Studies on the Micro-Foundations of Business Model Design

Scientific knowledge, technological progress, and globalisation have challenged, modified, or replaced established business models. This has resulted in new business models, some dominating old and new industries. Consequently, more people than ever deal with business models which are progressively complex. Since it remains very difficult to predict the success of new business models, managers are under high pressure to legitimate their innovation activities. Within the scope of his dissertation, Niklas Eschner conducts three studies to better understand individuals who work withand develop business models.Study 1 aims to discover and measure specific behaviour of individuals which is required to transform ideas into a new business model design. As large and established organisations increasingly depend on business model ideas of their employees, this study adopts the organisational context.Study 2 builds upon the results of study 1 and analyses the effects of entrepreneurship training on employees. As most employees are not inherently entrepreneurial, this study investigates entrepreneurship training to explain the emergence of entrepreneurial employees.Study 3 examines the role of business model design of startups on the investment decision-making of business angels. Within this study, the level of analysis remains at the individual level but the unit of analysis changes from employees to business angels.Dr. Niklas Eschner obtained his doctoral degree supervised by Prof. Dr. Johann Kranz and led by Dr. Johannes Sommerhäuser at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich.