ICT-supported Business Model Innovation for Sustainability
(A2021-93127)

AUTHORS

Orsolya Sadik-Rozsnyai, ESSCA School of Management; Barbara Caemmerer, ESSCA School of Management

ABSTRACT

ICT-supported business model innovation for sustainability (BMIfS) is an emerging academic field, positing that sustainability features should be implemented in each building block of BMI, including the value proposition. We contribute to the extant literature by exploring how ICT-supported BMI can address underlying social needs by integrating sustainable elements into the value proposition for customers. Data from N=885 MOOC users from an online platform were extracted. A content analysis reveals that sustainable value is created when the sustainable facet is added to every traditional value dimension (functional, emotional, epistemic, social, conditional value) and each of these enriched dimensions addresses specific underlying social needs (safety, social, esteem, actualisation). This is a promising way to develop a meaningful BM portfolio which enables diversification and the penetration of new market segments whilst enhancing organizational legitimacy simultaneously.