ESRC RESEARCH SEMINAR SERIES
Business models
4th March 2015
UWE, Bristol
Frenchay Campus
BS16 1QY
Venue: 4Q69,
Seminar Four
Business Models and Structural Choices
7 per cent of firms in the UK are classified as 'high growth firms' with annual employment growth of 20% for three consecutive years.
Compared to a number of other OECD economies, UK firms lag behind in terms of aspired and realised growth. To develop its
international competitiveness the UK needs to improve its record in growing its business firms using business models. This seminar
series focuses on maximising the contribution of business models to UK jobs and productivity growth, facilitate high-quality
collaborative research on business models and performance; and maximise the policy and strategy impact of business model
research. It is widely recognised that growth is strongly influenced by a range of issues such as social, institutional and cultural issues that need a business modelling approach.
This seminar will focus on the use of business model concepts to understand at a deeper level the structural choices firm leaders have
to make about their own firms' business models and how to manage these different business models effectively. This seminar speaks
to the idea of the multiple sites of business models - existing or being 'performed' at the group, organisational, and even industry level.
Presentations:
Prof Charles Baden-Fuller, City University
Lena Ramsfelt
Prof Michael Jacobides, London Business School,
Prof Wim Van Haverbeke, Hasselt University
James Timpson, Chief Executive, Timpsons will deliver his address entitled ‘Con to Cobbler’ – separate registration is required for
this – see http://info.uwe.ac.uk/events/event.aspx?id=16128
There will be responses to the presentations, and a panel discussion will follow with questions from the floor.
Travel assistance (up to £100) and free refreshments for the first 8 PhD students to apply, and the charge for refreshments
for the next 12 PhD students to apply will be refunded.
Further information from: Chloe Hayward Chloe.Hayward@uwe.ac.uk
Seminar 4
4th March 2015
Bristol Business School
PROGRAMME
09.30-10.00
Registration and Coffee
10.00 –
10:05
Welcome – Professor Noel Burchell, Pro Vice Chancellor and
Executive Dean,
10:05 –
10:10
Introduction and outline of the day – Professor Nicholas O’Regan
10.10- 10.20
Summary of Seminar 3 Prof Jonathan Levie, Strathclyde
10.20 –
10.50
Prof Charles Baden-Fuller, City University
Title of Presentation – Business Model Zoo, a tool kit to understanding
business model choices
10.50 –
Stewart Leinster, BaE Systems
11:30
Title of Presentation -From business models to business reality: the
challenge of integrating the verticals
11:30 – 11.45
Coffee break
11.45 –
Lena Ramsfelt – Stanford University and author of the bestselling book
12:25
Gear Up: Test Your Business Model Potential and Plan Your Path to
Success
12:25 –
13:05
13:05 –
14.00
14.00 –
14:40
Title of Presentation - Sales Formula - point of departure for a unique
business model
Prof Michael Jacobides – London Business School
Title of Presentation - Confronting the competitive and structural
context of Business Models: Industry Architectures, Ecosystems, or
Sectors?
Lunch – Business Models: Structural Choices
Prof Wim Van Haverbeke, Hasselt University
Title of Presentation – Difficulties in framing Open Business Models"
14.40 –
15.20
15.20- 16.00
16.00 –
16.10
18.00-19.30
Business models and SMEs - tales from the coalface (with speakers to be
confirmed).
Business Models Research at UWE Bristol
 Dr Glenn Parry
 Prof Dylan Jones Evans
 Dr Peter Bradley
Professor Andi Smart closing Remarks and invitation to re-convene at
Exeter University for the fifth seminar, Business Models: An Activity
System Perspective Exeter June 2015
James Timpson, Chief Executive, Timpsons*
Further details
Charles Baden-Fuller will present his business model zoo, a framework for
understanding business model choices that is practically supported with exemplars
drawn from across digital and non-digital industries.
Stewart Leinster will discuss the challenges in vertical business integration. At the
lower levels a number of concepts all promise benefits to customers (service
consumers) and businesses, but service remains of a transactional nature. He will
explore how can we innovate the service ecosystem from its current ‘Push’
configuration towards a ‘Pull’ configuration that is able to exploit the promise of
IVHM/CBM? Stewart contends that there is a need to address the ‘vertical’ of the
business stack – from the Service consumer, the contracting framework and
incentivisation model right through to the data, analytics, and information services
used as part of Service Delivery – they are all linked in transforming from a Push to
a Pull model. His presentation is based on how this can be achieved
Michael Jacobides will consider the analytical and definitional challenges of
Business Models, and also suggest that we need to shift our attention from each
particular firms' business model, to the competitive context in which the business is
situated. Drawing on his current work on the comparative use of ecosystems,
industry architectures, platforms or sectors as the level of analysis, he will consider
how we can best anchor the Business Model discussion to a specific analysis of the
competitive and structural context that surrounds them. He will conclude with the
discussion of promising directions but also blind spots for business model research,
and consider promises and potential challenges of a structural view.
Lena Ramfelt will base her presentation on three fundamental concepts in order to
develop a business model: Customer Acquisition, Delight, and Business Model.
Those three entities creates what will be referred to as a "Sales Formula". It is in the
interaction among the three that a company can build a unique Sales Formula that is
hard to copy, is levering the value created, and is sustainable.
James Timpson is Chief Executive of Timpson, a family retail business based in
Manchester. Through 820 shops across the UK and Ireland Timpson is the largest
shoe repairer, key cutter, engraver and watch repairer. Timpson's store portfolio was
further increased by the purchase of 180 Max Spielmann photo processing stores in
2008 and an additional 121 Snappy Snap photo processing stores in 2013, boosting
the Company's turnover to £200M. Recent acquisitions have seen the total store
numbers exceed 1300.
Over 3500 colleagues run the shops within an "upside down management" structure
which Timpson has developed to ensure those serving customers are the most
important colleagues in the business; everyone else is there to help them give
amazing service. Coupled with this is a consistency on recruiting only those with
amazing personalities.
The Seminar Series is sponsored by the ESRC, BAM and the British Library,
but a nominal charge of £25 will be made for administration/refreshments.
There is travel assistance (up to £100) and free refreshments for the first 8
PhD students to apply, and the charge for refreshments for the next 12 PhD
students to apply will be refunded.