Business Models: Ideal types, values, profits and technologies

2 PM  
Venue: DISA Seminar room, Department of Economics and Management 

Speaker:

• Stefan Haefliger - Cass Business School, City University London

Abstract

We construct ideal types of business models that describe a firm’s relationship with its customers that in turn gives value to creative or technical knowledge. We pay particular attention to two possibilities: the dyadic and the triadic business model. Within the dyadic category we find well- known often discussed sub-categories of work-for-hire, simple product, servitized product, and razorblade business model, and within the triadic we find the market-matchmaking and multisided business model. We carefully define each business model type (and sub-type) from a conceptual-principled point of view, and explore the differences between these idealized types in terms of value for the users; profits or surplus for the suppliers; and technological arrangements. Our paper draws on and extends the current literature in economics, strategy and platform-technology.