3. The Integrated Business Model: An Applied Approach

One factor that has defined the world of the twenty-first century is undoubtedly the significant increase in complexity, and this applies equally to all sectors and industries. The introduction in Sect. 3.1 addresses the complexity issue and finds that established business model concepts are in principle suited to reducing complexity, but in practice insufficient in an increasingly difficult environment. A more extensive, comprehensive concept is therefore required for output design. An integrative approach is proposed here as a suitable method for managing complexity in a business context. Before we introduce and detail the idea of the Integrated Business Model, however, Sect. 3.2 outlines the underlying theory: the St. Gallen Management Concept that provides the conceptual basis for the new approach. Section 3.3 outlines the design of the new integrated model and the two sections that follow detail the characteristics and components of that model. If a business model is to be successful in the long term, it cannot be developed or operated in isolation from its environment. Section 3.4 therefore details a method for defining the relevant creative and decision-making scope; Sect. 3.5 then describes the ten core elements of the Integrated Business Model.