The Business Model Canvas - A Useful Tool

How should a business model be developed and communicated to best support the launch of a new venture?

Sandra Navalli, Damon Phillips  | Fall 2019
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Tamer Center for Social Enterprise

This case lays out the steps for creating a Business Model Canvas (BMC)—a comprehensive and intuitive framework intended to facilitate description and discussion of a new venture idea. Focusing on both the efficiency and value generating aspects of a new business, the model directs the founding team members to consider key aspects of a core model, including the company’s value proposition, customer relationships, revenue streams, cost structure, and competitive environment. A variation on the model for nonprofit organizations, a Social Impact BMC, is also presented, adding additional items such as impact metrics. The case includes several real world business examples and asks students to prepare a traditional BMC for the for-profit company (Nespresso) and a Social Impact BMC for the social impact example (ConBody) using the tools outlined in the case.

Case ID: 200404
Supplemental Materials: Teaching Note

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