Business Models

Cloud computing is the buzzword of the last years; meanwhile, it becomes more present in the product portfolios of IT service providers. A lot of newcomers emerge in the cloud market and established player extend their traditional IT business with cloud aspects. Based on a comprehensive literature analysis, a structured framework for cloud business models is synthetized. This framework is used to investigate and compare 29 successful business models in the cloud market. With the help of a cluster analysis, four common patterns of combination are identified for cloud business models. These clusters induce recommendations for action for IT service providers in the cloud market.

Electric mobility is currently subject to intensive discussions. New business models, products and services, as well as innovation concepts are developed by R&D and tested in real-life. In this context, the project “Personal Mobility Center” has been carried out in the Bremen/Oldenburg model region for electric mobility. On the basis of the Product Life-Cycle, first approaches for product-related services in the different phases of electric mobility have been worked out. Analysis of these “Extended Products” has shown that battery electric vehicles have to overcome several challenges before new mobility offers based on them can compete on the market.

The growing importance of knowledge in product development processes is followed by the urgent need to manage the quality of implemented knowledge management strategies in the process. All sorts of companies have been implementing knowledge management activities in their daily routines, either or not they are aware of it. This paper introduces a model to measure the maturity level of knowledge intensive business processes, which is adjusted to the needs of small and medium enterprises (SME). A set of success factors and their indicators were developed to help identifying the as-is process situation and plan improvement measures as well as a web-based self-assessment tool.

The enormous drive and steady economic growth make India one of the largest future markets for German companies. Besides China, India is the most populous country in the world and about ten times larger than Germany. Even in times of crisis, India showed a constant growth rate. A key requirement for a stable economic and social development is sustainable energy supply. The Indian government is committed to renewable energy resources as they deliver a contribution for climate and environmental protection - besides economic and social evolution. To set up capacities of renewable energy, India depends on the support of foreign companies. This offers great market opportunities for German enterprises as they are appreciated as worldwide technology leaders.

From today, convenient concepts have to be developed and opposed against prospective skills shortage in logistics companies. To make young adults interested in education and training in this field, a platform has to be designed, where all appropriate offers can be found. The development project “Competence Atlas for Logistics in the region of Bremen” worked on an application, which can be applied as well on a Multitouch-Table as in the Internet (www.Komptenzatlas-Logistik-HB.de). It is an exemplary platform that gives information in German and English to diverse target groups.

The performance of Brazilian companies is compared and presented through an internet Benchmarking and Monitoring System (SIMAP) with different criteria as indicators, methods, best practices and technologies. The SIMAP has 46 criteria to compare companies with the same product or process that are part of a supply chain or industrial agglomeration. The analytical potential of this computer system supports the identification of industry trends and improvements giving support for cooperation and collaboration at the mesolevel of the systemic competitiveness. This review includes the latest data of 160 companies and some features of SIMAP.

Buyer-supplier collaborative or partnerships relationships are terms that have been used to designate closer and long-term dyad relations where risks and benefits are shared implying both economic and social involvement. The relationships between a Brazilian buyer which is the world leader in the hermetic compressor market and five metal/mechanical sector suppliers are characterized in this study. Results show that relationships have become closer and many practices and characteristics of a partnership can be observed but there is no concern regarding strengthening the relationship itself. The analyzed context also shows a dyad that is mainly affected by the buyer´s perspective, i.e. keeping a broad number of suppliers for each product, the supplier´s high investment in assets to meet buyer requirements, and short-term relationships, which stress the focus on economic goals.

The quality endeavors of an organization, like other enterprise activities, must be oriented towards the economic principles. This approach give way to many organization to question the extent to which the quality management contributes for the overall business success and to pin point the areas where particularly a high value can be created in order to attain the maximum possible economic benefits out of QM-Systems. Without including the answer of this question in the decision making process, the resources can not be allocated optimally for the quality purpose. The following illustration depicts how the quality-based activities generate the value to enhance the performance and a variety of indicators reflects how they indirectly add value to an organization and hence contribute to its economic success.

There are many commercial software applications to support business processes. More and more companies, however, rely on open source alternatives, because there is now a wide range of sophisticated applications for classical business functions. But how good is the royalty-free alternative, for whom is it appropriate and what to look for? The following article provides a glimpse into the world of open source and introduces some tools and applications.

Standard software should be chosen based on the value created through it’s introduction within the firm. Business process improvements that are achieved after the software has been introduced create value for the company. Due to the vast amount of software companies and their products it is recommend to follow a structured approach when selecting standard software, assuring that a high degree of functional coverage and profitability surging through the introduction of the software are present. This approach is briefly introduced in this article.