scholarly journals Surviving the Energy Transition: Development of a Proposal for Evaluating Sustainable Business Models for Incumbents in Germany’s Electricity Market

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Wagner ◽  
Thomas Adisorn ◽  
Lena Tholen ◽  
Dagmar Kiyar
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Market ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
The Past ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
New Business ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
Energy Companies

In the light of Germany’s chosen path towards the energy transition, the regulatory framework has changed considerably. New players have succeeded in entering the market, and renewable energies have become increasingly competitive. Greater electrification of the transport and heating sectors will be needed in the future to achieve national climate targets. Against this background, Germany’s big energy companies need to be sure that their sales will increase. However, they were unable to anticipate this development, and made strategic mistakes in the past. The development of sustainable business models in line with the energy transition failed to materialize. Now it is becoming increasingly clear that companies must create new business models to survive in the long term. These business models have to keep with the tradition, whilst meeting the needs of low-carbon power supplies. In this paper, we will examine the past and future challenges of the four energy companies and develop a proposal for evaluating sustainable business models. For this purpose, we use the multi-level perspective to categorize developments in the electricity market over the last 50 years, and then apply a multi-criteria analysis to derive five suitable business models from the results.

scholarly journals Backcasting for desirable futures in Finnish forest-based firms

foresight ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annukka Näyhä
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Strong Basis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
New Business ◽  
Participative Approach ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
New Business Models

Purpose In Finland, new forest-based sector (FBS) businesses are seen as important for the transition to the circular bioeconomy. The purpose of this study is to explore the transition of Finnish FBS companies to new business models. The aim is to understand how FBS companies define their ideal future states and related business models for the year 2030. Design/methodology/approach This study uses thematic interviews with managers from various FBS firms and companies from interfacing sectors. In the interviews, the key idea of backcasting was pursued when respondents discussed the desirable future states of their business. Findings The effort to achieve growth of the business and the appearance of new products characterize the company-specific desirable future states. In these desirable futures, expanded businesses will be based on strong knowledge. Resource efficiency and collaboration create a strong basis for the desirable future state of the whole FBS to create a sustainable and innovative “Wood Valley.” Research limitations/implications The key limitations are that the backcasting process has been conducted only through interviews and a participative approach with stakeholder dialogue is lacking in the process. This means that the desirable futures are created by the FBS companies only. Originality/value As a practical contribution, the study shows the future-oriented thinking and goals of FBS firms. As a theoretical contribution, it extends research on sustainable business models and discussions on the novel field of corporate foresight.

scholarly journals A Networked Analysis and Engineering Framework for New Business Models

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 6018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Vorraber ◽  
Matthias Müller
Keyword(s):  
Network Effects ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
New Business ◽  
Sustainable Business Models

New technological possibilities and paradigm shifts from product-centered to service-centered offerings are one of the main drivers of business models. Business ventures today are more and more networked. Often, various partners are needed to deliver a service or product to frequently cross-linked customers with sometimes bi- or even multi-variant roles. Furthermore, business models are embedded in socio-technical systems where different kinds of needs and values of all actors, including social, ecological, technical and economic values, have to be balanced. The resulting complex network of actors, needs and values requires continuous management in order to create and operate viable and sustainable business models. This paper proposes a multi-layer framework to analyze existing business models as well as to shape new business ventures in a networked and values-based way and to support the identification of tacit network effects within business ecosystems. Based on an existing multi-layered analysis toolkit, focusing on legal and business dynamics aspects, an enhanced visualization and analysis tool is proposed that focuses especially on ethical, social and environmental aspects to foster the creation of (strongly) sustainable business models. The research process to create the presented approach followed the Design Science Research paradigm by applying argumentative-deductive analysis (ADA) and first applications in real-world case studies. A practical case from an international Open Source Software (OSS) project serves as an example to illustrate this values-based visualization and analysis layer and its benefits for managers and decision makers in the area of business model and information system management.

scholarly journals BUSINESS MODEL TRANSFORMATION IN THE GERMAN ENERGY SECTOR: KEY BARRIERS AND DRIVERS OF A SMART AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS IN PRACTICE

2021 ◽  
Vol VIII-4/W1-2021 ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
D. Meyer ◽  
J. Fauser ◽  
D. Hertweck
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Recommendations For Action ◽  
New Business ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
New Business Models

Abstract. The energy sector in Germany, as in many other countries, is undergoing a major transformation. To achieve the climate targets, numerous measures to implement smart energy and resource efficiency are necessary. Therefore, energy companies are experiencing increasing pressure from politics and society to transform their business areas in a sustainable manner and implement smart and sustainable business models. Consequently, numerous resources are expected to flow into the development and implementation of new business models. But often these efforts remain unsuccessful in practice. There is a large amount of literature on barriers and drivers of smart and sustainable business models in the energy sector. But what are the factors that companies struggle with most when developing and implementing new business models in practice? To answer this question, the results of a systematic literature review were evaluated by conducting semi-structured interviews with experts of the German energy sector. Six categories of transformation barriers were identified: Organizational, Financial, Legal, Partner-Network, Societal and Technological barriers. To overcome these barriers, recommendations for action and key success factors are outlined by the experts interviewed. The interview study validates key barriers and drivers in terms of their significance in practice in the German energy sector and makes recommendations to advance the smart and sustainable transformation of the energy sector.

