The Process of Business Model Design in a Dynamic Context: the Case of Mobile Middleware Technology Providers

The purpose of the paper is to explore the evolution of a company’s business model, analyzing how external changes due to the market turbulence can determine the reshaping of the previously adopted model. Considering the case of a Mobile Middleware Technology Provider (MMTP), the study assesses how the market fluidity impacts on a firm’s approach towards business modeling, by comparing the business model designed right before the company’s market entry, to the one present after two years of activity within the industry. Employing the longitudinal single case study methodology, the research identifies which are the most critical choices to be made at a business modeling level for a MMTP, and shows how these parameters can be combined to constitute a thorough configuration; afterwards, a comparison is carried out between the initial and the current business models adopted, so to identify any change in the parameters prioritization and in the approach towards business modeling as a whole. The research findings allow to provide a business model parameters reference model for MMTPs. Moreover, the longitudinal comparison makes evident that not only the market’s characteristics, but also the initial strategic approach towards the new business, strongly affect the firm’s business model definition process.