Business model innovation for sustainability: a food start-up case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 2483-2494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vittoria Franceschelli ◽  
Gabriele Santoro ◽  
Elena Candelo
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Model Configuration ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and present the way in which a food start-up can develop business model innovations, taking into account the importance of social and environmental issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors studied an Italian pizzeria, implementing the illustrative single-case study methodology, to answer the research question: “how can food start-ups develop a sustainable business model innovation?” Findings The study highlights sustainable elements for each component of the business model configuration provided by Osterwalder to provide a deeper view of the sustainable business model concept. Originality/value The study contributes to the extant research introducing the concept of sustainable innovation within the business model literature. It concludes that, within the food industry, especially for start-ups, the development of sustainable business model innovation is particularly important because the industry is itself linked with nature and human respect. Moreover, it suggests a methodological analysis of the business model configuration, which will help to develop clearer and more accurate and influential research.

scholarly journals Business model transformation toward sustainability: the impact of legitimation

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1643-1662
Author(s):  
Roberto Biloslavo ◽  
Carlo Bagnoli ◽  
Maurizio Massaro ◽  
Antonietta Cosentino
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Innovation Theory ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study aims to identify the legitimacy issues raised during a sustainable business model innovation, deployed by an Italian company, which was analyzed through the lens of the legitimation theory and the business model innovation theory.Design/methodology/approachA single case study methodology is employed for empirical research. Semistructured interviews, with top and middle management, were conducted together with the analysis of several internal and external documents, to corroborate the case analysis.FindingsResults show how the potentiality of digital technologies allows the development of new sustainable business models, which, though, still need to gain legitimation to be accepted. The study findings allow drawing both on the business model innovation theory and on the legitimation theory, as they show how legitimation is a dynamic concept that involves internal as well as external stakeholders to support business model innovation.Originality/valueThe paper is novel, since it addresses the topic of sustainable business models development, showing how companies can get legitimation. The paper builds on existing theories and provides a practical example.

scholarly journals Driving internationalization through business model innovation

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Cavallo ◽  
Antonio Ghezzi ◽  
Bertha Viviana Ruales Guzmán
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
International Entrepreneurship ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Company ◽  
North Western

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how a firm may innovate its business model to internationalize. Design/methodology/approach Owing to its novelty and to the depth of the investigation required to grasp the mechanisms and logics of business model innovation aiming at internationalization, a single case study has been performed related to a company located in North-Western Colombia. Findings The study provides detailed empirical evidences over the mutual connection and complementarities among value mechanisms of business models. Moreover, this study suggests that BMI fosters internationalization to scale, which, in turn, will require additional changes to match new customer needs as they emerge. Also, the study shows an extension of the action–space of lean startup approaches, intended as scientific approaches to international entrepreneurship. Originality/value This study connects business model innovation and internationalization as few studies have done before.

Tourism to serve culture: the evolution of an Aboriginal tourism business model in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-680
Author(s):  
Pascal Scherrer
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Intergenerational Learning ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Indigenous Tourism

Purpose This paper aims to track the evolution of an innovative Aboriginal tourism business model with deliberate social and community enterprise objectives in a remote setting. Design/methodology/approach It adopts an in-depth exploratory case study approach to discover key characteristics of an emerging tourism enterprise. The qualitative data sources include publically available planning, promotional and organizational materials, in-depth interviews with key informants and on-site observations. Yunus et al.’s (2010) social business model provides the framework for the case analysis. Findings Findings highlight the gradual deepening of Indigenous engagement – from simply providing a place for a non-Indigenous tourism business – to running a fully Indigenous-controlled, staffed and themed on-country tourism business. Complementing existing non-Indigenous tourism experiences reduced the need for start-up infrastructure and market recognition, thus reducing business risk for the Traditional Owners. Despite substantial changes in the business structure in response to political and maturation factors, the core motivations seemed to remain strong. The business model facilitates value creation to stakeholders in varying ways. Research limitations/implications The contextual nature of Indigenous tourism reflects limitations of qualitative case study methodology. Practical implications The resulting business model provides a contextually appropriate structure to engage in tourism for achieving cultural and societal goals. It mitigates against the identified risk of low market demand for Indigenous tourism experiences by connecting with established non-Indigenous tourism products, while also allowing for product offering independent thereof. Social implications Social benefits are high and have potential for replication in similar contexts elsewhere. Originality/value The paper contributes to the emerging research on culturally appropriate business models in Indigenous tourism contexts and validates a strategy to overcome low demand. It offers a model that for the tourist facilitates a sustainable experience which enables co-production while for the hosts fosters community resilience, intergenerational learning and improved livelihoods. The case highlights opportunities for further research into the interrelationship, dependencies and thresholds between the social and economic profit equations, particularly in the context of the culture conservation economy.

