each stage, reflecting the dynamic interplay between digital technology and business model evolution.

Innovating agri-food business models after the Covid-19 pandemic: The impact of digital technologies on the value creation and value capture mechanisms.

This paper investigates the phenomenon of business models innovation (BMI) empowered by digital technologies and activated as a response to Covid-19 crisis. In fact, during the crisis numerous digital redesigns of businesses occurred to pursue both continuity and competitive advantage. Among these, the food retail sector has undergone under the pressure of the crisis intense digital changes, which, however, have not yet been investigated under the theoretical lens of BMI. To fill this gap, the paper analyzes the digital actions taken during the pandemic crisis by two large food retailers, namely Walmart and Carrefour. Covering a wide temporal interval of the pandemic evolution and reviewing multiple geographical markets, the authors interpreted the grocer's digital responses to the crisis in terms of innovation in value creation and capture mechanisms. As a result, three phases of digital BMI have been reconstructed, each characterized by specific mechanisms of value creation and capture experienced by the two grocers during the pandemic. Leveraging these findings, the paper proposes a model capable of defining how digital BMI takes place in response to crises. Results broaden theoretical knowledge and practical suggestions on digital BMI in terms of enabling factors, actionable value mechanisms, and future business opportunities.

Editorial and research agenda: JBR special issue on business model innovation in social purpose organizations.

In this introduction to the special issue on business model innovation (BMI) among social purpose organizations (SPOs), we define business models, BMI, and SPOs, and introduce the insights that papers in this special issue contribute to scholarly knowledge at the intersection of SPOs and BMI. We aggregate insights from articles in the special issue to provide insights into the major antecedents of BMI (environmental turbulence, and internal drivers), the substance of BMI (collaboration, managing tensions, and developing dynamic and learning capabilities), and the outcomes of BMI (expansion of dual social-economic goals, and organizational survival). Reflecting on this collection of papers, and the broader social sector literature, we then suggest several avenues for future research.

Business model innovation at the bottom of the pyramid - A case of mobile money agents.

Business models have historically facilitated the ability of firms to create and capture value. Focusing on financial service agents (FSAs) as actors in the Nigerian financial services industry, this study helps to elucidate how value creation and distribution can facilitate business model innovation (BMI) in an emerging market. We deployed Osterwalder and Pigneur's business model canvas alongside Amit and Zott's Sources of Value in e-Business (SVCeB) model in mapping FSA business models and value creation sources. We find that the constant need to align the resources of a firm with the demand conditions at the customer end triggers the need for BMI by FSAs. The findings also demonstrate that FSAs have weak business models that inhibit their sustainability and ultimately impede their ability to play their role in closing the country's financial exclusion gap. We suggest the need for business model innovation by FSAs as a pathway to viability, profitability and sustainability.

Effectuation and causation configurations for business model innovation: Addressing COVID-19 in the gastronomy industry.

The gastronomy sector is among those that are hit particularly hard by a loss of customers and regulatory uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis. When established ways of doing business become almost impossible, business model innovation (BMI) is a possible reaction to this high uncertainty level. Effectuation and causation are decision-making logics that may lead to BMI and help a firm navigate uncertainty. We investigate configurations of causation and effectuation components associated with a high BMI level during the first wave of COVID-19. We perform fuzzy-set-qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on a sample of 143 gastronomy entrepreneurs in Münster county, Germany. We identify two paths that lead to a high BMI level: "the planning soloist" and "the hedging networker." We conclude that innovators among the gastronomy entrepreneurs use effectuation and causation components in complex configurations.

The role of business model innovation in the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 crisis.

The hospitality industry worldwide is among the hardest-hit industries from the COVID-19 lockdowns. Initial theoretical and practical observations in the hospitality industry indicate that business model innovation (BMI) might be a solution to recover from and successfully cope with the COVID-19 crisis. Interestingly, some firms in the hospitality industry already started to successfully adapt their business models. This study explores the why and how of these successful recovery attempts through BMI by conducting a multiple case study of six hospitality firms in Austria. We rely on interview data from managers together with one of their main stammgasts for each case, which we triangulate with secondary data for the analysis. Findings show that BMI is applied during and after the crisis to create new revenue streams and secure a higher level of liquidity, with an important role of stammgasts.

