Business Model Generation: A handbook for visionaries, game changers and challengers

The book entitled “Business Model Generation: A Handbook for visionaries, game changers and challengers” though written by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010) was also co-created by 470 practitioners from 45 countries. The book is thus a good example of how a global creative collaboration effort can contribute positively to the business and management literature and subsequently to the advancement of society. The book "Business Model Generation" has both narrative and visual detail. Before proceeding to do an in-depth review of “Business Model Generation” we first looked at other publications by the authors which led up to the book

Producing innovation: Comments on Lee and Yu (2010)

The purpose of the article being reviewed (Lee and Yu, 2010), a survey by questionnaire with 182 valid responses, is to analyze “how different relationship styles of employees in the hi-tech industry influence innovation performance” and indeed its conclusions are that “the relationship style of an organization has a significant positive effect on innovation performance”. We see Lee and Yu (2010) as being similar to another highly cited article by Morgan and Hunt in so far as both articles are about relationships, cooperation and trust

Facilitating qualitative research in business studies - Using the business narrative to model value creation

This is a conceptual paper supported by empirical research giving details of a new Business Narrative Modelling Language (BNML). The need for BNML arose given a growing dissatisfaction with qualitative research approaches and also due to the need to bring entrepreneurs, especially those with little training in management theory, closer to the academic (as well as practitioner) discussion of innovation and strategy for value creation. We aim primarily for an improved communication process of events which can be described using the narrative, in the discussion of the value creation process. Our findings, illustrated through a case study, should be of interest to both researchers and practitioners alike

A Quantitative Model for Decomposing & Assessing the Value for the Customer

The research presented in this paper proposes a novel quantitative model for decomposing and assessing the Value for the Customer. The proposed approach builds on the different dimensions of the Value Network analysis proposed by Verna Allee having as background the concept of Value for the Customer proposed by Woodall. In this context, the Value for the Customer is modelled as a relationship established between the exchanged deliverables and a combination of tangible and intangible assets projected into their endogenous or exogenous dimensions. The Value Network Analysis of the deliverables exchange enables an in-depth understanding of this frontier and the implicit modelling of co-creation scenarios. The proposed Conceptual Model for Decomposing Value for the Customer combines several concepts: from the marketing area we have the concept of Value for the Customer; from the area of intellectual capital the concept of Value Network Analysis; from the collaborative networks area we have the perspective of the enterprise life cycle and the endogenous and exogenous perspectives; at last, the proposed model is supported by a mathematical formal description that stems from the area of Multi-Criteria Decision Making. The whole concept is illustrated in the context of a case study of an enterprise in the footwear industry (Pontechem). The merits of this approach seem evident from the contact with Pontechem as it provides a structured approach for the enterprises to assess the adequacy of their value proposition to the client/customer needs and how these relate to their endogenous and/or exogenous tangible or intangible assets. The proposed model, as a tool, may therefore be a useful instrument in supporting the commercialisation of new products and/or services

Conceptual model for decomposing the value for the customer

IEMS ’12 — 3rd Industrial Engineering and Management SymposiumValue has been defined in different theoretical contexts as need, desire, interest, standard /criteria, beliefs, attitudes, and preferences. The creation of value is key to any business, and any business activity is about exchanging some tangible and/or intangible good or service and having its value accepted and rewarded by customers or clients, either inside the enterprise or collaborative network or outside. “Perhaps surprising then is that firms often do not know how to define value, or how to measure it” (Anderson and Narus, 1998 cited by [1]). Woodruff echoed that we need “richer customer value theory” for providing an “important tool for locking onto the critical things that managers need to know”. In addition, he emphasized, “we need customer value theory that delves deeply into customer’s world of product use in their situations” [2]. In this sense, we proposed and validated a novel “Conceptual Model for Decomposing the Value for the Customer”. To this end, we were aware that time has a direct impact on customer perceived value, and the suppliers’ and customers’ perceptions change from the pre-purchase to the post-purchase phases, causing some uncertainty and doubts.We wanted to break down value into all its components, as well as every built and used assets (both endogenous and/or exogenous perspectives). This component analysis was then transposed into a mathematical formulation using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), so that the uncertainty and vagueness of value perceptions could be embedded in this model that relates used and built assets in the tangible and intangible deliverable exchange among the involved parties, with their actual value perceptions

Inspiring disruptive change: A novel approach to modelling the value creation process

This methodology paper puts forth a novel process with which to portray the value network and enterprise asset creation. Real cases which involved field research by the authors are used to present and better illustrate certain concepts. Organizations involve intense human interaction and require novel ways which make evident variations in performance, a central aspect of management today and in the near future. Our contribution is in combining the use of the narrative / storylines, game design patterns, value network analysis and the dynamic capabilities paradigm to reduce the complexity of the strategy debate. Our modelling tool is also pictorial and so simple to grasp. The primary value of graphical notations lies in their communication and understanding possibilities (Fowler, 2004). The importance of the dynamic capabilities paradigm (Teece et al., 1997) is emphasized in which ICT plays a central and strategic role (Pavlou, 2004) in the creation of value and consequently enterprise assets. Geertz (2000) brought attention to the fact that research is performed in order to clarify or usefully revise our own or someone else’s ideas and we see this clarification and revision as being necessary given a heightened need to motivate and inspire people to carry out actions of disruptive change (Denning, 2004)

