Business Opportunities in Social Virtual Worlds

Author(s):  
Danny Pannicke ◽  
Jonas Repschläger ◽  
Rüdiger Zarnekow

Virtual worlds enable new ways to create value. Recent examples from Second Life – a virtual world run by Linden Lab – have demonstrated how firms can use this technology to get in touch with customers and provide value to them. This chapter aims at giving an overview of upcoming business opportunities in social virtual worlds. For this purpose, the platform service offered by Linden Lab is analysed first. In the second step, the value creation potential is differentiated into four areas: 1. community-related business models which are comprised of the creation and maintenance of a social system with specific processes; 2. commerce business models which refer to initiation, negotiation and processing of transactions; 3. context business models which add value by supporting navigation and orientation; and finally, 4. content business models which refer to production and preparation of digital content such as avatars, virtual locations and artefacts. The business opportunities of each area are analysed with regard to case examples from Second Life. The chapter concludes with some business implications in order to help practitioners find their way into this new business medium.

Batteries ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Olsson ◽  
Sara Fallahi ◽  
Maria Schnurr ◽  
Derek Diener ◽  
Patricia van Loon

In the near future, a large volume of electric vehicle (EV) batteries will reach their end-of-life in EVs. However, they may still retain capacity that could be used in a second life, e.g., for a second use in an EV, or for home electricity storage, thus becoming part of the circular economy instead of becoming waste. The aim of this paper is to explore second life of EV batteries to provide an understanding of how the battery value chain and related business models can become more circular. We apply qualitative research methods and draw on data from interviews and workshops with stakeholders, to identify barriers to and opportunities for second use of EV batteries. New business models are conceptualized, in which increased economic viability of second life and recycling and increased business opportunities for stakeholders may lead to reduced resource consumption. The results show that although several stakeholders see potential in second life, there are several barriers, many of which are of an organizational and cognitive nature. The paper concludes that actors along the battery value chain should set up new collaborations with other actors to be able to benefit from creating new business opportunities and developing new business models together.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Selberherr

Purpose – Sustainable buildings bear enormous potential benefits for clients, service providers, and our society. To release this potential a change in business models is required. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new business model with the objective of proactively contributing to sustainable development on the societal level and thereby improving the economic position of the service providers in the construction sector. Design/methodology/approach – The modeling process comprises two steps, the formal structuring and the contextual configuration. In the formal structuring systems theory is used and two levels are analytically separated. The outside view concerns the business model’s interaction with the environment and its impact on sustainability. The inside view focusses on efficient value creation for securing sustainability. The logically deductively developed business model is subsequently theory-led substantiated with Giddens’ structuration theory. Findings – The relevant mechanisms for the development of a new service offer, which creates a perceivable surplus value to the client and contributes to sustainable development on the societal level, are identified. The requirements for an efficient value creation process with the objective of optimizing the service providers’ competitive position are outlined. Research limitations/implications – The model is developed logically deductively based on literature and embedded in a theoretical framework. It has not yet been empirically tested. Practical implications – Guidelines for the practical implementation of more sustainable business models for the provision of life cycle service offers are developed. Social implications – The construction industry’s impact requires it to contribute proactively to a more sustainable development of the society. Originality/value – This paper analyzes the role for the players in the construction sector in proactively contributing to sustainable development on the societal level. One feasible strategy is proposed with a new business model, which aims at cooperatively optimizing buildings and infrastructures and taking the responsibility for the operating phase via guarantees.


Author(s):  
Martin Henkel ◽  
Paul Johannesson ◽  
Erik Perjons

Organisations demand new business models for value creation and innovation that require collaboration with customers and vendors in agile and flexible networks. To realise such networks, organisations are embracing service oriented models and architectures using e-services for business communication. A major issue for a service oriented organisation is to design and offer e-services that are adapted to the needs, wants, and requirements of customers and vendors. This is a challenging task as different customer groups and vendors will have different requirements, which may vary over time, resulting in a large number of e-services. In this paper, the authors suggest enterprise models as being adequate instruments for design and maintenance of e-services. More specifically; an approach for designing e-services based on value and goal models, which will ensure that the constructed e-services will satisfy the needs and wants of customers. A project from the Swedish health care sector is used to demonstrate and evaluate the proposed approach.