Defining business model key performance indicators using intentional linguistic summaries.

To sustain competitiveness in contemporary, fast-paced markets, organizations increasingly focus on innovating their business models to enhance current value propositions or to explore novel sources of value creation. However, business model innovation is a complex task, characterized by shifting characteristics in terms of uncertainty, data availability and its impact on decision making. To cope with such challenges, business model evaluation is advocated to make sense of novel business models and to support decision making. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are frequently used in business model evaluation to structure the performance assessment of these models and to evaluate their strategic implications, in turn aiding business model decision making. However, given the shifting characteristics of the innovation process, the application and effectiveness of KPIs depend significantly on how such KPIs are defined. The techniques proposed in the existing literature typically generate or use quantitatively oriented KPIs, which are not well-suited for the early phases of the business model innovation process. Therefore, following a design science research methodology, we have developed a novel method for defining business model KPIs, taking into account the characteristics of the innovation process, offering holistic support toward decision making. Building on theory on linguistic summarization, we use a set of structured templates to define qualitative KPIs that are suitable to support early-phase decision making. In addition, we show how these KPIs can be gradually quantified to support later phases of the innovation process. We have evaluated our method by applying it in two real-life business cases, interviewing 13 industry experts to assess its utility.

Towards sustainable business models for electric vehicle battery second use: A critical review.

A global mass market adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is still hindered by the high costs of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Repurposing degraded EV batteries in second use applications holds the potential to reduce first-cost impediments of EVs. New business models are emerging rapidly within the EV and battery second use (B2U) industries but they focus on economic aspects without integrating social and environmental dimensions. Simultaneously, the emerging research topic around sustainable business models (SBMs) seem to be able to bridge the environmental management concerns in conjunction with economic and social changes. This paper addresses this paucity in the literature by offering an interdisciplinary approach by drawing upon key perspectives from the emerging sustainable technology of EVs and its underlying B2U market in relation to SBMs. Findings reveal major contributions to theorists and practitioners. B2U holds the potential to facilitate current unsustainable practices in the EV industry. This in turn, will lead towards a faster EV market uptake and improvements of overall sustainability performance through SBM perspectives. Accordingly, a B2U business model framework is conceptualised that embodies the cross-sector multi-stakeholder impact and the shared value creation mechanism for the EV industry and emerging B2U market. We finally conclude that as such B2U holds the potential to prove itself to be a viable and efficient case for sustainability. This can be implemented by taking a multi-stakeholder network centric business model design compared to traditionally firm-centric models, which ultimately refreshes the traditional business models on sustainability.

Upcrowding energy co-operatives - Evaluating the potential of crowdfunding for business model innovation of energy co-operatives.

Practice and theory have proven the relevance of energy co-operatives for civic participation in the energy turnaround. However, due to a still low awareness and changing regulation, there seems an unexploited potential of utilizing the legal form 'co-operative' in this context. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the crowdfunding implementation in the business model of energy co-operatives in order to cope with the mentioned challenges. Based on a theoretical framework, we derive a Business Model Innovation (BMI) through crowdfunding including synergies and differences. A qualitative study design, particularly a multiple-case study of energy co-operatives, was chosen to prove the BMI and to reveal barriers. The results show that although most co-operatives are not familiar with crowdfunding, there is strong potential in opening up predominantly local structures to a broader group of members. Building on this, equity-based crowdfunding is revealed to be suitable for energy co-operatives as BMI and to accompany other challenges in the same way.

Business model configuration and dynamics for technology commercialization in mature markets.

