Multi-Stakeholder Business Models： Designing Out Wicked Problems

The paper is a part of an ongoing study, labelled as ＂Designing out wicked problems＂ - a design science research （DSR） study with the purpose of developing, implementing, and evaluating a methodology framework for designing multi-stakeholder business models. The objective of the current paper is to evaluate the business model design framework within a DSR framework. The research is conducted as three-year case study at three sites： The Danish police, with a key player in the Danish energy sector, and the municipality of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. The research method is action research, with a structure of planning-action-evaluation process conducted with the case owners - as well as design science methodology, where an artifact （the multi-stakeholder business model design concept） is created, evaluated and altered to improve its functionality. The finding of this study is that the maturity of the application domain - the type of problem the concept is trying to solve - as well as of the concept itself, is low. The conclusion is thus that the knowledge contribution of the study is of a unique invention character which will lay the foundation for further evaluation and research.

Business Models,Operation Models and Service Development of IPTV

IPTV,as a newborn service,is restricted on market operation by multiple factors. Therefore,exploration is required in respect of its business,operations and service provision models. First,an IPTV industry value chain can be formed by integrating the advantages of the existing business models of telecommunication,broadcasting and TV,and Internet industries,which helps realize win-win cooperation of all the parties on the chain. Second,plans for technology implementation and network deployment should be made after comprehensive consideration according to various development stages of the IPTV. Third,a reasonable profit allocation model may promote the growth of IPTV services. Last,market competitiveness will be improved by services bundling. Generally,IPTV will become a breakthrough point for the strategic transformation of telecom operators and meet their innovation demands. Therefore,IPTV is expected to be a promising technology helping telecom operators find more growth space in the information communication market.

Global Value Chains in the Era of 4IR: New Paradigm of Business Models for SMEs

This paper presents a brief literature review of previous studies methodologies,models,and contexts in studying firms’upgrading in Global Value Chains(GVCs).The key context of this paper is set within Fourth Industrial Revolution(4IR).Through the literature review,this paper offers to identify the opportunities of theoretical novelty and ways to elaborate on understanding firm dynamics in Global Value Chains in the context of 4IR.The approach based on Business Model(BM)innovations and new forms of organizing for business(such as platforms)is used to synthesize from previous research findings and build on to newer explanations of firms’entry,learning,and upgrading within GVCs.

Innovative Business Modelsinthe Morden Media Industry

In the modem media industry, in addition to the traditional business model of proprietary products selling, there are a number of new business models that involve free distribution of whole products, or some parts of the products. The advantage of the open business model is in the value creation by a large community of developers, whereas the proprietary business model means a simpler form of value capture. However, open and closed business models can not exist in pure form： the proprietary model does not give enough space for innovation, while the open model gives insufficient opportunities for generating profit. An investigation of the problem of optimal business model choice at the monopolistic market indicates that the fully closed business model is less efficient than the model with the closed core and open extensions; it is profitable for any firm to open all of those ideas and technologies that can not be used without the base module; the completely open business model is optimal if and only if a substantial part of the consumer value is determined by additional services or innovative activity of the users.

The Current Context and Future Trends of the Photovoltaic Business Models in Central and Eastern Europe:Case Study—Romania

The evolution of the PV industry has represented one of the main focus points of economic and political debates and research of the last ten years in Europe. However, these discussions have only presented general aspects of the industry development and accomplishments with little information about the companies’ actual practices. The present study aims to inquire the PV field in Romania further, by researching the currently implemented and the future business models of firms producing solar energy. Using the Delphi method based on questionnaires and interviews with experts of this field, this paper shows the key elements of business models in the PV field that reflect the companies’ practices and future trends and expectations regarding the internal activity of the firm and the environmental changes from the external environment of the company, which influence the directions of the PV domain. The relevance of this study is based on the importance of the applied PV business model elements in order to ensure the survival and expansion of the company in a dynamic field that faces continuous legal, economic and technological changes and challenges. The results of this study have some directions that could be applied in most of the European countries where the PV industry is developing.

