In this essay, we address the research question of when is the business model idea useful? We argue that the use of the term “business model” as a “description” of how a traditional venture operates is strong on redundancy and weak on theoretical grounding. We argue that the idea behind a “model” of value creation, especially involving nonmonetary exchanges is, however, of great importance moving forward. Up to this point, there has been a quite practical approach used in understanding the idea and its effects. But now, there is a need to transition from the “idea-as-given” perspective to a “not-given” perspective in order to place the business model in a theoretical perspective where it can be understood in more abstract terms and then applied in new ways. That transition leads to new research questions, a new determination of the idea’s value in nontraditional contexts, and new effects on existing related theories and on policies to control potential effects.
AbrahamS. (2013) “Will Business Model Innovation Replace Strategic Analysis?” Strategy & Leadership41(2): 31–8.
2.
AmitR.ZottC. (2001) “Value Creation in e-Business,” Strategic Management Journal22(6/7): 493–520.
3.
AmitR. H.SchoemakerP. J. H. (1993) “Strategic Assets and Organizational Rent,” Strategic Management Journal14(1): 33–46.
4.
ArendR. J. (2013) “Promises, Premises. An Alternative View on the Effects of the Shane and Venkataraman 2000 AMR Note,” Journal of Management Inquiry. Epub ahead of print 24January. DOI: 10.1177/1056492612472731.
5.
BockA. J.OpsahlT.GeorgeG.GannD. M. (2012) “The Effects of Culture and Structure on Strategic Flexibility during Business Model Innovation,” Journal of Management Studies49(2): 279–305.
6.
Casadesus-MasanellR.RicartJ. (2010) “From Strategy to Business Models and onto Tactics,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 195–215.
7.
CavalcanteS.KestingP.UlhøiJ. (2011) “Business Model Dynamics and Innovation: (Re)establishing the Missing Linkages,” Management Decision49(8): 1327–42.
8.
ChesbroughH. (2010) “Business Model Innovation: Opportunities and Barriers,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 354–63.
9.
ChesbroughH.RosenbloomR. S. (2002) “The Role of the Business Model in Capturing Value from Innovation: Evidence from Xerox Corporation’s Technology Spin-off Companies,” Industrial and Corporate Change11(3): 529–55.
10.
CollisD. J. (1994) “How Valuable Are Organizational Capabilities?” Strategic Management Journal15(8): 143–52.
11.
DahanN. M.DohJ. P.OetzelJ.YazijiM. (2010) “Corporate–NGO Collaboration: Co-creating New Business Models for Developing Markets,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 326–42.
12.
DemilB.LecocqX. (2010) “Business Model Evolution: In Search of Dynamic Consistency,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 227–46.
13.
DozY. L.KosonenM. (2010) “Embedding Strategic Agility: A Leadership Agenda for Accelerating Business Model Renewal,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 370–82.
14.
EdelmanL.Yli-RenkoH. (2010) “The Impact of Environmental and Entrepreneurial Perceptions on Venture–Creation Efforts: Bridging the Discovery and Creation Views of Entrepreneurship,” Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice34(5): 833–56.
15.
EisenhardtK. M.SullD. N. (2001) “Strategy as Simple Rules,” Harvard Business Review79(1): 106–16.
16.
GambardellaA.McGahanA. M. (2010) “Business–Model Innovation: General Purpose Technologies and their Implications for Industry Structure,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 262–71.
17.
GeorgeG.BockA. J. (2011) “The Business Model in Practice and its Implications for Entrepreneurship Research,” Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice35(1): 83–111.
18.
GhezziA.BaloccoR.RangoneA. (2010) “How to get Strategic Planning and Business Model Design Wrong: The Case of a Mobile Technology Provider,” Strategic Change19(5/6): 213–38.
19.
GulatiR.NickersonJ. A. (2008) “Interorganizational Trust, Governance Choice, and Exchange Performance,” Organization Science19(5): 688–708.
20.
GulatiR.PuranamP.TushmanM. (2012) “Meta-Organization Design: Rethinking Design in Interorganizational and Community Contexts,” Strategic Management Journal33(6): 571–86.
21.
HacklinF.WallnöferM. (2012) “The Business Model in the Practice of Strategic Decision Making: Insights from a Case Study,” Management Decision50(2): 166–88.
22.
