Last mile farm inputs: farm shop delivers

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Monica C. Diochon ◽  
Yogesh Ghore
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farm Inputs

Subject area The subject areas are social entrepreneurship and marketing in social enterprises. Study level/applicability This study is applicable to undergraduate or MBA-level courses; possibly executive programs as well. Case overview Farm Shop was established in 2012 as a not-for-profit trust, with an aim of developing a distribution platform for poor, rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa so that smallholder farmers could get the farm inputs and services needed to increase their productivity and income. Attempting to reach scale, this social enterprise is in the process of building a micro-franchise network. Unlike franchises in industrialized countries where the franchisor starts with a vetted and replicable turnkey business, Farm Shop was created from scratch. After prototyping the shop concept and validating the business model in Kiambu County of Kenya, Farm Shop has 10 fully operational shops and is keen to start its growth phase, aiming to have 120 shops in its network within the next 12-18 months. It is only at that point that break-even will be achieved. Recognizing the key role of marketing in Farm Shop’s growth efforts, the founders are now focused on finalizing their go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Having initiated and measured the results of a number of marketing activities over the past six months, it is now time to decide which of these activities should be incorporated into their micro-franchise system. The management team knows that to provide advice, training and quality products to farmers, they first needed to develop awareness, interest and desire for what Farm Shop has to offer, not to mention the need to gain the farmers’ trust. Fundamentally, farmers needed to be convinced that Farm Shop can help them improve their productivity and income. Expected learning outcomes The study enables to gain an overall understanding of the range of challenges and opportunities associated with establishing a micro-franchise in an emerging market context; to gain a better understanding of social marketing, including the four types of behavioral influence it attempts to achieve and the similarities and differences between social and commercial marketing; to introduce the “theory of change” concept, providing a framework for understanding how and why change will occur; to introduce the concept of business models and explore the differences between “traditional” and “social entrepreneurship” business models; to understand how a competitive advantage is created; to introduce basic marketing concepts and the GTM concept and its role and application in a business model for a new social enterprise and to understand how marketing contributes to the social enterprise’s strategic goals and sustainability, thereby gaining an understanding of how “social marketing” is differentiated from commercial marketing. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

How the social entrepreneurship business model designs in South Africa create value: a complex adaptive systems approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olu Oludele Akinloye Akinboade ◽  
Trevor Taft ◽  
Johann Friedrich Weber ◽  
Obareng Baldwin Manoko ◽  
Victor Sannyboy Molobi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose This paper aims to understand social entrepreneurship (SE) business model design to create values whilst undertaking public service delivery within the complex environments of local governments in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face semi-structured interview was conducted with 15 purposively selected social entrepreneurs in Gauteng and Western Cape provinces. The interview guide consisted of main themes and follow-up questions. Themes included SEs’ general history, the social business model; challenges faced and how these were overcome; scaling and growth/survival strategies. These enabled the evaluation of SEs in terms of identifying key criteria of affordability, availability, awareness and acceptability, which SEs must achieve to operate successfully in low-income markets. Social enterprise owners/managers within the electricity distribution, water reticulation and waste management services sectors were surveyed. Findings Most respondents focus on building a network of trust with stakeholders, through communication mechanisms that emphasize high-frequency engagements. There is also a strong focus on design-thinking and customer-centric approaches that strengthen value creation. The value creation process used both product value and service value mechanisms and emphasized quality and excellence to provide stakeholder, as well as societal value, within their specific contexts. Practical implications This study builds upon other research that emphasizes SEs’ customer-centric approaches to strengthen value creation and on building a network of trust with multiple stakeholders. It contributes to emphasizing the business paradigm shift towards bringing social values to the business practice. Social implications Social good, but resource providers are demanding more concrete evidence to help them understand their impact (Struthers, 2013). This is because it is intrinsically difficult for many social organizations to document and communicate their impact in more than an anecdotal way. The research has contributed to the understanding of how SEs can provide evidence of value creation. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of how business models are designed to create value within the context of the overwhelming complexity of local government services in South Africa.