Peer Effects of Internet Business Models:Strategic Drive or Conceptual Catering?

In recent years,the internet business model has become a popular concept,and has been adopted by an increasing number of traditional enterprises.However,the question remains whether this adoption is a strategy-driven decision or a blind follow of trends.Therefore,this study is conducted on Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2020 to examine the existence,underlying motives,and economic consequences of peer effects in traditional enterprises adopting internet business models.The results show significant peer effects among traditional enterprises adopting internet business models.The examination of driving mechanisms reveals that peer effects of internet business models are more significant in enterprises with asset-light structures,higher degrees of virtualization,lower market valuations,and greater financing pressure,supporting the conceptual catering hypothesis rather than the strategic drive hypothesis.Further tests reveal that while adopting internet business models enables enterprises to receive some government subsidy and market reaction in the short term,it only promotes tactical innovation rather than real innovation and does not improve the financial performance of these enterprises.This further indicates that peer effects of internet business models are not a strategic drive but rather a matter of conceptual catering.

Research on the Audio Publishing of Classical Books Based on the Theory of Business Model Canvas: Taking Romance of the Three Kingdoms in Digital Audio Platforms as an Example

Visual media have dominated sensory communications for decades,and the resulting“visual hegemony”leads to the call for the“auditory return”in order to achieve a holistic balance in cultural acceptance.Romance of the Three Kingdoms,a classic literary work in China,has received significant attention and promotion from leading audio platforms.However,the commercialization of digital audio publishing faces unprecedented challenges due to the mismatch between the dissemination of long-form content on digital audio platforms and the current trend of short and fast information reception.Drawing on the Business Model Canvas Theory and taking Romance of the Three Kingdoms as the main focus of analysis,this paper argues that the construction of a business model for the audio publishing of classical books should start from three aspects:the user evaluation of digital audio platforms,the establishment of value propositions based on the“creative transformation and innovative development”principle,and the improvement of the audio publishing infrastructure to ensure the healthy operation and development of the digital audio platforms and consequently improve their current state of development and expand the boundaries of cultural heritage.

Sustainable-Driven Business Model Innovation in Management

The concept of sustainability has evolved to become an engine of innovation in business models in numerous sectors.Businesses are increasingly aware of the need to incorporate sustainable practices to generate value over time while tackling environmental and social issues.This paper examines how companies use sustainability as a source of innovation in developing new market ventures and profit-increasing strategies.Based on case studies and analyses,the paper demonstrates how sustainable innovation struggling in businesses is evidenced in real-time and suggests principles and difficulties put positive changes in place.

Towards a business model for second-life batteries: Barriers,opportunities, uncertainties, and technologies

Electric vehicles(EVs) and the recent pandemic outbreak give cities a new trend to primarily private and shared mobility with low noise and less air pollution.Crucial factors for the widespread of EVs are the electrical charging infrastructure,driving range,and the reduction of the cost of battery packets.For this reason,there is a massive effort from manufacturers,governments,and the scientific community to reduce battery costs and boost sustainable electrical production and distribution.Battery reuse is an alternative to reduce batteries’ costs and environmental impacts.Second-life batteries can be used in a wide variety of secondary applications.Second-life batteries can be connected with off-grid or on-grid photovoltaic and wind systems,vehicle charging stations,forklifts,and frequency control.The present work aims to analyze the main challenges imposed on the reuse of batteries,the leading technologies for their reuse,and the different types of batteries in terms of their feasibility for second-life use.The main novelty of this work is the discussion about the barriers,opportunities,uncertainties,and technologies for the second life market.Here we summarize the present state of the art in reusing lithium-ion batteries discussing technical and economic feasibility,environmental impacts,and perspectives.The results show five business models that have been proposed in the literature,three types of markets for trading second-life batteries,and the main opportunities and barriers for each actor in the battery supply chain.

