The Internet economy is essentially characterized by its considerable dynamic and
speed of change. The rapid digitalization of numerous areas of life has resulted in a
shift towards today’s Information Society. Therefore, since the beginning of the
twenty-first century, online businesses have profoundly and progressively gained an
importance. Against this background, the growing intensity of competition and the
shortening of innovation cycles management decisions have become ever more
complex and difficult, especially for the area of business models. In recent years, the
business model concept has become a popular tool in business practice because it
can help to successfully analyse and handle these complexities.
Despite the great practical importance of business model management in the
digital area, the conceptual basis in the literature is not very comprehensive. Thus, it
seems necessary to develop a stronger conceptual foundation in order to deduce
helpful insights and practical guidance for managers of digital businesses. The
present book aims at filling this gap and to provide a detailed overview of the
business model concept in the digital world.
In preparing this book, I received various kinds of support from the former
and current employees and doctoral students of the Chair of Information and
Communication Management at the German University of Administrative
Science Speyer. I would like to particularly thank Mr. Paul F. Langer (M.Sc.),
Mr. Jan C. Weyerer (M.Sc.), Isabell Balzer (M.A.), Mr. Steven Birkmeyer
(M.Sc.), Mr. Florian W. Schmidt (M.Sc.) and Mr. Daniel Schmitt (MPA) for their
dedication to this project.
The scientific development of a subject area thrives through the critical analysis
and discussion of concepts and content. Given this fact and the currently inchoate
state of knowledge regarding digital business models, I am grateful for every
comment or suggestion for improvement. Furthermore, lecturers who are interested
in using graphics and lecture with materials from this book are welcome to contact
the author.