Abstract
The increasing pervasiveness of digital technologies, also refered to as ”Internet of Things” (IoT), offers a wealth of business model opportunities, which often involve an ecosystem of partners. In this context, companies are required to look at business models beyond a firm-centric lens and respond to changed dynamics. However, extant literature has not yet provided actionable approaches for business models for IoT-driven environments. Our research therefore addresses the need for a business model framework that captures the specifics of IoT-driven ecosystems. Applying an iterative design science research approach, the present paper describes (a) the methodology, (b) the requirements, (c) the design and (d) the evaluation of a business model framework that enables researchers and practitioners to visualize, analyze and design business models in the IoT context in a structured and actionable way. The identified dimensions in the framework include the value network of collaborating partners (who); sources of value creation (where); benefits from collaboration (why). Evidence from action research and multiple case studies indicates that the framework is able to depict business models in IoT.
An earlier version of this manuscript appeared in the Proceedings of the 22nd European Conference on Information Systems as “A Business Model Type for the Internet of Things”, Research in progress, S. Turber and C. Smiela.
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Turber, S., vom Brocke, J., Gassmann, O., Fleisch, E. (2014). Designing Business Models in the Era of Internet of Things. In: Tremblay, M.C., VanderMeer, D., Rothenberger, M., Gupta, A., Yoon, V. (eds) Advancing the Impact of Design Science: Moving from Theory to Practice. DESRIST 2014. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 8463. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06701-8_2
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