Eco Innovation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Peralta ◽  
Jorge Castellote ◽  
Mohamed Salama
Keyword(s):  
New Product Development ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Business Model Innovation ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
New Business ◽  
Sustainable Business Models

Business model innovation (BMI) has emerged as a key root cause of competitive advantage. This is vital for organizations seeking to achieve the set strategic objectives through projects, particularly New Product Development (NPD) projects. However, there is limited attention among scholars and practitioners about sustainable BMI and its methods. Eco-innovation efforts (including the environmental, social and economic dimensions of innovation) concentrate on triple bottom line goals, but to date there seems to be a deficit of academic and practitioner literature on the effect of this type of innovation on new business models. Scholars has been trying to address this gap, mostly focused on eco-innovation from a product-centric perspective where the product is the cornerstone of the new sustainable business models. And this is how conventional sustainable business model innovation is being developed.

Sustainable business models: a literature review

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 2028-2047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidiane Cássia Comin ◽  
Camila Camargo Aguiar ◽  
Simone Sehnem ◽  
M.-Y. Yusliza ◽  
Carla Fabiana Cazella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Value ◽  
New Business ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
Operational Practices ◽  
High Level ◽  
Positive Results

Purpose The demand for resources for development also increased corporate pressures for sustainability. Consequently, it is necessary for organizations to adopt measures addressing the need to implement a new business model, which allows a management team concerned about the economy and the optimization of resources to make sustainable business models a strategic interest of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to analyze sustainable business models and the applied practices to operationalize them. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted through a systematic review of the literature to identify the sustainable business models addressed in the literature, and what practices are applied to operationalize these models. Findings The data show that sustainable business models have an approach centered on the direct participation of stakeholders, especially the user, in the process of creating sustainable value. Overall, they offer a high level of technology-based business models that prioritize the use of clean energy, material maximization and energy efficiency, with an emphasis on repair and maintenance rather than on disposal and scheduled obsolescence, as well as an emphasis on natural and renewable processes, the reuse of waste, environmental stewardship, product transformation into technological artefacts for users, and products for services and results. Research limitations/implications The study’s contributions provide a more detailed understanding of sustainable business models and what practices can be adopted by companies to make the business truly sustainable. This paper contributed to the discussion of the research on sustainable business models and their operational practices. Originality/value The analysis promotes insights into new opportunities for companies to integrate their traditional business models with sustainability, contributing to the application of sustainable practices within the managerial scope. Companies that operate sustainable business models need to be aware that collaborative, sharing and networking models can deliver positive results for sustainable business models.

scholarly journals Sustainable Business Models through the Lens of Organizational Design: A Systematic Literature Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lemus-Aguilar ◽  
Morales-Alonso ◽  
Ramirez-Portilla ◽  
Hidalgo
Keyword(s):  
Organization Theory ◽  
Organizational Design ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Strategy Execution ◽  
Star Model ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Journal Citation Reports ◽  
New Business ◽  
Sustainable Business Models

The interest in sustainable business models has grown rapidly in recent years. Although some progress has been made in identifying this concept and making the practices more sustainable, little is known about the organizational design that is most appropriate for creating new business models or implementing changes in existing ones towards a sustainability approach. This paper presents a review of sustainable business models in terms of the key factors that influence firm design based on organization theory. We retrieved 394 Journal Citation Reports papers from the WoK and Scopus databases, identifying 19 papers that have addressed the interplay between both constructs. We used the Galbraith Star Model to analyze the selected papers. We discuss three key findings for the cross-fertilization of both literatures: (i) the extension of the design elements outside the firm boundaries at the inter-organizational and ecosystem levels; (ii) the emphasis on certain design elements (strategy, process, people, structure) rather than others (rewards); and (iii) the use of the organizational design construct as a tactic tool for strategy execution of the sustainable business model. We also present theoretical and practical implications for the use and further development of this framework, as well as future avenues of research.

scholarly journals Sustainable Business Models–Canvas for Sustainability, Evaluation Method, and Their Application to Additive Manufacturing in Aircraft Maintenance

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9130
Author(s):  
Gonçalo Cardeal ◽  
Kristina Höse ◽  
Inês Ribeiro ◽  
Uwe Götze
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Aircraft Maintenance ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
New Business ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
Procedure Model

