Business Model Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Origins and Trends

Abstract

The business model (BM) concept has become a major area of interest in Management literature, leading to the publication of a host of literature reviews and essays aimed at synthesizing and interpreting the development of BM research. Yet these general analyses have largely neglected the specificities of the two main disciplines in which the BM concept is anchored: Strategic Management and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Accordingly, this article seeks to explore the intellectual roots and current trends of these disciplines to refine our understanding of the development of the BM literature. We draw on a mixed bibliometric analysis based on two samples of, respectively, 208 and 345 articles published in Strategic Management and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. This analysis enables us to compare the theoretical pillars (co-citation analysis) and research fronts (bibliographic coupling analysis) of BM research in these two foundational disciplines. Our results suggest a certain homogeneity within both the theoretical pillars of the disciplines and the incremental diversification of their research fronts. In light of these findings, we consider the future of the BM literature and accordingly propose a twofold developmental strategy for it.