ISPO business model innovation: redefining the relationship between exhibition organizers and their customers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linyan Liu ◽  
Yilei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to take International SPOrt (ISPO) as a typical case to study how exhibition organizers can reshape their relationship with users through business model innovation to answer the question that how enterprises can help the exhibition industry to upgrade and develop through business model innovation in the internet environment. Design/methodology/approach Faced with the development of internet technology, the impact of online platforms, the relationship between exhibition organizers and their customers are facing unprecedented challenges. On the basis of the literature review, this study analyzed the innovation of exhibitors’ business model from three modules: value proposition, revenue logic and cost base and how to reshape their interaction with users through innovation. This study systematically analyzed the innovation of the ISPO business model and the process of reshaping its relationship with users and dynamic interaction with a single case study method. Findings The main conclusions are as follows: the starting point of reshaping the relationship between exhibition organizer and users in the internet era is to re-understand the needs of customers, the key point of reshaping the relationship is to further cultivate the industrial value and the sustainability of the relationship lies in the customer life cycle management. Originality/value From the perspective of exhibition organizers filling the gap of case study in the field of the exhibition. In the area of the exhibition, previous studies rarely started from the perspective of exhibition organizers, but, this paper discusses the interaction between exhibition organizers, exhibitors and visitors from this perspective in this study.

scholarly journals Organizational Re-Design for Business Model Innovation while Exploiting Digital Technologies: A Single Case Study of an Energy Company

2020 ◽  
pp. 2040002
Author(s):  
Vito Maria Manfredi Latilla ◽  
Andrea Urbinati ◽  
Angelo Cavallo ◽  
Simone Franzò ◽  
Antonio Ghezzi
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Business Unit ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Energy Company

Digital technologies are bringing a wide spectrum of business opportunities as well as significant organizational challenges for incumbent companies operating in traditional industries such as the energy one. The diffusion of new technologies is changing the way energy solutions are consumed and experienced, while consumers increasingly take ownership of their consumption, acting as “prosumers”. In this evolving scenario, incumbents are urged to reshape their business models, explore new opportunities and change their organizational structures accordingly. Still, the required organizational re-design process that enables companies to undergo business model innovation (BMI) while exploiting digital technologies is partially neglected in literature. Hence, this study explores how established companies embrace organizational re-design process to innovate their business model. To this end, we leverage a single case study methodology focused on an incumbent energy company. Our findings show how the establishment of a business unit dedicated to digital technologies exploitation has enabled the company’s BMI. More specifically, we point at the critical role played by the know-how and the industrial capabilities to sustain not only the innovation activities of the new business unit, but also the overall company performance and the shift towards a renewed business model.

Circular start-up development: the case of positive impact entrepreneurship in Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boleslaw Rok ◽  
Monika Kulik
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how circular start-ups design and implement innovation into their business models to increase their positive impact. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study is based on an exploratory multiple-case study involving six circular start-ups with positive impact in Poland. Data gathering took place via in-depth interviews with start-up founders. Findings The analysis demonstrates that three factors, which are strongly interconnected, can significantly influence the development of a circular start-up. The first is the purpose-led motivation for circularity as a solution, mostly concentrated on the environmental education of different market actors. The second factor is built on the aim to increase the positive impact by addressing the most pressing social and environmental problems. It determines the impact on society as well as on the environment and the extent to which its model can be scaled up. The third factor is driven by the understanding of the purpose of the innovation, concentrated on the business model innovation regarding circularity. Practical implications This paper demonstrates the benefits for diverse stakeholders and the importance of using circular business models in start-up development. Circularity can be perceived as a main part of the new approach to improve sustainability. Originality/value Circular start-ups represent a new phenomenon in the entrepreneurial market. While the structure and logic of the circular business model in start-ups are significantly unexplored in the management literature, this model is viewed as a crucial step in the direction of increasing the positive impact of start-ups. From a theoretical and practical perspective, it is important to understand the differences and similarities in this area within different markets.

