What do we mean with business model?

While the growing attention for business models and business model innovation is a positive development, it also stresses the need for better understanding what we mean with the business model concept. This is not straight-forward as business models are still not well comprehended and the knowledge about business models is fragmented over different disciplines, such as information systems, strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship. We need to further develop our conceptualisation of business models by discussing and synthesising business model definitions, frameworks and archetypes from different disciplines.

I tried to contribute to this development by the whitepaper ‘Understanding business models.' After reading this whitepaper, the reader will have a well-developed understanding about what business models are and how the concept is sometimes interpreted and used in different ways. It will help the reader in assessing their own understanding of business models and that and of others. This will contribute to a better and more beneficial use of business models, an increase in shared understanding, and making it easier to work with business model techniques and tools.