PURPOSE: The food industry is a well-established and complex industry. New entrants attempting to penetrate it via the commercialization of a new technological innovation could face high uncertainty and constraints. The capability to innovate through collaboration and to identify suitable strategies and innovative business models (BMs) can be particularly important for bringing a technological innovation to this market. However, although the potential for these capabilities has been advocated, we still lack a complete understanding of how new ventures could support the technology commercialization process via the development of BMs. The paper aims to discuss these issues. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: To address this gap, this paper builds a conceptual framework that knits together the different bodies of extant literature (i.e. entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation) to analyze the BM innovation processes associated with the exploitation of emerging technologies; determines the suitability of the framework using data from the exploratory case study of IT IS 3D - a firm which has started to exploit 3D printing in the food industry; and improves the initial conceptual framework with the findings that emerged in the case study. FINDINGS: From this analysis it emerged that: companies could use more than one BM at a time; hence, BM innovation processes could co-exist and be run in parallel; the facing of high uncertainty might lead firms to choose a closed and/or a familiar BM, while explorative strategies could be pursued with open BMs; significant changes in strategies during the technology commercialization process are not necessarily reflected in a radical change in the BM; and firms could deliberately adopt interim strategies and BMs as means to identify the more suitable ones to reach the market. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This case study illustrates how firms could innovate the processes of their BM development to face the uncertainties linked with the entry into a mature and highly conservative industry (food).

Entrepreneurial bricolage and entrepreneurial performance: The role of business model innovation and market orientation.

Newly established enterprises in China face significant challenges and opportunities, with persistently high mortality rates. Navigating market challenges and establishing sustainable competitive advantages are pressing issues for contemporary businesses. This study delves into the bridging role of business model innovation between entrepreneurial bricolage and entrepreneurial performance, with market orientation influencing the relationship boundaries. We examined 288 Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises, investigating the relationships among entrepreneurial bricolage, business model innovation, market orientation, and entrepreneurial performance. Empirical results indicate: (1) Entrepreneurial bricolage positively influences business model innovation, and business model innovation positively impacts entrepreneurial performance. (2) Business model innovation plays a fully mediating positive role between entrepreneurial bricolage and entrepreneurial performance. (3) Market orientation positively moderates the impact of entrepreneurial bricolage on business model innovation and entrepreneurial performance, and it also positively moderates the impact of business model innovation on entrepreneurial performance. (4) Market orientation positively moderates the impact of entrepreneurial bricolage, mediated by business model innovation, on entrepreneurial performance. The study results contribute to a more effective understanding of the mechanisms through which entrepreneurial bricolage and business model innovation influence entrepreneurial performance, as well as how market orientation moderates their relationships and how enterprises sustain competitive advantages.

Dataset for the study of the relationships among business model innovation, open innovation, agility, and export performance.

The data comes from research analyzing the effect of business model innovation on firms' export performance and, also, the role of organizational agility and open innovation as antecedents of business model innovation. The population in this study was comprised by 1518 Spanish exporting manufacturing companies, and the final valid sample included 196 companies. To collect the data, a telephone survey was conducted using a questionnaire designed based on the literature review. PLS was used to assess the reliability and validity of the measures and to test the structural model. The results showed that the measures meet the general criteria commonly accepted by the literature, which makes them suitable for conducting replication studies. Moreover, the data can be used to go further in the study of the relationships between business model innovation and export performance and to clarify the determinants of business model innovation by considering the different dimensions of that variable, to examine some group-specific effects and to test whether some characteristics of the firms in the sample may moderate the relationships between the variables mentioned above. Since business model innovation is crucial in today´s turbulent markets, a better understanding of its antecedents and its impact on firms´ export performance can help guide managers in their decisions.

Dataset that shows organizational complexity as a key enabler for business model innovation using enterprise resource planning.