The topic of sustainable business models is growing in literature and in the industry, driving companies to search for opportunities to improve their impact on the three pillars of sustainability—profit, people, and planet (economic, social, and environmental). However, the process of developing sustainable business models is often complex, due to conflicting objectives from the three dimensions of sustainability. This paper presents a procedure model that supports the design and assessment of business models with a sustainable perspective, by integrating a new business model canvas for sustainability (BMCS) and an evaluation method to assess it. A comprehensive assessment is proposed, performed in a life cycle perspective. The proposed model is applied and validated with a real case study, based on a new business model for an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul company. The case is based on shifting from traditional maintenance, repair, and overhaul activities to adopting additive manufacturing as an activity that allows manufacturing optimized spare parts with benefits for the costumer. The results show the application of the procedure model on a specific case study, as well as the potential of additive manufacturing as a driver for more sustainable business models in the aircraft maintenance sector.

scholarly journals Sustainable business models for wind and solar energy in Romania

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Alexandra Nichifor
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Sustainable Business Models ◽  
Energy Companies

Abstract Renewable energy has become a crucial element for the business environment as the need for new energy resources and the degree of climate change are increasing. As developed economies strive towards greater progress, sustainable business models are of the essence in order to maintain a balance between the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. In recent years, European Union countries have installed important capacities of renewable energy, especially wind and solar energy to achieve this purpose. The objective of this article is to make a comparative study between the current sustainable business models implemented in companies that are active in the wind and solar energy sector in Romania. Both sectors underwent tremendous changes in the last two years due to changing support schemes which have had a significant influence on the mechanism of the renewable energy market, as well as on its development. Using the classical Delphi method, based on questionnaires and interviews with experts in the fields of wind and solar energy, this paper offers an overview of the sustainable business models of wind and solar energy companies, both sectors opting for the alternative of selling electricity to trading companies as a main source of revenue until 2013 and as the main future trend until 2020. Furthermore, the participating wind energy companies noted a pessimistic outlook of future investments due to legal instability that made them to reduce their projects in comparison to PV investments, which are expected to continue. The subject of the article is of interest to scientific literature because sustainable business models in wind and photovoltaic energy have been scarcely researched in previous articles and are essential in understanding the activity of the companies in these two fields of renewable energy.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurship, Sport, Sustainability and Integration: A Business Model in the Low-Season Tourism Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Ricardo Reier Forradellas ◽  
Sergio Náñez Alonso ◽  
Javier Jorge Vázquez ◽  
Miguel Ángel Echarte Fernández ◽  
Nicolas Vidal Miró
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Generation Model ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Women's Sport ◽  
Participation Of Women ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
New Business ◽  
Global Tourism ◽  
Wealth Generation

The global tourism reality is changing, and not only because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This reality is especially representative in countries such as Spain, which are highly dependent on the income generated by the tourism sector. In these destinations, it is necessary to seek innovation and specialization in the sector in order to achieve new business models. This need is even more pressing in destinations overcrowded by the sun and beach effect, as is the case of Mallorca. The proposed work combines the concepts of sports tourism with the development of a wealth-generating business model that will contribute to promoting a tourism that is sustainable, environmentally friendly and deseasonalized. On the other hand, the proposed work will contribute to promoting integration and equality in the participation of women in sports through the development of a model based on the promotion of women’s football. Using the methodology of case analysis, the results of all the approaches outlined are provided, and we obtained a wealth-generation model that is easily replicable and sustainable over time. This work provides a solution to the combination of a sustainable business model that links responsible tourism, the promotion of women’s sport and the generation of wealth.

scholarly journals Regional Electricity Models for Community Energy in Germany: The Role of Governance Structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2241
Author(s):  
Moritz Ehrtmann ◽  
Lars Holstenkamp ◽  
Timon Becker
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Sustainable Innovation ◽  
Value Propositions ◽  
Energy Companies ◽  
Desk Research

Community energy actors play an important role in the energy transition, fostering the diffusion of sustainable innovation in the renewable energy market. Because market conditions for business models in the renewable energy sector are changing and feed-in-tariff (FiT) schemes expiring, community energy companies are in the process of innovating their business models. In recent years, several community energy companies in Germany have entered the electricity retail market selling locally generated electricity from their renewable energy installations to customers in their region. We explore the evolving regional electricity business models for community energy companies in Germany, related governance structures, and the role they play for a sustainable energy transition. In order to implement these complex business models, community energy companies cooperate with professional marketing partners (intermediaries), which are capable of taking over the tasks and obligations of electricity suppliers. Through a series of expert interviews and desk research, we identify three distinctive regional electricity business models and examine opportunities and challenges to their implementation. Results show that there are different forms of cooperation, leading to specific governance structures and creating a set of new value propositions. Through these forms of cooperation, business networks emerge, which can function as incubators for sustainable innovation and learning for the post-FiT era.

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