Innovative business models of SMEs: state-of-the-art and future research agenda
Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
ISSN: 1462-6004
Article publication date: 13 March 2024
Issue publication date: 5 June 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This paper reviews the literature on the business models of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It seeks to examine the profile, conceptual and intellectual structure of the literature whilst leveraging the findings to suggest promising future paths to advance our knowledge on business models of SMEs.
Design/methodology/approach
The study resorts to a systematic literature review that conducts descriptive, bibliometric (i.e. co-word occurrence analysis and bibliographic coupling of documents analysis) and content analyses to review the literature on business models of SMEs. The research protocol included 301 articles collected in the Web of Science (WoS) database in the descriptive and bibliometric analyses. The bibliometric analysis was performed using the VOSviewer software.
Findings
The descriptive analysis portrayed the profile of this research stream. The systematisation of the co-word occurrence analysis describes the four clusters that comprise the conceptual structure of this research field. The content analysis of the bibliographic coupling of documents’ clusters portrays the seven clusters that involve the intellectual structure of this research area.
Originality/value
The integrated and holistic approach adopted in this study provides a detailed overview of the literature on business models of SMEs. We propose an integrative framework for the literature that bridges the main themes that form the conceptual and intellectual structure of this field of research. A comprehensive agenda for future research is suggested and implications for theory, policy and practice are stated.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article: Ana Joana Candeias Fernandes acknowledges the financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT) under the PhD Research Studentship 2021.08043.BD. NECE and this work are supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P. by project reference UIDB/04630/2020 and DOI identifier 10.54499/UIDP/04630/2020.
Citation
Ferreira, J.J., Candeias Fernandes, A.J. and Gerschewski, S. (2024), "Innovative business models of SMEs: state-of-the-art and future research agenda", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 445-472. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-10-2023-0505
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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