Examining the effects of governmental networking with environmental turbulence on the geographic searching of business model innovation generations

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixu Bao ◽  
Chunhsien Wang ◽  
Ronggen Tao
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Environmental Turbulence ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Resources ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to explore the relationship between geographic search and business model innovation and proposed a contingent framework to focus on how governmental networking and environment turbulence are interdependent moderate the relationship between geographic search and business model innovation. Design/methodology/approach A large-scale questionnaire survey was carried out among the firms in three high-tech parks of the Pearl River Delta, with a total of 287 firms as empirical samples. Hypotheses are tested using ordinary least squares analyzes on hierarchical multiple regression to find out how geographic search can drive business model innovation generations. Findings The empirical results showed that the more frequent geographic search is, the more favorable it is for firms to generate innovative business models, and firms may be more effective in geographic searching and business model innovation with better governmental networking. However, the above relationship may be weakened if the environment turbulence in emerging markets is further considered. It was argued that firms must take into account both the positive effects of governmental networking and the negative effects of environmental turbulence in conducting a geographic search for external knowledge resources to generate innovative business models. The study results showed how and why governmental networking can be a key catalyst for firms to generate innovative business models. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the business model innovation literature by documenting the large-scale survey evidence that confirms the practicality of geographic search in the business model innovation generations. The findings advance previous studies in the business model innovation by identifying the moderating roles of governmental network and environment turbulence that predict business model innovation behaviors in the emerging market. Practical implications The results indicate that the geographic search can be easily operationalized for external resources acquisitions by managers in generating business model innovation. This has applications for external resource acquisitions on the basis of business model innovation in the emerging China market. In addition, to facilitate the business model innovation generations, the focus should be on critical contingency factors; on the one hand, to promote the continued use of external resources, the focus should be on enhancing benefits such as governmental networking. Originality/value The findings extend existing theory in three ways as the original value. First, the results show that geographic search is an important driver of business model innovation generations in an emerging market context. Second, this study is the first to take organizational learning and open innovation perspective to examine geographic search as a boundary-spanning search of external resources in business model innovation generations. Third, this study also explores the moderator role of governmental network and environmental turbulence on how to strengthen or impair the geographic search and business model innovation generations.

Helm: a social enterprise expanding opportunities for people with disabilities in Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Seham Ghalwash ◽  
Ayman Ismail ◽  
Noha El Sebaie
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Content Type

Case synopsis Drawing from individual experiences and shared passion, Amena and Ramez first founded Helm as a student club at the American University in Cairo in 2012. As a club, Helm worked extensively to identify the main challenges facing persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Egypt. During meetings with various stakeholders, Helm found that employment was a recurring theme. The employment rate for PwDs in Egypt was only 21.3% compared to 40.2% among the non-disabled. During its first year alone, Helm found jobs for 300 individuals with some sort of disability. Despite this initial success, Helm strived to increase its social impact by increasing the integration of PwDs in Egypt through changing employers’ mindset and building inclusive work atmospheres where PwDs could work and thrive. There were, however, major cultural barriers in Egypt standing in the way of this vision. Despite these challenges, Helm managed to play a pivotal role in creating social transformation around disability in Egypt. Helm became a key player in reshaping Egypt’s legislation on PwDs through participating in several policymaking discussions, parliamentary committee meetings and programs with governmental entities. In the hope of increasing Helm’s potential social impact, Amena and Ramez aimed to maintain their growth in Egypt and to expand to other markets in the region. Accordingly, they were faced with a set of compelling questions. Amena and Ramez further wanted to make sure that their current business model and contribution to social transformation for PwDs could help them to grow and serve other markets. Should they adapt their business model and services offerings to scale up their social impact accordingly? If so, how? Case learning objectives This case allows students to consider the nature of social enterprises in developing countries and how they create social transformation in supporting PwDs in local communities. This case also introduces students to social enterprises’ business models, scalability and the sustainability issues which such enterprises face in the context of developing countries. By the end of studying the case, students should be able to understand the following: Objective 1: Identify the characteristics of social entrepreneurship and apply it to a social enterprise using Robinson’s (2006) definition of social entrepreneurship; Objective 2: Analyze the business model of a social enterprise using the nine building blocks of the business model canvas of Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010); Objective 3: Evaluate the social enterprise revenue model for sustainability using Yunus et al.’s (2010) building a social business model; and Objective 4: Suggest business model modification to improve a social enterprise’s scalability and service offerings in a new market. Complexity academic level This case study is aimed at students who are enrolled in entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, non-profit management, corporate social investment and sustainability courses. This case is written at an honor of graduate level so it can be used for master’s level, short graduate programs, MBA. The case is directed to students who have a business background and want to understand and explore social entrepreneurship. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Applying Business Solutions to Social Problems

