An Integrated Framework of Business Models for Guiding Electronic Commerce Applications and Case Studies

A well-designed business model serves as a key success factor for business enterprises to create electronic commerce (EC) applications and sustain profits. The lacking of uniform views and architecture for business models leads to the difficulties for supporting profitable EC-related business development and management, and also makes it uneasy to clearly outline the content and procedure for performing comprehensive EC case studies and comparative analyses. The goal of this paper is to propose an integrated framework of business models for efficiently and effectively guiding EC applications and case studies. Within this architectural framework a component structure of business models and a content structure of case studies which uses business models as the core are presented. Critical components such as assets, markets, customers, competitors, products, services, costs, prices, revenues, profits, market shares, economic scales, marketing strategies, competitive advantages and the dynamic relationships between these components are discussed.