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Business models as intermediates between technological niche and socio-technical regime (source: own figure, based on Geels & Schot, 2007: 401)
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It has been suggested that business model innovation (BMI) is crucial for incumbent firms to drive and master sustainability transitions. Yet there is not much knowledge about how business models (BMs) and sustainability transitions interrelate and how incumbents (can) innovate BMs in a transition context. BM research typically takes a firm-centric...
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The government of China has introduced a series of energy-saving and emission reduction policies and energy industry development plans to promote the low-carbon development of the power sector. Under relatively clear and specific low-carbon development goals, the ongoing power transition has recently been studied intensively in the frame of global...
Experimentation is an important capability in the transition to a sustainable business. The aim of business experimentation is to learn and improve business model innovation activities with limited risks and resources through continuous and collective learning with stakeholders. Through action research we worked with eight case companies on a pathw...
Citations
... Accordingly, we consider two potential business model adaptation strategies in response to transition policy: explorative and exploitative. An exploitative pathway refers to incremental refinements over time or changes in some of the elements of a business model [146,147,2018] to improve efficiency, competitiveness, and operations while avoiding [136,137] • Voluntary agreements [89] • Signals about the future direction of markets [138] contingencies and risk, minimising costs, and maximising return on investment [146,148,149]. The perception of managers of firms with an exploitation strategy is that by making incremental adjustments to some business model elements only, they can comply with policies to a satisfactory level and survive in the current socio-technical regime. ...
In recent years, research on government policies in sustainability transition studies has proliferated, largely focusing on their role to drive transformational change through technological innovation. This strand of research faces two main challenges. First, the research has remained largely fragmented due to the breadth of concepts it encompasses. Second, despite the acknowledged importance of business models in sustainability transitions, there is a lack of understanding about how policies influence firms' strategies for adapting their business models towards sustainability. This paper addresses these gaps by conducting a two-step systematic literature review. It organises the research strands related to transition policies and highlights their impact on business model adaptation strategies of incumbent firms. Incumbents are chosen as the unit of analysis because they have greater capacity and potential to induce systemic transformations compared to niche firms. The results lead to a conceptual framework that elucidates how transition policy mixes affect incumbents' business model adaptation strategies by influencing their willingness and capability to transition. The findings emphasise the importance of incumbents' business models in transition programmes, cautioning against a narrow focus on technological innovation. A systemic perspective considering business models helps policymakers to better understand factors which influence incumbents' business model adaptation strategies, identify sources of inertia, address barriers to appropriate measures, and utilise incumbents' capabilities and resources to bring about transformational change for sustainability.
... Addressing dynamics that impact existing business models is a way to identify the role of business models in transitions (Knab, 2018). Semi-structured interviews with the participating companies are conducted to understand the impact of external dynamics on business models along a value chain. ...
Insights from research into transitions of socio-technical systems start to influence policy design, pushing for more sustainable production and consumption systems. Policy implementation is often met with resistance from a variety of actors and faces systemic inertia to change. We examine this resistance and the role of business models within industry-sector transitions through a case study on the Swiss construction material industry. Business model logics can form barriers to change and inhibit the diffusion of alternative logics. Using a system dynamics perspective, we identify feedback loops that form barriers to transitions. These feedback structures promote the understanding of an organisation’s role in a changing environment and to anticipate problematic future scenarios. Causal loop diagramming explicates the need for participative governance as it builds on shared mental models among relevant key actors. This study demonstrates the value of using dynamic systems thinking to understand the role of business models in industry sector transitions.
... Addressing dynamics that impact existing business models is a way to identify the role of business models in transitions (Knab, 2018). Semi-structured interviews with the participating companies are conducted to understand the impact of external dynamics on business models along a value chain. ...
The inability of rural areas to accommodate inhabitants’ aspirations and the dynamics of life among young people led to youth migration towards urban areas. This phenomenon causes villages to experience a shortage of labor. Development agents for an innovative and productive life in agricultural development are lost. Making the village attractive for youth requires a comprehensive rural development strategy in all aspects, including economic, social, and technical skill issues. This study built a conceptual model based on the causation relationship within a causal loop diagram of several relevant aspects, such as economic, social, and skill development facets in achieving sustainable rural area development. We draw the relationships and interaction among relevant variables in the system from in-depth interviews, focus group discussion (FGD), surveys, and the use of secondary data. The location is concerned with rural rice-producing villages in Central Java, which have been experiencing a youth-labor shortage. Alternative strategies were identified based on the conceptual model, such as (1) the development of modern rice agriculture to secure job availability, which can nurture juvenile farmers. Income security and flawless production activities for farmers to guarantee remuneration adequacy become the second priority. The third strategy improves the role of educational institutions in providing knowledge and developing skills for students in the agricultural-based village and rural development. Lastly, infrastructure building is vital to open up access to economic activities, reduce the cost of production, and foster the trading schemes capable of creating innovative young farmers, and a plethora of jobs.
Der Energiesektor in Deutschland erlebt seit einigen Jahren eine tiefgreifende Transformation, die eine Modifikation des Marktgefüges und eine Veränderung der Geschäftsmodelle beinhaltet. Für die Wirtschaftsinformatik erhält die Energiewende durch die dynamische Entwicklung der Geschäftsmodelle, der verbundenen Unternehmensarchitekturen und Informationssystemen eine besondere Relevanz. Daher wird in dieser Forschungsarbeit die aktuelle Situation deskriptiv aufgearbeitet und die Verbindung zwischen Wertschöpfungsnetzwerken, Geschäftsmodellen und Unternehmensarchitekturen beleuchtet. Ausgehend von domänen-spezifischen Fallstudien wird eine morphologische Referenzarchitektur gestaltet.
