Charging Customers or Making Profit? Business Model Change in the Software Industry

Purpose: Advancements in technology, changing customer demands or new market entrants are often seen as a necessary condition to trigger the creation of new Business Models, or disruptive change in existing ones. Yet, the sufficient condition is often determined by pricing and how customers are willing to pay for the technology (Chesbrough and Rosenbloom, 2002). As a consequence, much research on Business Models has focused on innovation and technology management (Rajala et al., 2012; Zott et al., 2011), and software-specific frameworks for Business Models have emerged (Popp, 2011; Rajala et al., 2003; Rajala et al., 2004; Stahl, 2004). This paper attempts to illustrate Business Model change in the software industry.

Design: Drawing on Rajala et al. (2003), this case study explores the (1) antecedents and (2) consequences of a Business Model-change in a logistics software company. The company decided to abolish their profitable fee-based licensing for an internet-based version of its core product and to offer it as freeware including unlimited service.

Findings: Firstly, we illustrate how external developments in technology and customer demands (pricing), as well as the desire for a sustainable Business Model, have led to this drastic change. Secondly, we initially find that much of the company’s new Business Model is congruent with the company-focused framework of Rajala et al. (2003) [product strategy; distribution model, services and implementation; revenue logic].

Value: The existing frameworks for Business Models in the software industry cannot fully explain the disruptive change in the Business Model. Therefore, we suggest extending the framework by the element of ‘innovation’.

研究背景：技术进步、客户需求变迁或新市场参与者通常被视为催生全新商业模式（Business Models）或对既有商业模式进行颠覆性变革的必要条件。然而，其充分条件往往由定价策略以及客户为该技术付费的意愿所决定（Chesbrough与Rosenbloom，2002）。因此，现有商业模式研究多聚焦于创新与技术管理领域（Rajala et al., 2012; Zott et al., 2011），同时涌现出一批针对软件场景的商业模式框架（Popp, 2011; Rajala et al., 2003; Rajala et al., 2004; Stahl, 2004）。本研究旨在阐释软件行业中的商业模式变革。

研究设计：本案例研究借鉴Rajala等人（2003）的研究框架，对某物流软件企业的商业模式变革的（1）前因与（2）后果展开探究。该企业决定废止其核心产品的互联网版本此前的盈利性付费授权模式，转而将该版本以免费软件（freeware）形式推出，并提供无限制服务。

研究发现：其一，本研究阐释了技术与客户需求（定价维度）的外部发展趋势，以及企业对可持续商业模式的诉求，如何共同推动了此次颠覆性变革。其二，本研究初步发现，该企业的新型商业模式在很大程度上契合Rajala等人（2003）提出的以企业为中心的框架，即「产品战略；分销模式、服务与实施；收入逻辑」。

研究价值：现有软件行业商业模式框架无法完全解释本次商业模式的颠覆性变革。据此，本研究建议在该框架中补充「创新」这一构成要素。