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More and more self-interested businesses are organizing themselves in interdependent, non-hierarchically controlled networks to jointly create superior value by engaging in open innovation projects. In aligning the heterogeneous actors toward a focal value proposition, it is crucial for the orchestrators of such arrangements to manage their inter-organizational relationships by navigating the interplay of contractual and relational governance mechanisms. Despite the relevance of how contracts and relational governance co-evolve, knowledge on the interaction of contracts and relational governance in specific contexts is still missing. Through a multiple-case study of ten multinational ecosystem orchestrators, we explore how large multinational orchestrators govern the interplay inter-organizational relationship mechanisms in open innovation projects across ecosystems. Based on our findings, we propose a five-dimensional, sequential model of governing the interplay of inter-organizational relationship mechanisms in open innovation projects across ecosystems and discuss our contributions in the context of the current literature.

The use of digital technologies such as Internet of Things and advanced data analytics are central in digitally transforming manufacturing companies towards Industry 4.0. Success cases are frequently reported, and there is clear evidence of technology interventions conducted by industry. However, measuring the impact and effect of such interventions on digital maturity and on the organizational adoption can be challenging. Therefore, the research aim of this paper is to explore how the combination of the different methods of Industrial Internet Playground (IIP) pilots, Shadow Infrastructure (SI) and digital maturity assessment can assist in conducting and documenting the technical, as well as organisational, impact of digital interventions. Through an elaborate literature review of existing digital maturity assessment tools and key dimensions in digital transformation, we have developed a digital maturity assessment tool (DMAT), which is presented and applied in the paper to identify digital development areas and to evaluate and document the effects of digital interventions. Thus, the paper contributes with new knowledge of how the IIP pilot and SI combined with digital maturity assessment can support effective, transparent and documented digital transformation throughout an organisation, as explored through theory and a practice case.

In this study, business experimentation for sustainable value creation is explored through seven cleantech start-ups by applying the systemic combining approach. The findings reveal novel descriptions of six different business experimentation types. The study also advances our theoretical understanding of how the specific roles of learning, signaling, and convincing dominate each of the experimentation types differently and how each type of business experimentation has a distinct purpose. Furthermore, our findings propose how business experimentation types can be applied as a continuum as part of the cleantech start-ups’ sustainable value creation process. Hence, our study contributes theoretically to our understanding of business experimentation for sustainable value creation and how the different types are applied in cleantech start-ups. We conclude our treatise with managerial implications and outline fruitful future research avenues. acceptedVersion

Digital Transformation is currently at the core of companies’ strategies for companies to leverage the business potentials of applying digital technologies, like mobile, social networks, IoT, big data and artificial intelligence and machine learning. This is especially true in retail, which is being pressed to adopt the same metrics and practices existent in ecommerce. IoT is a crucial technology for this, since it allows collecting real time information from the physical world. This paper presents a case study of Digital Transformation in a Brazilian wholesaler, which used IoT aiming to improve inventory control and ended up with an information platform that allowed wide improvements of operations, improvements in customer experience and innovation in the business model.

A growing number of researchers and practitioners stress the potentials of creating value through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). However, little attention has been paid as to how value and value creation is defined in the context of CSR and NGO collaborations and integrated across key functional areas within the company. This research gap is explored empirically through a cross-industry case study of five companies’ application and approaches to CSR and NGO collaborations to facilitate value creation. The findings reveal different scenarios of how companies approach CSR and NGO collaborations in their value propositions and in value creation through collaborative activities across core business functions. The findings reveal that the type of value creation originate from the way the business-NGO collaborations are applied across the companies’ collaborative activities in communication, HRM and sustainable innovation/R&D.

This study extends the knowledge of the human resource management (HRM)–innovation relationship and examines how innovation-facilitating bundles of HRM practices are applied to facilitate radical pharmaceutical front-end innovation (FEI). The empirical investigation is an explorative case study of science-driven FEI and HRM practices across one in-depth case study and seven validation studies among international pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The findings provide a theoretical overview of key HRM practices in support of radical pharmaceutical FEI as well as an empirical mapping of how innovation-facilitating bundles of HRM practices are applied to actively develop radical, science-driven pharmaceutical FEI, including the identification of the key innovation challenges and opportunities involving innovation-facilitating HRM practices in pharmaceutical FEI. The article contributes to the existing innovation literature in terms of identifying how radical FEI may be facilitated through the application of innovation-facilitating bundles of HRM practices. The empirical contribution and managerial implications provide nine specific suggestions for how pharmaceutical management groups can better support radical pharmaceutical FEI through targeted HRM practices. The derived results of the study also underline inherent challenges of the pharmaceutical industry and regulations (FDA) that may not stimulate radical innovation, which cannot be resolved by HRM, but require the attention of policy makers. The value added lies in the specificity of the empirical, pharmaceutical context in which the issue of supporting radical, science-driven FEI is investigated.

