Why pricing matters: a design research on brazilian startups

The goal of this research is to study the two managerially and academically important issues of 1) the level of value based pricing used in SMEs and 2) pricing strategy as a tool for partnerships.

İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Girişimcilik Dergisi, 2021

Business Model approach refers to the whole of an enterprise. The issue of how the Design Thinking Approach (which suggests a people-oriented approach to each problem, from the entrepreneur problems to daily problems) will have consequences on Business Model Innovation is a remarkable research topic. In this article, in the process of creating or innovating their business models, the design-centred thinking level, the contribution of the business model to the building blocks, and the aspects that entrepreneurs benefit were investigated. In this research which is based on the experiences of entrepreneurs, start-ups were contacted, and semi-structured interviews designed by taking expert opinions were applied to entrepreneurs. The data obtained from 13 interviews of approximately 1 hour per participant were analysed using the MAXQDA software program and expert opinions. As a result; It was made out that entrepreneurs were highly Design Thinker individuals, they think design-oriented in their "value proposition" about their ventures, thus minimizing time-money costs.

International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2023

This study analyzes the theoretical and practical effects of Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use on Attitude Toward Using and Behavioral Intention to use the web-based pricing application Mersyprice, based on the Technology Acceptance Model theory. Mersyprice is a web-based application to support strategic pricing for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the creative sector. Data was collected through an online Focus Group Discussion (FGD) using Zoom to introduce the use of Mersyprice in supporting strategic pricing for creative SMEs. Participants then completed a questionnaire using a Google form. Data analysis was carried out in 2 stages. The first stage, to answer theoretical objectives, Structural Equation Modeling was used. While the second stage, to answer practical purposes, the Analytical Hierarchy Process was used. The firststage of analysis showed that Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use have a significant impact on Behavioral Intention to use the Mersyprice application via Attitude Toward Using it. Respondents considered that the "Ease of Use" variable was more important. The second stage of analysis revealed that 47% of creative SMEs intend to use Mersyprice, while 35% are considering using it. It can be concluded that Mersyprice is useful in supporting strategic pricing by creative sector of SMEs. For future research it is important to develop the Mersyprice in a more user friendly so that it can be used more widely.

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2012

Pricing is a classical marketing instrument. While it affects companies of all sizes and categories, scientific research often sees pricing as focused on large enterprises, particularly the consumer products industry. In the limited amount of articles on SMEs and/or start-ups, new developments in pricing and/or marketing often receive no attention. The following paper aims to address this: using the most current findings from marketing research, its goal is to show which characteristics result for pricing in SMEs and start-ups, and which implications for management can be derived from them.

2013

This paper introduces a methodology to support strategic design and management decision-making in entrepreneurial systems that are called to evolve towards more complexity. It describes a framework to capture the early dependencies between the components and stakeholders of an enterprise organization that faces a wide array of uncertainty in a start-up environment. The methodology consists of two steps: 1) a layered DSM representation, and 2) flexibility analysis. The first step provides a systems-level representation of the enterprise, and enables quick identification of opportunities for flexibility. The second step enables thorough and quantitative analysis of opportunities for flexibility to support strategic design and management decision-making. The concept of flexibility, often associated to real options, is exploited as a way to deal pro-actively with uncertainty, which is prevalent in a startup environment. It provides entrepreneurial systems with the “right, but not the ob...

R&D Management, 2016

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IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 2014

Effectuation and causation are two contrasting approaches to new business development. We argue that these two approaches are generic decision-making mechanisms that can coexist with one another and that they are configured in specific ways during different phases in the process of new product creation. These decision-making mechanisms are influenced by internal and external market factors: the nature of activities of a phase and the interplay between the business model and tactics. Our research framework is a generic two-stage competitive process that separates business models from tactics. We conducted an in-depth case study of a console game creation project to examine these decisionmaking mechanisms and to explore how business models are formulated and how each mechanism influences subsequent tactics during the new product creation process. Our findings suggest the following four decision-making configurations with unique modes of interplay between business models and tactics: effectuation centric, discovery centric, causation centric, and tactic centric. The theoretical insights on the linkage between decision-making mechanisms and business models have important practical implications for new product creation.

The developed world is rapidly transitioning from an industrialized economy to one powered by startups. This trend, referred to as the “startup movement”, harbors a sub-trend that’s important to the field of design. Increasingly the strategy entrepreneurs use to manage their startups has embraced the process designers use to develop products and services. Since the convergence is happening naturally, the two processes should have synergies. The main objective of this research is to explore those synergies. Observation and analysis of these processes were conducted from the angle of project disciplines and theory under two modes and knowledge domains: (1) the project and its « conception » - « design mode »; (2) the project and its development - « management mode ». These two modes invariably cohabit, but are based on fundamentally different paradigms, generating inconsistencies within their synergy. We explore the consistencies and inconsistencies within their synergies by observing behaviour within two living laboratories: (1) Startup Weekend, a three day event that primarily embraces startup management-strategies; (2) Startup Fuze, a one-month, intensive program developed by the authors. This event interweaves both design and startup management strategies in a fashion that aims to maximize their synergies. Preliminary results show that within the development processes of « startups », design plays an important role for product development but its function as a strategic tool and methods are not well understood by the team. Interestingly, entrepreneurs follow an intense iteration process, especially in early stages of the startup, but there is little synchronization of tasks and strategies between the product-development and business-model processes. The «synchronicity» between the two processes is not optimal, nor does it seem to offer sufficient « anchor » points, both in practice and theory.

We discuss basic components of the business model concept, with particular emphasis on rigorous and preferably quantitative methods of analysis of business models. We focus on factors which influence the process of developing customer value proposition -a crucial part of any business model. We also present an international collaborative project aimed at developing methods of making existing business models of SMEs more innovative.

pista: periódico interdisciplinar, 2023

In order to serve markets with high complexity, technology, complexity and competitiveness, the Business Model Canvas-BMC tool emerged, which approaches the conceptual approach of the business model oriented towards innovation markets. However, although most startups use the BMC tool in its original way, 25% of Startups 'die' before the 1st year of life and half of them, in less than 04 years. In this context, this study contributes to strengthening startups by answering the question: What are the strategies and practices that startup entrepreneurs adopt when using BMC? This study evaluates the purpose of using the BMC, the gaps in the tool's execution; and finally, the practices adopted in the business models of startups to create value and generate a sustainable competitive advantage. The research methodology is characterized as descriptive, its operationalization occurred with the adoption of the mixed method. The research technique applied in the quantitative approach was the survey, which took place through forms, applied online. In phase 2, 12 startup entrepreneurs were interviewed. At the end of the study, BMC proved to be embedded in the entrepreneurial culture, as 73.53% of respondents who used or use BMC (98%) apply Canvas to describe the business model. This empirical analysis confirms the purpose of using the BMC in the business description and not as a model "creation, adjustment and management" tool. The study shows some inconsistencies in the BMC, which are: the non-adoption of metrics, the non-integration of market assessment to the creation and negotiation of the business model management. These shortcomings, in addition to reducing the BMC's response power, confirm the tool's limitations. Management practices related to sales channels, relationships and partnerships presented difficulties, which impact on the operation and attraction phases of startups.