Business model scaling and growth hacking in digital entrepreneurship

Creating an innovative product and validating an innovative business model may not be enough for digital startups to be competitive. To grow fast and expand globally, digital startups need to innovate their business model during the scaling phase. A pragmatic approach has recently been proposed to support digital entrepreneurs engaging in business-model innovation during the scaling phase (i.e., business-model scaling), a strategy known as growth hacking. However, we know little about its theoretical grounding and how effective growth hacking is, as businesses lack methodologies to assess its effectiveness before committing resources and investments. To fill this gap, we developed a method for supporting business- model scaling through simulation modeling and provided an illustrative application to the PayPal case. By doing so, we contribute to the ongoing debate on scalability in digital entrepreneurship

Modeling the natural gas supply chain for sustainable growth policy

Natural gas has been used globally as a transitional fuel for supporting a green-energy-supply strategy, which has been questioned for the intermittence and lack of reliability of renewables. This paper proposes a System Dynamics model for assessing alternative security of supply policy along the natural gas value chain. The model incorporates demand, transport, production and reserves of natural gas variables according to a systemic perspective. It also includes a module for evaluating the effect of natural gas price on the demand and supply levels, respectively. Alternative supply policies are evaluated under different scenarios. The chosen case-study focuses on the Colombian natural gas industry with the purpose of assessing how the impact of public policies affect supply and demand. Particularly, policies consider the allocation of resources along the natural gas supply chain, seeking to promote the development of infrastructure oriented to mitigate the risk of provision shortages

Fostering growth patterns of SMEs through business model innovation. A tailored dynamic business modelling approach

In the contemporary complex and fast-changing markets, there is persistent pressure for Small-and-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to engage in business model innovation to promptly meet customer expectations and successfully compete for survival. In the last decade, multiple approaches to business model development and innovation have been explored. However, they have been primarily designed for large-sized companies, while SMEs display distinctive organizational attributes. Thus, SMEs require a tailored approach to design, experiment and innovate their business models, in order to frame the specific complexity of their value creation processes. This paper aims to explore how a Dynamic Business Modelling approach complies with inherent SME characteristics and serves as a lean strategy design tool for innovating associated business models. A case-study of a real SME currently involved in innovating its business model illustrates and discusses the empirical evidence emerging from the use of this approach

The \u201cEntrepreneurial University\u201d: a preliminary analysis of the main managerial and organizational features towards the design of Planning & Control systems in European Academic Institutions

In the last decade, European academic institutions have been affected by significant reforms aimed to improve their own performance levels. The reason for these reforms has been inspired by various factors, such as budgetary restrictions imposed by National Governments and the \u201cmarketisation\u201d of the Higher Education sector. This has led European universities to increase their autonomy and accountability to successfully perform and compete in a worldwide competitive system. Both autonomy and accountability have involved a greater emphasis on performance management and Planning & Control (P&C) systems. In the light of the new institutional and competitive context, the aim of this paper is to provide a preliminary analysis of the main features of European universities according to a management-based perspective. Subsequently, a definition of \u201cacademic performance\u201d is suggested in order to design a P&C system, which may fit academic \u201ebusiness\u201f features in terms of both competitiveness and quality of Higher Education services

Il dynamic business model: una prospettiva dinamica per la progettazione dei modelli di business

Building on the extant literature on business modelling and focussing on start-up firms, this article aims at exploring the combination between conventional business model schemes and System Dynamics methodology with the intent to overcome those limitations related to a static design approach. By mapping the multiple key elements underlying value creation processes \u2013 linked according to a cause-and-effect perspective \u2013 and with the support of a simulation-based methodology, entrepreneurs may experiment and understand how the firm reacts to strategic and organizational changes in terms of performance, innovation and value creation

Framing caesarean section reduction policies through a dynamic performance management approach: A maternity pathway case-based analysis

The World Health Organization since the last three decades strongly encourages countries to reduce the caesarean section (CS) rate down to 10\u201315%. However, this goal nowadays appears still far from its achievement. Public decision-makers are indeed struggling to design and implement effective policies to reduce the CS rate. The literature provides a wide range of factors causing a change in the CS rate, such as the patient clinical profile and the healthcare service quality provided. Maternity pathway (MP) is considered a mean through which to standardize the cares and to reduce CSs. This study investigates the MP recently introduced in Sicilian local health authorities. Based on such an analysis, an outcome-based performance management approach has been used by the authors to build a system dynamics model. Scenario simulation results reveal that such an approach may support decision-makers to learn how to design CS reduction policies. It particularly remarks the necessity to implement policies oriented to coordinate the actions undertaken by the different actors playing a crucial role in the MP

Turning a business idea into a real business through an entrepreneurial learning approach based on dynamic start-up business model simulators

In this paper we argue that the use of System Dynamics modelling applied to Business Model design and representation may result in an entrepreneurial learning approach to support potential entrepreneurs in exploring and learn how a business operates and reacts according to alternative strategic choices. As such, a Dynamic Business Modelling approach provides useful insights to start-up entrepreneurs learning processes by capturing and explaining how critical Business Model elements interact to produce enduring competitive advantages over time