English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

The topic of business models has been flourishing in managerial literature and morerecently in the academic sphere. Since 1995, its use has emerged in a multitude ofarenas (Gazhiani & Ventresca, 2005). Of course, such construct may be criticizedas a new fashion in the management field that could disappear in several years. Inthis special issue, however, the authors have tried to explore and test the potentialpower and interest of what seems to be more than a new concept in strategic management. The stance taken by the authors in this issue is noteworthy for two reasons. First, asfar as theory is concerned, the authors postulate that talking about business modelsdiffers from drawing on traditional concepts from corporate or competitive strategy.This first point has been partially explored and supported empirically by Zott & Amit(2008). They show that the construct of the business model is imperfectly covered bythe concepts of strategy. More specifically, the choice of a business model cannot bereduced to the choice of a product/market strategy. The second significant decisionmade by the authors is to trust practitioners. Indeed, the use of the business model islargely attributable to the practical sphere. This explains the profusion of grey literature produced by consultants, managers and journalists until the end of the 90s, whichmade the concept fuzzy but at the same time underlines its potential usefulness forday-to-day business. If we concur with Clegg & Starbuck (2009) in accepting recursive relations with practitioners to build knowledge, the practical use of the conceptmay be a good starting point. Indeed, as a design science, management can aim toput forward artefacts and engage in conversation with practitioners and users. In this introduction, we trace the emergence and development of the business modelas a theme in strategic management. To this end, we use Lakatos’s view of scientificprogress, and especially his concept of ‘research program’ as recently drawn uponby Edouard and Gratacap (2010) for the concept of ‘ecosystem’. In this article, the‘research program’ is used in a broad sense because we apply it to a social science,namely management. However, although the business model is not (yet) a theoryper se but rather (depending on the approach adopted) a concept or a tool whichhelps to describe an economic activity, or potentially a ‘framework’ (Teece, 2007),we demonstrate that it presents the features of a research program. This program isprogressive in the sense used by Lakatos. Finally, we try to look ahead and envisagesome avenues for the business model as a research program.

Business Models as a Research Program in Strategic Management: An Appraisal based on Lakatos