2017 ◽  
pp. 139-164
Author(s):  
Martyna Wronka-Pośpiech
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Conceptual Level ◽  
For Profit ◽  
The Social ◽  
Case Based

Although research on social entrepreneurship has been expanding in recent years, the literature regarding business models in the context of social enterprises is still limited. This chapter explores the issues of business models in both profit and nonprofit contexts and discusses how value, being both the foundation and the overall outcome of the business model employed, is created. It begins with the background on the characteristics of social enterprises. This is followed by the conceptualization of business models and their components designed to account for their unique. Then a case to illustrate it is presented. The objective of the chapter is twofold. First, it is to analyse how nonprofit business models are different from its for profit counterparts (at the conceptual level) and to introduce relevant analytical framework. Secondly, the chapter aims at providing a case based on the particular model of a social enterprise in Poland (social co-operative) in order to investigate whatever the business models for profit firms could be applied in the social enterprises.

scholarly journals A framework for business model with strategic innovation in ICT firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nezameddin Faghih ◽  
Banafsheh Dastourian ◽  
Seyyed Mojtaba Sajadi ◽  
Andres Henten ◽  
Pantea Foroudi
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Model Concept ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Innovation ◽  
Ict Industry

Purpose The purpose of this study is to help gain an accurate and distinct understanding of information-based business concepts and critical steps in designing an appropriate business model, by providing a framework for designing an innovative information-based business to help fledgling businesses development in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry of Iran. What is a business model framework with the strategic innovation approach in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of ICT industry? What are the components of this model and the relations between them? Business model is a logical response to how a business can create value. Changing business environment means that business models are rapidly growing; accordingly, innovation is no longer optional. However, innovation is important in general, but the kind of innovation that is widely and directly dependent on business model will be quite critical for all parts of the organization. In fact, business model innovation is an exquisite technic to create, deliver and earn value by changing one or more components of a typical business model. Business model innovation needs information and form business environment based on dynamic information system. Design/methodology/approach The present paper focuses upon SMEs in ICT. Grounded theory has been used for this purpose, with 15 interviews conducted. Findings An emerging market is one in which commercial exchanges of a particular industry between the countries are relatively new but possess great investment attractiveness and a high potential to grow (such as Iran).As the ICT industry of Iran is a leading industry, and the country itself is an emerging market, the main purpose of this study is to provide a framework for designing an innovative information-based business to help fledgling businesses development in the ICT industry of Iran. Originality/value The purpose of this paper is to help accurate and distinct understanding of the business model concept and critical steps in designing an appropriate business model. Studies conducted to simultaneously deal with the business model and strategic innovations are few, and by the time the proposal was written, there was no research observed from Persian sources.

Uber Sub-Saharan Africa: contextual leadership for sustainable business model innovation during COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Caren Brenda Scheepers ◽  
Jill Bogie
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Sub Saharan

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: to gain insight into the importance of location, in terms of spatial and temporal context and the capability of leadership to tune into and strategically adapt to context; to understand and explain the sharing economy and explain how the Uber business model fits into this new way of doing business; to evaluate how Uber South Africa has adapted its business model in the period of the COVID-19 crisis and discuss the nature of the business model innovations that is has made; and to understand business model for sustainability and how it differs from the general understanding of business models. Case overview/synopsis On 15 May 2020, Alon Lits, General Manager of Uber Africa was considering his dilemma of adapting their business model to the demands of COVID-19, without losing their core business model as a multi-sided technology platform business. Uber was asking their riders to stay home to ensure social distancing during the lockdown, rather than booking a ride with Uber. The question was how they could support their driver partners, while they were discouraging riders to make use of Uber. Uber had taken initiatives to create additional revenue streams for drivers. The case highlights how Alon Lits and his executive team prioritised the health and well-being of their Uber community and quickly adapted their technology to meet the evolving needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. They customised their offerings to the different needs in the seven Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries in which they operated. Uber supported businesses by using the Uber-X sedan vehicles to deliver necessities like food, medicine and parcels to the frontline and poor communities. Uber globally offered their drivers in quarantine 14 days of financial assistance. Serving communities also involved offering free rides to women and children who were victims of domestic violence to get them to a safe space. The multi-sided platform technology business had to consciously adapt, to the “next normal” as the COVID-19 era evolved. Complexity academic level The case is most suitable for Post-Graduate Master’s level courses, MBA, MPhil in Corporate Strategy. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS: 11 Strategy.

