Digital business model internationalisation: Illustrative cases of born global digital companies

Since the introduction of the Internet in the 1990s business models have had to adapt to the digital age. Born global firms have viewed and leveraged the emergence of the Internet as a vehicle for rapid growth. Airbnb, Amazon, Netflix and Spotify are illustrative examples of companies that have built global empires in their respective industries and have grown rapidly and in intriguing, if not controversial, fashion. This chapter explores the digital business model of each of these global companies using the business model framework developed by Evers, Cunningham and Hoholm (2014) (this model builds upon Osterwalder and Pigneur’s (2010) nine building blocks business model). A qualitative case study analysis is conducted of each of the four born global firms. The primary data collection technique used is netnography. The study contributes to the knowledge of international digital entrepreneurship from the business modelling perspective. It seeks to further advance knowledge on how business model constructs are developed in an international context. The results of the study indicate that the Business Model Dynamics is an effective analytical framework, which enables digital companies to conduct a more in-depth analysis for creating and capturing incremental value.