Complexity of changes in the business model : an empirical research

Abstract

Purpose: The main goal of this paper is an evaluation of the complexity of changes implemented in the business model by companies with regard to their internal attributes. In our work we intend to find which companies, considering their size, age, legal form, type, and range of operations, change their business model in more complex way. We also want to evaluate the associations between changes in the business model as well as to identify the patterns of their implementing. Design/Methodology/Approach: We collected the data using own survey research conducted among 104 companies registered in Poland with CAWI technique. We used ordinal logistic regression model as well as nonparametric statistical testing. Findings: Our research showed that majority of companies change their business model, and the complexity of changes is dependent on legal form, age of companies, type of activities and use of outsourcing. We find that the companies do not have common patterns in implementing changes to the business model and the changes, as a rule, are not correlated. Practical Implications: The paper attempts to identify group of internal attributes of companies that make them liable to complex changes in the business models. Originality/value: Most of the research to date has focused on studying changes in the business model under the influence of external factors resulting from the macroeconomic or competitive environment, without focusing on the problem of complexity of changes embedded in the organization of the company and its individual attributes.