The business model: Theoretical roots, recent developments, and future research

Christoph Zott (czott@iese.edu), Raphael Amit and Lorenzo Massa
Additional contact information
Christoph Zott: IESE Business School, Postal: Research Division, Av Pearson 21, 08034 Barcelona, SPAIN
Raphael Amit: The Wharton Sschool
Lorenzo Massa: IESE Business School, Postal: Research Division, Av Pearson 21, 08034 Barcelona, SPAIN

No D/862, IESE Research Papers from IESE Business School

Abstract: The paper provides a broad and multifaceted review of the received literature on business models, in which we attempt to explore the origin of the construct and to examine the business model concept through multiple disciplinary and subject-matter lenses. The review reveals that scholars do not agree on what a business model is, and that the literature is developing largely in silos, according to the phenomena of interest to the respective researchers. However, we also found some emerging common ground among students of business models. Specifically, i) the business model is emerging as a new unit of analysis; ii) business models emphasize a system-level, holistic approach towards explaining how firms do business; iii) organizational activities play an important role in the various conceptualizations of business models that have been proposed, and iv) business models seek not only to explain the ways in which value is captured but also how it is created. These emerging themes could serve as important catalysts towards a more unified study of business models.

Keywords: Business model; strategy; technology management; innovation; literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47 pages
Date: 2010-06-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ent
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (44)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ebg:iesewp:d-0862

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