The Internet of Things (IoT) promises a revolution in terms of new services, products and possibilities for innovation in business models. Those possibilities, however, are linked to a competitive and social context in which concerns with data privacy and sustainability must be balanced at the risk of getting negative results and damage to firms' image and reputation. This paper presents a review of the literature that aimed to bring together these concepts (IoT, BMI and privacy/sustainability) and identify how academic research is studying those issues and to identify the main topics and research questions in those studies. We will then present a Brazilian case of Iot Implementation in the context of smart cities and discuss this case considering the topics and questions found in the literature.

The aim of this chapter is to explore and explain how knowledge management strategies are implemented effectively across divisions through the application of change agents in the shape of so-called “knowledge ambassadors.” Knowledge ambassadors can play an active role in supporting knowledge sharing and effective integration of knowledge management strategies. The chapter is based on a three-year longitudinal participative case study of the implementation of a knowledge management strategy across an organization and its seven geographically dispersed divisions. The results of the study reveal different steps and key activities in effective implementation of a knowledge management strategy and how knowledge ambassadors play a vital role in effective integration of knowledge management tools, continuous support of knowledge sharing practices, and in developing a knowledge culture within the organization.

The overall aim of this chapter is to identify the concept of digital business models (DBMs). The literature review explores extant literature in mapping the DBM concept and identifying established and new frameworks for DBMs, thereby providing a platform for understanding, discussing and developing them in established companies as well as in digital start-ups. The objective of this chapter is to provide answers to the following questions: (1) How do we define the DBM concept and the key drivers and challenges of DBMs? (2) Which business model frameworks and tools can be applied in exploring and leveraging DBMs? (3) What are the benefits and challenges of the frameworks in mapping DBMs?

This chapter aims to explore and explain the use of collaborative innovation and partnerships in leveraging the development of different types of sustainable business models (SBMs). Through open source innovation and collaborations with other types of partners/stakeholders companies get access to new knowledge, capabilities, resources and networks/partners, which is a prerequisite to SBM. Thus the emphasis of this chapter is to explore the concept of businesses and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) collaborating in designing new SBMs. Through a literature review and case examples, a typology of SBM archetypes through business-NGO collaborations is identified and presented. Each of the identified four SBM archetypes through business-NGO collaborations are explained through a mapping of the unique characteristics of the archetype, a case example and a discussion of the specific drivers and potential challenges to be considered by businesses and managers in engaging in these collaborations.

Sustainable Business Models: Innovation, Implementation, and Success aims to provide new knowledge of what sustainable business models are, how they create value, how they are implemented and managed, and how to ensure their success. The purpose of this chapter is therefore to summarize each of the book’s chapter contributions and to provide an overview of the key contributions and conclusions of each chapter. Also this chapter explores potential venues for further developments of the research and practice field of sustainable business models as well as paths for future research.

The aim of this chapter is to identify the concept of sustainable business models (SBMs) bridging from traditional business models (BMs) to sustainable business models (SBMs) while using value creation in exploring the characteristics of SBMs. The literature review of the chapter provides the platform to assess and to map, discuss, and develop the SBM pyramid framework. The SBM pyramid provides a framework and tool for how to identify, understand, develop and evaluate the level of sustainability of BMs and the BM dimensions—theoretically and empirically. A case example is offered to provide an illustration of the concept empirically and to explore the use of the framework in exploration and assessment of the levels of sustainability of the overall BM, the individual BM dimensions and the value proposition, delivery, creation and value capture of a company/business in practice. The three-dimensional framework can be applied by theorists and practitioners in identifying, developing and evaluating the level of sustainability in the value creation, value delivery, and value capture of any existing (sustainable) BM and it's BM dimensions and in designing new SBM innovations.

Please provide department/institute/university/city/country details for the affiliation of the author Annabeth Aagaard.

The business model concept is not new and there has been an increasing number of papers published, fast growing communities on Business model's (BM) and an abundance of conference sessions and panels on the subject of BM's. Business model and business model innovation has been the focus of substantial attention by both academics and practitioners. However, it appears that researchers and practitioners have yet not researched widely on how sensors can be applied and embedded in BM's and what businesses can gain from sensing business models (Lindgren and Taran in J Green Eng 2:1-10, 2011). Society and Businesses today invest tremendous amount of resources in sensors and digitalization to achieve better and deeper understanding of their BMs. Taking these enormous amounts of resources invested into account, when creating a "sensing BM" still turn out to be a very complex venture and has several invention iteration still to go before we reach a full scale "sensing business model". The paper shows different levels and attempt of sensing business models and shows these in reference of a definition and framework of a sensing business model. Five different businesses - working with different sensing BM's and sensor technology - are presented. The use cases show combination of biological and mechanical sensors together with physical and digital sensors. In combination the sensoring BM could lead businesses into a new area of business modeling.