Coopetition (collaboration between competing firms) is a phenomenon that has recently captured a great deal of attention due to its increasing relevance to business practice. However, current research on coopetition is still short on explaining how the potential advantages of coopetition can be realized over time as part of an individual firm's business model. In order to gain insights into this, we conduct a longitudinal, in-depth case study on the coopetition-based business models of Amazon.com. We find evidence of three distinct coopetition-based business models: (1) Amazon Marketplace, (2) Amazon Services and Web Services, and (3) the collaboration between Apple and Amazon on digital text platforms. We conclude by forwarding several propositions on how value can be created and captured by involving competitors in a firm's business model. As a whole, the results contribute to the current understanding of how firmsas well as their stakeholderscan better benefit from coopetition.
In this paper we present the Lightswitch approach, an approach for defining early requirements for enterprise IT systems. Using the approach, engineers can model the way an enterprise regulates its relationships with its environment, identify changing conditions within the enterprise and its environment, and propose options for changing this regulation. The engineers can then define initial IT system goals necessary for the above changes. The use of the approach is shown in the real case of a hospital's sterilization department.
Enterprise survival is about maintaining an identity that is separate from other enterprises. We define flexibility as the ability to change without losing identity. The identity of an enterprise can be analyzed as a set of norms and beliefs about these norms held by its stakeholders, such as customers, employees, suppliers, and investors. Business processes and their support systems maintain invariants that are the result of compromises between the often conflicting norms and beliefs of these stakeholders. We formalize these invariants as values in a state space. Identifying a minimum set of invariants provides a basis for defining flexible processes and support systems. We illustrate the use of this framework with production business process support (BPS) systems.
To align an IT system with an organization's needs, it is necessary to understand the organization 's position within its environment as well as its internal configuration. In SEAM for enterprise architecture the organization is considered as a hierarchy of systems that span from business down to IT. The alignment process addresses the complete hierarchy. We illustrate the use of SEAM for enterprise architecture with an example in which a new hiring process and an IT system are developed. With this approach it is possible to train new engineers in the design of business and IT alignment. It is also possible to scope projects in a way that integrate both business and IT strategies. This enables the consideration of IT developments in an enterprise-wide context.
Disciplines
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Publication DetailsWegmann, A., Regev, G., Rychkova, I., Le, L., Cruz, J. & Julia, P. (2007)
The early requirements of an IT system should be aligned with the organization's business imperatives.
To understand these imperatives it is necessary to understand the organization's position within its environment. SEAM for Business is a method designed for analyzing the competitive environment of an organization, including its relationships with its
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