A Knowledge Management Perspective on Business Models

So far no theory has been reported academically on an expected relationship between Business Models and Knowledge Management Consecutive research in individual fields is at initial stages however substantial academic literature is available in both fields. The theme of this paper is to look into domains of Knowledge Management and Business Models simultaneously and find missing links of a probable relationship between two domains. In order to establish this connection, we can work in the domains of Organizational Transformation (Business Re-engineering), Knowledge management and Business Model concept. It may help us to establish interlink on theoretical basis. For this purpose, first we will propose a modified definition of Business Model and then discuss a hierarchical structure of knowledge related functions referred as `Knowledge Repository´. We will also probe where knowledge, as a strategic asset, is located in an organization which is then shared among interacting partners in a value chain . We will also link this phenomenon of Business Model concept with so called `Open Business Models´. The adapted term `Open Business Model´, was referred by Henry Chesbrough (2006), will be used in a context of creating value and to capture part of this value during transformation process. In this paper, we will initiate debate on two hypotheses, 1) knowledge related functions are core elements to effectively manage knowledge and, 2) Business Model has a direct causal relation with Knowledge Management. This multi-theory research may lead towards building a theory of `Open Business Models´ in the domain of E-Commerce which intends to fill a gap between Knowledge Management and Business Models, otherwise an untested area so far in the field of E-Commerce. This research will also provide new venues for research in the field of Business Models and Knowledge Management.