Author(s):  
Peter McCarthy-Ward ◽  
Andy Valdar ◽  
Stuart Newstead ◽  
Stuart Revell

The general aim of this chapter is to show digitalization is one of the main threats that is shaping the publishing industry value chain and company business models. The analysis of the publishing industry structure is conducted from the perspective of international features. The value chain system of printed media publishing business is explored with more in-depth analysis of its elements. The primary objective of this research is to establish practical outcomes of Internet influence on the structure and business model of publishing companies. As rapid development in the IT sector and the Internet can be considered a crucial risk factor for contemporary publishing business, it creates new business models and changes the industry structure. Publishers progressively respond to changing consumer demands, especially around digital content. Effective pricing strategies for digital content will be the major challenge for magazine publishers.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1696-1717
Author(s):  
Nabyla Daidj

The general aim of this chapter is to show digitalization is one of the main threats that is shaping the publishing industry value chain and company business models. The analysis of the publishing industry structure is conducted from the perspective of international features. The value chain system of printed media publishing business is explored with more in-depth analysis of its elements. The primary objective of this research is to establish practical outcomes of Internet influence on the structure and business model of publishing companies. As rapid development in the IT sector and the Internet can be considered a crucial risk factor for contemporary publishing business, it creates new business models and changes the industry structure. Publishers progressively respond to changing consumer demands, especially around digital content. Effective pricing strategies for digital content will be the major challenge for magazine publishers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8-9 ◽  
pp. 621-630
Author(s):  
Nagy Zsolt ◽  
Ludovic Fülöp ◽  
Talja Asko

In Romania, after the changes in 1989, most flats in existing buildings were sold to the occupants. This was a sort of getting back for those people who lost their private property, but another reason of this decision was the missing centralized management capacity of the administration. Looking back now and analyzing from the point of view of how property was redefined at that time, we can say with no doubts: it was made in a wrong way, and as time passes this will become a disaster. Tremendous progress was made in the last twenty years in any areas of life, but the existing stock of flat buildings still regresses from all points of view. The pushed administration model for new flat buildings also produces similar negative effects. The reason can be found on one hand in the way how private property division was done. On the other hand the so called owner administration model in most of the cases cannot work efficiently due to lack of knowledge, division, overemphasizing individual interest etc. This paper makes an up to date analysis of present Romanian situation and define new business opportunities, supplying business models for existing and new flat building administration. Applying a reconversion process, positive economical effects and improvement of the comfort and life quality of the owners of such kind of private properties could be achieved.


2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 128-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Poláková ◽  
G. Koláčková ◽  
I. Tichá

Abstract Business modelling facilitates the understanding of value creation logic in organizations in general. Identifying the components of business models based on different criteria helps understanding the fundamentals of business and the position of entrepreneurs and managers in companies. The present research is focused on the definition of a specific business model for the Czech agribusiness sector. Based on the theoretical background and evaluation of selected business models, the aim is to create a new business model, using components which take into account the specifics of this particular industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirka Kans ◽  
Anders Ingwald

PurposeThe purpose is to describe new business opportunities within the Swedish railway industry and to support the development of business models that corresponds with the needs and requirements of Industry 4.0, here denoted as Service Management 4.0.Design/methodology/approachThe study is an in-depth and descriptive case study of the Swedish railway system with specific focus on a railway vehicle maintainer. Public reports, statistics, internal documents, interviews and dialogues forms the basis for the empirical findings.FindingsThe article describes the complex business environment of the deregulated Swedish railway industry. Main findings are in the form of identified business opportunities and new business model propositions for one of the key actors, a vehicle maintainer.Originality/valueThe article provides valuable understanding of business strategy development within complex business environments and how maintenance related business models could be developed for reaching Service Management 4.0.


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