A futures business model for a progressive Jewish school in Melbourne

Abstract

This study has been undertaken to develop a Futures Business Model for a Melbourne based Jewish day school affiliated to Progressive Judaism. The School has experienced operating shortfalls over ·recent years and it requires radical innovation of its business model in order to deliver sustainable financial viability. The primary source of data collection has been generated through a case study methodology and structured observation and immersion by the author. This has been supported through extensive literature review on business model innovation as well as Jewish day school experiences across the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. The result of the study is the reconceptualisation of the School's business model through the application of the framework developed by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2009). The outcome delivers an improved value proposition for customers and sufficient value creation retained by the School to generate positive margins and ensure its financial viability. The study builds on existing research on Jewish day schools as well as business model innovation. Elements within the study can be applied to other faith-based private schools which service a minority group within the broader Australian community and assist such schools in applying a conceptualisation process to assess their existing business model and underpin the development of a new business model.