The Flourishing Business Canvas; the new tool for Business Modelling?: A multiple case study in the Fashion Industry
2017 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Sustainable development
Sustainable Development/Sustainability is used as a subject keyword for the thesis
Abstract [en]
Background: This research paper studies the potential of the Flourishing Business Canvas developed from the new research field of Business Models for Sustainability. Throughout the literature review arguments for the new concept of Business Models for Sustainability are made. Showing also the need for a tool that can help companies to transform towards a BMfS. The Flourishing Business Canvas is the first tool being developed at the moment and is based on the Business Model Canvas of Osterwalder and Pigneur. In this research data from reports from three different fashion companies is used to complete the Flourishing Business Canvasses and to evaluatethe applicability and usefulness of the canvas.
Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of the newly developed Flourishing Business Canvas through case studies of secondary data research in the fashion industry. The research will evaluate the applicability and usefulness of the building blocks of the alpha-version of the Flourishing Business Canvas on the basis of information gathered from annual reports, sustainability reports, home pages and academic research. To contribute to the ongoing research of this tool, the research will try to suggest improvements where needed to make the tool suitable for the sustainable development of the fashion industry.
Methodology: The research is performed trough a qualitative research based on three small casestudies. The canvas is completed for three fashion companies, of three different market segments, based on published reports, media articles and research articles. The gaps in the canvas and the usefulness of the answers will be defined.
Results: The results of the research showed that the three companies follow the four mainarguments for a Business Model for Sustainability, but that what they express in their reports is notcompletely what they do in practise. The Flourishing Business Canvas for the three fashioncompanies was easy to complete as an outsider, this was mostly because they were transparentcompanies that published a lot of information. The questions in the Flourishing Business Canvasalso could show well the efforts on economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Conclusion: The Flourishing Business Canvas is a good tool for the fashion companies to show their economic, social and environmental sustainability in a schematic way and on strategic level. Although in general the canvas expresses that it shows true sustainability, two important elements of a sustainable fashion company; circularity and transparency, were not specifically defined.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2017.
Keywords [en]
Flourishing Business Canvas, Business Models for Sustainability, Fashion Industry, Business Model Canvas, Sustainability, Strategy, Fashion, Business
National Category
Economics and Business
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-12711OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hb-12711DiVA, id: diva2:1143827
Subject / course
Textile management
2017-10-042017-09-222017-10-04Bibliographically approved