VALUES-BASED BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION-THE CASE OF ECOSIA AND ITS BUSINESS MODEL

This paper explores how values-based innovation (VBI) management can facilitate the development of business models and their constitutive components. It analyses the case of the green search engine, Ecosia, to demonstrate and further differentiate the theoretical framework of VBI management. According to the VBI management framework, the devel-opment of sustainable business models cannot be appropriately managed and researched without considering values and normative orientations. Ecosia’s case highlights that the continuous reconsideration and negotiation of values is integral to the management of business model innovation (BMI) and contributes to the development and specification of business model components. Thus, the case confirms and contributes to a more in-depth understanding of the role values play in managing innovation and demonstrates some of the challenges encountered in the daily practice of VBI management.