Logistics 4.0 and emerging sustainable business models

The drive towards Logistics 4.0 as an element of Industry 4.0 gives possibilities for new business models. Instant information exchange, automated solutions and real-time big data analysis are among the features of Logistics 4.0 paving the way for new business models. The role and importance of information are changing as we can see today. The demand for sustainability of business cre- ates on the other hand new requirements to the operations of manufacturing and logistics. This paper addresses these challenges, illustrates current trends, and offers a model to understand and relate the different elements of business operations.

Innovations on Online Journalism： Discussing Social Business Design Models

The main focus of this paper is the analysis on how social business recent management proposals fit to a media/journalistic business environment. The discussion was based on three research questions focusing on： the drivers and the constraints of disruption innovation strategies; the adequate social business design framework to promote innovation; and an evaluation over the practices/experiences related to disruption, innovation, and creativity in journalistic businesses. A conceptual framework the Latour/Law Actor-Network Theory （ANT） has been taken as. Six possible dimensions of action to make this framework valuable some successful practices have also been identified, and in this paper the authors view over these concepts. The main conclusion goes through the understanding of journalistic culture and legitimacy embedded for centuries over society, and to change this will depend on multiple enablers.

Diversity and Inclusion:How Does ISO 30415 Affect a Company’s Business Model?

The International Standard Organization(ISO)published the first international certification,ISO 30415,regarding Human Resource Management-Diversity and Inclusion in May 2021.The new standard identifies a series of principles,roles,actions,policies,processes,and measures that support and develop diversity and inclusion in companies.The adoption of ISO 30415 influences the entire organization,triggering a rethinking of business practices and processes and the business model’s design.In this sense,the introduction of this standard creates great challenges and opportunities for organizations.The concepts of diversity and inclusion bring out a competitive advantage for organizations looking to increase innovation and enhance their resilience,sustainability,and reputation.Despite the growing interest shown by governments,private and public institutions,and companies toward diversity and inclusion issues,empirical research on the implementation of ISO 30415 in organizations is still limited.Our paper aims to narrow this research gap by answering the following question:How does the ISO 30415 certification affect a company’s business model?Empirical research based on the qualitative analysis of a single case study was conducted to answer this question.Findings show that the main changes in the business model can be reconducted into activities devoted to creating new capabilities,establishing new partnerships,advancing technologies,and implementing new processes to promote issues of diversity and inclusion.Notably,the new capabilities,technologies,processes,and partnerships did not cause a radical business model innovation in the case analysed but rather an incremental change in the business model since the concepts of diversity and inclusion were already strongly present in the company’s culture.This study offers valuable insights into the management diversity research area.Moreover,several practical implications emerge from results that improve entrepreneurs,managers,and governments’awareness of the benefits deriving from the adoption of ISO 30415.

Diversified Business Model of On-Demand Cooking:An Analysis Based on the Business Model Canvas

With the acceleration of the pace of social life and the emergence of the convenience economy,the requirements for on-demand cooking services have increased due to the increasing demand for food quality and the health concerns associated with takeaway food,as well as the lack of cooking skills.This paper aims to analyze the business model of on-demand cooking service platforms in China with the theory of Business Model Canvas proposed by Alexander Osterwalder.By exploring the advantages and disadvantages of the business model of on-demand door-to-door cooking,the study seeks to provide relevant recommendations.

Barriers and Drivers of Sustainable Business Model Innovation:Present and Future Research Perspectiv