HargadonA. B.DouglasY. (2001) “When Innovations Meet Institutions: Edison and the Design of the Electric Light,” Administrative Science Quarterly46(3): 476–501.
23.
JohnsonM. W.ChristensenM. C.KagermannH. (2008) “Reinventing Your Business Model.” Harvard Business Review86(12): 50–59.
24.
KhannaT.GulatiR.NohriaN. (2000) “The Economic Modeling of Strategy Process: “Clean Models” and “Dirty Hands,”” Strategic Management Journal21(7): 781–90.
25.
KleinbaumA. M.TushmanM. L. (2007) “Building Bridges: The Social Structure of Interdependent Innovation,” Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal1: 103–22.
26.
LahmR. J.Jr.StoweC. B. (2011) “Infopreneurship: Roots, Evolution, and Revolution,” Entrepreneurial Executive16: 107–19.
27.
LimE. N. K.LubatkinM. H.WisemanR. M. (2010) “A Family Firm Variant of the Behavioral Agency Theory,” Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal4: 197–211.
28.
MagrettaJ. (2002) “Why Business Models Matter,” Harvard Business Review80(5): 86–92.
29.
MaloneT.WeillP.LaiR.D’UrsoV.HermanG.ApelT.WoernerS. (2007) Do some business models perform better than others? MPRA Paper no. 4752, 7September.
30.
MarkidesC.CharitouC. D. (2004) “Competing with Dual Business Models: A Contingency Approach,” Academy of Management Executive18(3): 22–36.
31.
MendelsonH. (2000) “Organizational Architecture and Success in the Information Technology Industry,” Management Science46(4): 513–29.
MorrisM.SchindehutteM.AllenJ. (2005) “The Entrepreneur’s Business Model: Toward a Unified Perspective,” Journal of Business Research58(6): 726–35.
34.
MorrisM. H.ShirokovaG.ShatalovA. (2013) “The Business Model and Firm Performance: The Case of Russian Food Service Ventures,” Journal of Small Business Management51(1): 46–65.
35.
OsterwalderA.PigneurY.TucciC. L. (2005) “Clarifying Business Models: Origins, Present, and Future of the Concept,” Communications of the Association for Information Systems16: 1–25.
36.
PauwelsK.WeissA. (2008) “Moving from Free to Fee: How Online Firms Market to Change Their Business Model Successfully,” Journal of Marketing72(3): 14–31.
37.
PorterM. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. New York: Free Press.
38.
PorterM. E.KramerM. R. (2006) “Strategy & Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility,” Harvard Business Review84(12): 78–92.
39.
PorterM. E.van der LindeC. (1995) “Green and Competitive: Ending the Stalemate,” Harvard Business Review73(5): 120–34.
40.
RajgopalS. S.VenkatachalamM. M.KothaS. S. (2003) “The Value Relevance of Network Advantages: The Case of E-Commerce Firms,” Journal of Accounting Research41(1): 135–62.
41.
RichardsonJ. (2008) “The Business Model: An Integrative Framework for Strategy Execution,” Strategic Change17(5/6): 133–44.
42.
SeelosC.MairJ. (2005) “Social Entrepreneurship: Creating New Business Models to Serve the Poor,” Business Horizons48(3): 241–6.
43.
SeelosC.MairJ. (2007) “Profitable Business Models and Market Creation in the Context of Deep Poverty: A Strategic View,” Academy of Management Perspectives21(4): 49–63.
44.
TeeceD. J. (2010) “Business Models, Business Strategy and Innovation,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 172–94.
45.
TennisR. S.SchwabA. (2012) “Business Model Innovation and Antitrust Law,” Yale Journal on Regulation29(2): 307–51.
46.
ThompsonJ. D.MacMillanI. C. (2010) “Business Models: Creating New Markets and Societal Wealth,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 291–307.
47.
YunusM.MoingeonB.Lehmann-OrtegaL. (2010) “Building Social Business Models: Lessons from the Grameen Experience,” Long Range Planning43(2/3): 308–25.
48.
ZottC.AmitR.MassaL. (2011) “The Business Model: Recent Developments and Future Research,” Journal of Management37(4): 1019–42.
49.
ZottC.AmitR. (2007) “Business Model Design and the Performance of Entrepreneurial Firms,” Organization Science18(2): 181–99.
50.
ZottC.AmitR. (2008) “The fit between product market strategy and business model: Implications for firm performance,” Strategic Management Journal29(1): 1–26.