An empirical study was conducted to find the role of the Organizational Complexity (OC) on the Business Innovation Model (BMI) when companies are using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Three different profiles were contacted in the companies (General Manager, Information Technology Manager and Purchasing Manager). A data collection process through a questionnaire survey was conducted, 132 informants participated in the study, however, 28 of them reported they were not using an ERP in their company. Valid data from 104 enterprises dealing with BMI and simultaneously had implemented an ERP software solution participated to the questionnaire. The scales used for the questionnaire of this study were previously validated in the literature and measured aspects such as the ERP use and perceived usefulness, the organizational complexity and costs and revenues of the business model innovation. All constructs accomplish the validity and reliability commonly accepted. This dataset could be specially useful for conduct multi countries studies to compare results about the impact of Organizational complexity on Business Model Innovation for those companies using and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Impact of green intellectual capital, green organizational culture, and frugal innovation on sustainable business model innovation: Dataset of manufacturing firms in Pakistan.

This dataset integrates and helps examine the impact of green intellectual capital (GIC) which comprises of green human capital (GHC), green structural capital (GSC), and green relational capital (GRC) on green organizational culture (GOC). Secondly, it enables the investigation of GOC as a mediation phenomenon between GIC and sustainable business model innovation (SBMI). Moreover, it highlights the moderation of frugal innovation (FGL) on GOC and SBMI relationship. An online survey was designed using Google forms to collect data from 345 middle/ senior management employees working in medium and large manufacturing firms in Pakistan. Unit of analysis is the organization; thus, each response represents one firm. SPSS and Smart PLS 4 were used for data analysis. Dataset demonstrates that GHC, GSC, and GRC positively impact GOC, which subsequently enhances SBMI. Moreover, effective implementation of FGL can bolster the effect of GOC on SBMI. The dataset is valuable as it can be reproduced and reanalyzed. It offers insights for professionals to revolutionize their innovation for environmental initiatives particularly in the manufacturing sector and train their staff to use modern eco-friendly ingenuities leading to enhanced business performance as well as sustainable development goals. Furthermore, the dataset holds significance for policymakers involved in implementing green economic revitalization programs, enabling them to offer incentives or penalties to encourage compliance.

A review and analysis of the business model innovation literature.

Business model innovation (BMI) is an emerging field that has attracted much attention from scholars and practitioners. However, the literature on BMI is fragmented and inconsistent, lacking a comprehensive and systematic framework. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting a literature review of 272 peer-reviewed articles on BMI published between 2010 and 2022. We analyze the articles based on six dimensions: antecedents, processes, types, barriers, outcomes, and moderators/mediators of BMI. We synthesize the findings and propose an integrated theoretical model that captures the complex relationships among these dimensions. We also identify several research gaps and directions for future studies. This study contributes to the BMI literature by providing a clearer understanding of this phenomenon and offering practical guidance for various types of businesses.

Influence of digital ambidextrous capabilities on SMEs' transformation performance: The mediating effect of business model innovation.

As the global digital transformation process accelerates, how SMEs can successfully achieve digital transformation is currently an important research question in the field of strategic management and a real-life dilemma that entrepreneurs need to address. This study classifies business model innovation into market-driven business model innovation and driving-market business model innovation based on market orientation theory. The relationship between digital ambidextrous capabilities, business model innovation and transformation performance is explored according to the paradigm of 'capability-behaviour-performance'. This study used SEM and fsQCA to analyze 289 questionnaires collected from middle and senior managers of Chinese SMEs. The results show that digital exploitation capability is positively associated with market-driven business model innovation, while digital exploration capability is positively associated with driving-market business model innovation. In particular, business model innovation plays a fully mediating role in the process of digital ambidextrous capabilities enhancing the transformation performance. Our findings shed new lights on the current debate surrounding the digital transformation of SMEs and will be instructive for both academics and business managers.

Business model innovation and firm performance: Evidence from manufacturing SMEs.