Sustainable business model innovation(SBMI)introduced a unique frontier in current business operations and innovation management.Despite the numerous advantages of SBMI to contemporary business strategy,most established firms face challenges in its successful implementation.Through a systematic review process(SRP),the paper attempted to critically evaluate and analyze the previous outcome on the barriers and drivers to SBMI.The research explored 42 prior studies to identify the thematic study areas,highlight the research gaps,and outline future propositions and agendas.The research thoroughly evaluates the state-of-the-art regarding barriers and drivers to implement SBMI.The SRP approach utilized in the study sheds light on the intricacies of SBMI by highlighting six critical barriers:institutional,organizational,strategic,resource allocation,technological,and financial barriers that hinder the successful deployment of SBMI.In addition,the study’s findings indicated that organizational learning,knowledge management,dynamic capabilities resource mobilization,innovative business activities,and human resource development could be a catalyst to the successful implementation of SBMI.Furthermore,the study highlighted some critical gaps and agendas for future research on SBMI.This study contributes to the literature on business model innovation and offers a practical outlook that can facilitate firms and policymakers in developing strategies to improve their business model.

Business Model Analysis of Shunxiang Hazelnut Planting Cooperative Using the Business Model Canvas

Agricultural cooperatives serve as typical entities within the agricultural sector of China and encounter common representative challenges during their growth.This study employs the business model canvas theory to analyze the profit and business models of the Shunxiang Hazelnut Planting Cooperative while clarifying its ongoing developmental hurdles.By addressing pivotal concerns the paper puts forth branding suggestions and outlines future developmental directions.

Dynamic business process modeling and verification for inter-organizational collaboration

To achieve an on-demand and dynamic composition model of inter-organizational business processes, a new approach for business process modeling and verification is introduced by using the pi-calculus theory. A new business process model which is multi-role, multi-dimensional, integrated and dynamic is proposed relying on inter-organizational collaboration. Compatible with the traditional linear sequence model, the new model is an M x N multi-dimensional mesh, and provides horizontal and vertical formal descriptions for the collaboration business process model. Finally, the pi-calculus theory is utilized to verify the deadlocks, livelocks and synchronization of the example models. The result shows that the proposed approach is efficient and applicable in inter-organizational business process modeling.

Business domain oriented AI planning for web service composition

In order to improve the effectiveness of the artificial intelligence （AI） planning based web service composition problem, a business domain oriented AI planning algorithm for web service composition is introduced. The algorithm uses the proposed business relation model to minimize the searching space and uses the proposed goal distance as a heuristic rule. Compared with other algorithms tackling web service composition such as AI planning, the proposed algorithm focuses not only on how to convert the web service composition problem to the AI planning problem, but also exerts its effort on how to apply the business feature of web service composition into planning in order to improve the effectiveness. The experiment shows the better performance of the proposed algorithm.

The Subscription Economy and Its Contribution to the Global Economy

The subscription economy has become a dominant influence in the current business environment,fundamentally transforming the manner in which organizations interact with customers and create income.This article examines the substantial influence of the subscription economy on the worldwide economy,evaluating its effects on different industries and marketplaces.The research examines relevant literature and case studies to identify the main factors,difficulties,and possibilities related to the subscription economy.Moreover,its objective is to examine the consequences for firms,customers,and economic expansion,elucidating the possibility of continuous value generation and innovation.

The Interrelationship between Culture and Capital Structure:Evidence from International Retailers

The present study investigates the influence of cultural factors in 2022 on the capital structure of global retailers.There are sixteen retailers from eight countries in the sample.In recent times,numerous academicians have taken an interest in examining the capital structure and business model of retailers,owing to their swift and consistent growth.However,the fact that the majority of research originates from the retailers’host country gives rise to debate regarding the applicability of the capital structure of said retailers to countries with distinct cultural environments.Consequently,academics have begun to investigate whether the capital structure of multinational retailers is impacted by the diversity of national cultures.

Netflix： A New Business Model in the Distribution of Audiovisual Content

In the past two decades, the development of certain technologies, in particular Internet and mobile devices （tablet PCs, laptops, mobile telephones, etc.）, has brought about new habits of consuming audiovisual products, predominantly among the youngest consumers. A new demand has arisen that has changed the channels of cinematographic exploitation and has allowed the growth of new business initiatives, such as new business models for distributing audiovisual content. The central aim of this paper is to analyse this new business model and to identify the main characteristics of the pioneering company in this sector, Netflix.