Modelling change using a novel business narrative modelling language

Paper publicado no site da workshop.Purpose – This paper is developed in the realm of strategic change communication. The purpose of this paper is to present our Business Narrative Modelling Language (BNML) as a tool for facilitating change. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the experience of the authors and on a literature review of other modelling techniques which are seen to be mainstream alternatives to our BNML. Several case studies (involving action research as well as other research methods) have been performed using BNML and inspire the text. Findings – We have found that as concerns the management of strategic change most important of all is to be able to change the mindset of entrepreneurs, senior managers and other key leaders in organizations. In one case in particular, this involved moving from desperation to the possession of a positive vision for the future - BNML helped provide a new vision in a down-to-earth way, comprehensible across the organization, at all levels. Research implications – The potentially negative attitude towards the narrative and storytelling and pictorial representations needs to be overcome and it is necessary to devise new methods to inspire change at all levels in organizations. Practical implications – It is our conviction that the importance of communication, and how it aids change initiatives, should be duly appreciated. We hope to show in our future research efforts that BNML can help to achieve change objectives. Originality and value – This paper contributes to change management theory building on Eriksen (2008) – change is of a personal nature – and Quinn et al. (2000) – change must occur in the mind. Neurologist Damásio (2000) has shown that the feeling of what happens is like a “film in our brain” which we try to reproduce and reinforce with our BNML which proposes an innovative modelling language and business narrative and uses them as a communication tool in a dialogue for change. Paper type – Conceptual paper

Innovativeness and its link to interoperability: An investigation using a novel Business Narrative Modelling Language (BNML)

We intend to use multiple case studies to develop a theoretical model concerning the contemporary phenomenon of organizational innovativeness and its link to interoperability. We are interested in particular in interoperability as pertaining to people and organizations able to operate in conjunction (together) to produce innovation. Interoperability can be defined as “the ability of a system or an organization to work seamless[ly] with other systems or organization[s] without any special effort” (Mertins et al., 2008, p.v) and Gasser and Palfrey (2007, p.ii) state that “One of the reasons why we tend to like interoperability is that we believe it leads to innovation”. However, they continue, “the relationship between interoperability and innovation, while it likely exists in most cases, is extremely hard to prove” (Gasser and Palfrey, 2007, p.ii). In so doing we are to test a business narrative modelling language (BNML) that we have developed. BNML is a research method that uses representations combining storylines, roles, ontologies, patterns, assets and value exchanges. We intend to apply our BNML as a main doctoral research effort to map out the creation of value and innovation in organizations. The need for BNML arose given a growing dissatisfaction with qualitative research approaches and also due to the need to bring entrepreneurs, especially those with little training in management theory, closer to the academic (as well as practitioner) discussion of innovation and strategy for value creation. Such studies, which may bring to the fore rich detailed descriptions for example of how collective mind is achieved, are lacking in the literature (Camarinha-Matos, 2008)

Innovation and entrepreneurship: What professors from leading universities say

As innovation is essential for the competitiveness of enterprises and economic development there is a question which has been raised with some insistence: Do teaching practices make a difference to innovation and entrepreneurship in the work place? Experts were contacted for their views. They say yes, as long as the teaching method is adequate. So, in the USA, a naturally innovative society, a new concept of integrated teaching was developed - “hands-on” to increase innovation ever more in North America. This concept proved also to be successful in a non-innovative society as is demonstrated by the case of MIETE (a partnership between FEUP and FEP, University of Porto) in Portugal

O Método Lead User para o desenvolvimento de produtos

Este artigo foca uma forma de inovação mais democrática. A democratização da inovação significa que há utilizadores de produtos e serviços (tanto empresas como consumidores individuais) que cada vez mais são capazes de inovar por iniciativa própria. Esta tendência crescente vem mudar a natureza das relações comerciais existentes no mercado, onde tradicionalmente eram os fabricantes quem detinham os processos de desenvolvimento e de inovação dos produtos. Este facto é particularmente evidente nos “Produtos/Serviços da Informação” em que os utilizadores têm a possibilidade de conceber grande parte ou a totalidade do produto ou serviço sem recorrer a um fabricante. São disso exemplo as conhecidas iniciativas ”Software Livre” (Linux, Apache, etc.) onde uma comunidade de utilizadores desenvolveu um produto capaz de concorrer em pé de igualdade com produtos inteiramente desenvolvidos pelos fabricantes