Business Models

2 Applied research methodology

This chapter uses a structured literature review (SLR) methodology “to develop insights, critical reflections, future research paths and research questions” for the field of business model research (Massaro et al., 2016a, p. 767). The SLR methodology potentially offers less bias and more transparency because it relies on a set of rules that underpin validation and reliability. Given that business model research to date lacks specific research questions needed to drive future research, the SLR methodology is ideally suited to building on the work of Zott et al. (2011) and Wirtz et al. (2016b).

According to Hart (1998, p. 1) a literature reviews allow understanding of a topic, focusing on “what has already been done ...