ABSTRACT
Today, most academics and practitioners consider the business model (BM) as measurable, objective and one of a kind. Although there are many different definitions (Taran 2011) and types of BMs (e.g. open and closed (Chesbrough 2007; Lindgren 2011), free (Anderson and Narus 1999) and internet-based (Zott and Amit 2002), most define “business model” on a business level and on a core business level (Abell 1980). In this chapter we propose that there is a need for a distinction between levels of business model focus: the business level – the core business model or overall business model – and the business models existing under the “umbrella” of the core business model. This is to prevent fuzziness and support discussion and help further development of the BM theory and the knowledge of the BM community.
