CBE Research Seminar Series: Interfunctional Business Models: A Map-Grid for an Uncharted Quadrant of the Blue Ocean

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YEREVAN, Armenia – On April 22nd, the American University of Armenia (AUA) College of Business & Economics hosted a seminar on the article “Interfunctional Business Models: A Map-Grid for an Uncharted Quadrant of the Blue Ocean,” led by Dr. Steffen Roth. This was as part of the CBE Research Seminar Series aimed to create a more vibrant research environment at AUA.

The article makes a case for the significance that barriers have for new venture discovery. Since markets are social phenomena, new venture discoveries necessarily refer to the crossing of social borders. The author draws on form theory and theories of social differentiation to understand how social borders are drawn. He demonstrates how this knowledge may be used to create and unfold a comprehensive market map that is useful for both the tracking of past and the anticipation of new venture discoveries. He uses this map combined with illustrative cases to provide evidence that an entire quadrant of entrepreneurial opportunities is still uncharted in traditional maps for new venture discovery. He concludes that the future of new venture discovery is about the strategic transgression of social borders not only between traditional market segments or strata, but also between the function systems of society such as the political system, economy, science, art, religion, or the mass media system.

Dr. Steffen Roth is tenured Assistant Professor of Management and Organization at the ESC Rennes School of Business, Visiting Professor at the Yerevan State University Department of Sociology, and Visiting Professor at the International University of Rabat School of Business. He was awarded a PhD. in management from the Chemnitz University of Technology and holds another PhD. in sociology from the University of Geneva. He was visiting professor at the University of Cagliari and the Copenhagen Business School. His research fields include organization theory, functional differentiation, total markets, next societies, ideation and crowdsourcing, and culturomics. His research has been published in journals such as Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, Games and Culture, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, International Journal of Technology Management, Creativity and Innovation Management, and Futures.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides US-style education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.