In the current volatile business environment, companies are obliged to search for new ways of doing business to remain competitive. Accordingly, firms innovate their business model as it became a promising strategy to achieve sustainable outcomes. However, there is still a need for empirical studies that examine the relationship between business model innovation (BMI) and the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this study, we aimed to investigate this relationship by collecting data from 264 manufacturing SMEs through structured questionnaires. We employed partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data and test the hypotheses. The results indicated that changes in any component of the business model, namely value creation, value proposition, or value capture, had a positive and significant relationship with the performance of manufacturing SMEs. Therefore, by innovating their business models, firms can create more value for their customers while capturing value for themselves. In conclusion, increasing use value or decreasing exchange value with customers will help firms create more value and surpass competitors in the marketplace, while also allowing them to capture more value for themselves.

Politics or markets: The dual role of the motivation to achieve organizational legitimacy in the development of knowledge management capabilities and business model innovation.

Despite business model innovation being the object of much interest, limited attention has paid on how and when knowledge management capabilities enhance business model innovation in the literature. Build upon institutional theory and knowledge-based view, we seek to investigate how knowledge management capabilities affect the business model innovation by exploring the dual role of different types of legitimation motivations in triggering knowledge management capabilities, and moderating the relationship between knowledge management capabilities, and business model innovation. The data collected from the 236 Chinese new ventures running their businesses across a variety of sectors. The results indicate the both political and market legitimation motivation positively affect knowledge management capabilities. The relationship between knowledge management capabilities and business model innovation are more strongly in high motivation to achieve market legitimacy. However, the positive effect of knowledge management capabilities stimulate business model innovation is more strongly in moderately motivation to achieve political legitimacy than in low or highly political legitimation motivation. The paper has significantly contributed to advancing the body of knowledge of institutional and business model innovation theory and providing deeper insights on the correlation between firm's motivation to achieve legitimacy and knowledge management capabilities for business model innovations.

Model for enhancing the research conducted by the university medical staff: Participatory action research.

This study employed mixed methods with a participatory action research approach to explore factors currently undermining the conduction of research and to develop strategies to boost research productivity. A questionnaire was distributed to 64 staff members of the Department of Anesthesiology at a university-based hospital. Thirty-nine staff members (60.9%) gave informed consent and responses. Staff views were also collected through focus group discussions. The staff reported that limited research methodology skills, time management, and complex managerial processes were the limitations. Age, attitudes, and performance expectancy were significantly correlated with research productivity. A regression analysis demonstrated that age and performance expectancy significantly influenced research productivity. A Business Model Canvas (BMC) was implemented to gain insight into the goal of enhancing the conduct of research. Business Model Innovation (BMI) established a strategy to improve research productivity. The concept, comprising personal reinforcement (P), aiding systems (A), and a lifting-up of the value of research (L), the PAL concept, was considered key to enhancing the conduct of research, with the BMC providing details and integrating with the BMI. To upgrade the research performance, the involvement of management is imperative, and future action will involve the implementation of a BMI model to increase research productivity.

A Boundary Tool for Multi-stakeholder Sustainable Business Model Innovation.

Sustainable business model innovation cannot reach its full sustainability potential if it neglects the importance of multi-stakeholder alignment. Several studies emphasize the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration to enable sustainable business model innovation, but few studies offer guidance to companies for engaging in such a collaborative process. Based on the concept of boundary work, this study presents a tested process tool that helps companies engage with multiple stakeholders to innovate sustainable business models. The tool was developed in three iterative phases, including testing and evaluation with 74 participants in six sustainable business model innovation cases. The final process tool consists of five steps to facilitate multi-stakeholder alignment for sustainable business model innovation: (1) defining a collective ambition, (2) mapping and negotiating the changing organizational boundaries, (3) exploring opportunities and tensions for aligning stakeholders, (4) defining first interventions and (5) developing a collaboration pitch. We found that the tool enables discussions and negotiations on sensitive topics, such as power reconfigurations and mutual responsibilities to help stakeholders align. For companies, the boundary tool enriches sustainable business model innovation by offering guidance in the process of redesigning their multi-stakeholder system, assessing their own organizational boundaries, exploring, negotiating and prioritizing strategic actions based on organizational boundary changes and kick-starting new partnerships.