Helenvale’s recycling initiative – catalysing community-driven social entrepreneurship

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Kerryn Ayanda Malindi Krige ◽  
Margie Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Social Entrepreneur ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Global Competitiveness Report

Subject area This case was developed to explore what social entrepreneurship looks like in an emerging market context. It tells the story of Neil Campher, a self-identified social entrepreneur working in South Africa, a country that has recently been awarded middle income status by the World Bank despite sharing a ranking with Syria on the Human Development Index. In environments of deep market failure, what does social enterprise look like? and can you sustain change in communities of extreme poverty? The case looks at the academic characteristics of social entrepreneurs and applies them to Neil to see if he “qualifies”. It has a particular focus on the bricoleur social entrepreneur. It explores concepts of poverty, and looks at sustainability, achieved through asset-based community development. It explores the need for organisations to transition in response to the environment and provides a tool to assess sustainability. The value of the paper is in exploring what social entrepreneurship looks like in an emerging market context. It also raises important questions on sustainability in environments which are inherently constrained. Study level/applicability This case study is aimed at students of social entrepreneurship, development studies, sustainable livelihoods and asset-based development. It is written at an Honours level and is therefore appropriate for use in customised or short programmes. The case study is a good introduction for students with a background in business (e.g. Diploma in Business Administration/MBA/custom programmes) who are wanting to understand social enterprise and blended theories of social and economic change. Case overview The case study follows self-identified social entrepreneur Neil Campher in the grime and crime-ridden township of Helenvale, outside Port Elizabeth, in South Africa. Campher has given up his glitzy career as a financier in the economic hub of Johannesburg and returned to his home town, drawn by a need to give back. Helenvale used to be where he and his school friends would hide from the apartheid police, but as an adult, his friends are focused on strengthening and progressing the community. Campher’s entry point to change is a small waste recycling project, and the case study looks at how he uses this as a lever to achieve deeper structural change in the community. The teaching case exposes several questions around social entrepreneurship and change: what is social entrepreneurship in an emerging context and is Campher a social entrepreneur? What is community led change and can it be sustainable? Campher’s dilemma is around sustainability – has his extensive involvement of the community been enough to achieve progress in Helenvale? Expected learning outcomes The case study gives insight into social entrepreneurship in a developing country context. It highlights the nuances in definition and introduces the importance of context in shaping the social entrepreneur. The case is an opportunity for students to interrogate ideas on poverty and classical interpretations of social entrepreneurship and relate them to a small community that mirrors the macro country context in South Africa. The case study shows how asset-based approaches to development are interlinked with basic principles of social entrepreneurship. It shows that sustainability is more than a secure and predictable income stream and the need for community engagement and commitment to the solution. In tackling these issues, the case questions sustainability potential and the need for the organisation to transition to respond to opportunity and the changing environment. Supplementary materials Video X1 5minute video interview with Neil Campher 5min: YouTube Video of Campher from Interview 1 www.leadingchange.co.za (live from 01 April 2016) Video News report of gang violence in Helenvale 3min: YouTube. This is a quick visual introduction to Helenvale. It is a news clip, so is particularly focused on the angle of the story. It includes interviews with residents. The site www.youtube.com/watch?v=TluLpTuEq8I Northern Areas burning 2min: YouTube is a collection of video footage from a local reporter which shows Helenvale and its surroundings. The site www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCW-Hp24vMI shows the Text Global Competitiveness Report: South Africa; the first page gives additional information on social and economic development in South Africa, highlighting developed/developing country attributes. It also highlights how Helenvale is a microcosm of the negative social development indicators in South Africa (http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-report-2014-2015/economies/#economy=ZAF). Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Emerging market global business model innovation

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adesegun Oyedele
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Global Business ◽  
Market Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governmental Institutions

Purpose Developing a global business model requires a clear understanding of the market conditions in the global marketplace. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of emerging market conditions on the key building blocks of Osterwalder’s business model canvas. Design/methodology/approach The paper explains the basic framework of Osterwalder’s business model and evaluation of relevant dimensions of emerging market characteristics and the effect of these dimensions on creating global business models in emerging markets. Findings Global business models in emerging market must evaluate and account for important market conditions, such as the power of non-governmental institutions, the effect of clientelism and prevalence of informal institutional flux. Practical implications When developing a global business model, researchers and managers should understand market conditions will not only shape the cost structure and revenue stream but also make a company to change its value proposition entirely. Originality/value The main value of this paper is recognizing and assessing the effects of emerging market conditions on Osterwalder’s business model framework.