Supporting start-up business model design through system dynamics modelling

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Cosenz
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Modelling ◽  
Start Up ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how system dynamics (SD) modelling can provide a methodological support to business model (BM) design with the intent to better communicate business strategy and manage performance. Design/methodology/approach After a literature review of the field and an analysis of the strengths and limitations of conventional BM frameworks, the paper illustrates and discusses an approach that combines such a framework with SD modelling. A single-case study design was selected to explore the implications and limitations of using this combined approach to business modelling. Findings The methodological support provided by SD to BM design may effectively improve business strategy communication and performance management through both the adoption of a systemic and flexible perspective able to identify and analyse the main cause-and-effect relationships between the key-elements of the business strategy, and the use of a simulation technique that contributes in understanding how a firm operates, and its prospective performance over time. Originality/value Growing interest for BMs appears in the recent strategic management literature with research highlighting strengths and shortcomings. However, few attempts have been produced to overcome such limitations, while the adoption of SD is relatively new in supporting BM design.

The business model of a Benedictine abbey, 1945-1979

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-59
Author(s):  
Tonia Ruppenthal
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Management literature often neglects the business model developed by a monastic institution, as it does not fit the usual categorizations of an enterprise. Nevertheless, monastic institutions founded on Benedictine principles have proven to be economically viable and sustainable over centuries. This paper aims to examine, with the adoption of a single case study, the components of a Benedictine business model, their interrelationship and the role of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This case study combines in-depth data collection from multiple sources such as field research, archival documents and publicly available information to examine the dynamic business operations of a Benedictine abbey. Findings The analysis suggests that the Rule of St Benedict and the Benedictine values, and a commitment to them, are important for the success of the Benedictine abbey concept and that the business model is both place-based and sustainable. Research limitations/implications A single case study has its limitations compared to the use of multiple examples. Business model concepts are not simply applicable to a monastic institution and vice versa; the Benedictine model is not easily transferable to conventional enterprises. Practical implications Generalizations from a single case study are limited; nevertheless this paper offers practical implications through the study of a monastic institution, showing place-based and sustainable business practices from which management scholars can make assumptions. Originality/value This paper describes and analyses the inception, development and stabilization of a sustainable place-based business model of a Benedictine abbey according to three stages over a period of 35 years while evaluating the sustainable business model from its inception.

scholarly journals Blockchain Technology and Sustainable Business Models: A Case Study of Devoleum

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5619
Author(s):  
Francesco Mercuri ◽  
Gaetano della Corte ◽  
Federica Ricci
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
Time Required

The lack of transparency along global supply chains poses challenges in the areas of fraud, pollution, human rights abuses, and inefficiencies. In this context, the blockchain has the potential to offer an unprecedented level of transparency, with a shared and decentralized database in which immutable and encrypted copies of information are stored on every node of the network. Using a single case study methodology, this paper investigates how blockchain technology can improve and facilitate sustainable business models. The aim of this paper is to understand how blockchain technology can drive the development of sustainable business models. Recent studies show the importance of sustainability perspectives for business models. The study was conducted by applying the CAOS (“Characteristic, Ambience, Organization, Start-up”) model to a start-up operating in the agri-food sector, not yet institutionalized, called Devoleum. The results indicate that blockchain technology can increase sustainability through realizing the traceability, security, and non-manipulability of information, which are particularly useful in the agri-food sector. Furthermore, the absence of intermediaries in blockchain technology contributes to reducing transaction costs and the time required to consolidate relations between the company and the environment. The limitations of this study must be identified in that the company is operational but not yet incorporated.

How innovation intermediaries support start-up internationalization: a relational proximity perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Schepis
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Innovation Intermediaries ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Stage Analysis ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose This paper aims to examine how innovation intermediary activities increase relational proximity between start-ups and foreign partners to support start-up internationalization. Design/methodology/approach The paper applies a case study methodology to examine an international network of innovation intermediaries in the resources sector. Interviews were conducted with 59 start-ups, corporate and intermediary managers in four countries, supplemented by secondary data. A two-stage analysis process was performed to first identify activities relating to start-up internationalization and then apply a theoretically derived coding framework based on five proximity dimensions. Findings The case identifies several innovation intermediary activities, which facilitate relationship development between start-ups and partners in new markets. Findings outline how activities increase relational proximity across different dimensions, while also indicating a number of interrelations between dimensions, given the complexity of international business relationships. Originality/value This paper establishes interdisciplinary bridges between business networks, international business and economic geography perspectives. It provides a valuable empirical foundation for relational proximity, demonstrating its application to understanding start-up internationalization and its influence by intermediary-led activities.

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