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Use in the Classroom

The value concept is central to the BMN. One of the functions of a business model is to act as a link between a technology or an idea and its users. A business model, in simple terms, is a way of capturing and delivering value to customers. This mediating principle lies at the heart of the BMN, and it can be viewed as a source of strength. From theory to practice, the main question is how organisations can implement and make use of BMN. BMN is an action-oriented methodology that permits any company to break with its dominant industry logic and innovate its business model. It has been shown to work in all manner of organisations, industries, and companies. It builds on the central idea that successful business models can be constructed through creative imitation and recombination. HE teachers can explain the use and applicability of this tool in a classroom setting by the using the following steps:

  • Describe the Purpose/Problem Definition
    • General Overview: In the start, management needs to describe the rationale for adopting BMN, what problem(s) needs to be addressed. Basically, the management needs to the re-examine the motivation for implementing business model innovation practises, as well as the difficulties that must be solved. The fundamentals of a proposition are simple to comprehend, such as (WHO) is the target customer and what his/her needs, (WHAT) is the value proposition and with the help of which products and services is it generated, (HOW) is the value proposition delivered and (WHY) is the business model profitable?
    • Classroom Activity: A quick ten-minute summary of the BMN topic should be given at the start of the class lecture, restating the session objectives, and summarising the BMN idea. Important criteria for the WHO dimension are e.g., market growth, the relevance of the customer problem or need, or the strategic importance of the targeted customer segment for the company. Evaluation criteria for the WHAT dimension include, besides the added value per se, aspects such as the scaling or further development potential of the products/services offered. The maturity of the technology used, existing synergy effects, and the customer’s own share in the value generation are criteria for the HOW-dimension. The customer’s willingness to pay and the needed investment to introduce the idea to the market are criteria for the WHY dimension. are examples of questions that the teacher could ask the students. Some students may choose to volunteer their responses. Teachers must then form groups of 4 to 5 pupils utilising the knowledge gained above. As an activity, provide each group a list of organisations from which to choose — organisations that are directly relevant to marketing strategy. The goal of this classroom activity is for students to engage a group discussion within themselves to comprehend and describe the problem of why a particular organisation chose to use BMN. Each group can finish this conversation in 30 minutes.
  • Implement the Tool
    • General Overview: Once the purpose and problem are clearly comprehended, the next stage is to identify the type of actions that relate to each of the WHO, WHAT, HOW and WHY.
    • Classroom Activity: Once the students have explored the organisation’s website (any example) or the web in general, studied and understood their move to BMN, then students can start discussing and drafting points related to the organisation i.e., focusing on WHO, WHAT, HOW and WHY. Once the students have drafted points, the HE teacher can ask each group to present their findings to the whole class. The students in the group can share (his/her) idea in order to make their argument make sense and flow. They can then decide who will lead in presenting the overall findings. Presentation time for each group can be 10 mins. The students can also present their findings with respect to WHO, WHAT, HOW and WHY.
  • Collect Data after Tool Implementation
    • General Overview: Once management implements BMN practices, they can consider evaluating each department’s positioning, resulting in collecting data (either via survey, focus groups, or interviews) to understand the outcomes of implementing BMN.
    • Classroom Activity: Once all the groups in the classroom have presented their findings related to their chosen organisation, the HE teacher can collate the main points presented by each group, either by creating a self-constructed questionnaire or merely extract main points from their presentation of the tool.
  • Analyse the Data and Reflect on the Outcome
    • General Overview: Once data is collected, creating, and delivering is the next step towards the BMN.
    • Classroom Activity: After aggregating the major points from the group presentations, the HE teacher has the option of providing feedback to each group after they have given, or allowing all the groups to present, collating the important points, and then providing feedback to each group at the conclusion. In either case, the HE teacher must provide feedback on the pupils’ performance during the task. The HE teacher and students might dispute in this final section of the activity. Depending on the number of groups formed in the first stage, the teacher may opt to divide them into two groups, one to discuss the benefits of BMN and the other to discuss the drawbacks. Each faction can strive to persuade the opposite side to agree with their viewpoint. The goal of this group exercise is to assist participants comprehend and appreciate the overall value of BMN, as well as the reasons why organisations choose to employ BMN practises and how they are applied by organisational leaders.

To summarise, a BMN tool is most effective when it is adopted as a new way of working, that is, when it is adopted, implemented, propagated, and actively exercised, rather than when it is just plugged in as an add-on or patch. However, BMN is one single tool that compliments the business canvas model i.e., while teaching the business canvas model, it is advisable to use the BMN tool as well. This combination of tools is the most used and referenced frameworks according to a quantitative literature analysis.

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