Sahaj Crafts: the challenge of alleviating poverty in Western Rajasthan

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aashish Mehra ◽  
Nidhi Mathur ◽  
Vaibhav Tripathi
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Social Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Learning outcomes The learning objectives of this case are as follows: identify and understand the major challenges/problems faced by a social enterprise in promoting handicraft business; examine the value chain architecture of handicraft products; assess the role of the protagonist (Sanjay) as a social change agent in shaping a successful social enterprise; assess Sahaj Crafts' initiatives and analyze whether the key intervention/s planned/executed were required for skilling up of rural artisans and upgradation of handicraft business; know the marketing strategies for handicraft products; and understand the “strategies” which need to be applied for uplifting people's lives at the bottom of pyramid in general and for enlivening of artisans’ clusters in particular. The outcomes are as follows: examining the value chain architecture of handicraft product; understanding the difficulties and challenges of structuring a viable social business model; examining the role of Sanjay as a social change agent in shaping a successful social enterprise; and examining the model of Craft Incubation Center and design education proposed by Sahaj Crafts for improving rural artisans’ livelihood and skills upgradation. Case overview/synopsis Sanjay Joshi – the promoter and CEO of “Sahaj Crafts” (a social enterprise established in Western Rajasthan, India), an initiative to strengthen indigenous skills and mainstream rural craft products and artworks – is faced with the question of how to scale up his organization’s operations. Doing so requires that he address these fundamental challenges in terms of – how to deal with unorganized craft communities; match up product orientation to market demands; integrate modern technology / processes in craft business; combat restricted mobility of women artisans; and make effective interventions so that the artisans learn and enjoy working in the current model and solve the financial issues faced by the social enterprise. Providing effective and implementable answers to those questions is vital to Sahaj Craft’s development in attaining its mission to alleviate poverty in the region. Failing to expand operations above a critical scale may leave Sahaj Crafts vulnerable in meeting sufficient demand for contemporary craft products in the mainstream markets. Complexity academic level This case study is primarily suitable for post-graduate level management students to teach the concepts of designing and operationalizing a “social” business model in a social entrepreneurship module. This case study can also be used for highlighting business model innovations in the social sector of emerging markets. The case could be taught in the following academic domains: social entrepreneurship; bottom of the pyramid; social inclusion; supply chain consolidation (vertical integration in a value chain); marketing strategies for handicraft products; branding; brand positioning; cost and management accounting. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship

Exploring business model innovation for competitive advantage: a lesson from an emerging market

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Saqib ◽  
Mir Shahid Satar
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Emerging markets are witnessing rapid changes in their economy owing to the ongoing liberalization and globalization. India, as one of the emerging markets in south Asia, is also experiencing a dramatic change in its business ecosystem. This poses huge opportunities to the companies, both start-ups and established ones. In this direction, the business model innovation offers a strategic renewal mechanism. The study aims to explore the practices of an online transport network company (OLA) creating a distinctive place for itself in Indian taxi service sector. Design/methodology/approach Methodologically, an exploratory case study of an India-based online transport company (OLA) business model innovation is reported. Findings This paper reveals that OLA has been able to gain competitive advantage in the Indian emerging market by developing an innovative business model with its distinctive features of personalised customer service, asset sharing, usage-based pricing, collaborative ecosystem, agile and adaptive organising and successful expansion strategies. Research limitations/implications This study adds to current knowledge concerning the theoretical foundations and antecedents of business model innovation as a competitive advantage. The paper is explorative in nature because the analysis is mostly based on literature review. Furthermore, in consideration of the analysis of business model of a single company, further research is required to generalize the results. Practical implications The understanding of the intricacies of business model innovation can be of great concern to existing and prospective managers and entrepreneurs of emerging markets. Originality/value The paper discusses the features of innovative business models and how firms can make their business models more relevant to the competitive markets. As such, the study is hopeful to aid practitioners engaged in the pursuit of beating the competition with innovation driven business models.

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